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Crimson Clover can be sown any time between April and August once the chance of frost has reduced. If growing to produce flowers for pollinators sow in the spring. Clear the area of any unwanted vegetation, lightly cultivate with a fork to produce a medium tilth. Scatter the seeds on the surface evenly, rake and water in. Water to keep the soil surface moist as required. Seeds should germinate within 3 weeks depending on soil temperature. Protect the young seedlings from slugs. Growth will be most rapid in the summer months. Any plots sown after the beginning of September are unlikely to grow large enough to be of benefit. It is the gardeners choice when to dig the mixture into the soil; a summer sown mixture is likely to need at least 6 weeks to produce a benefit but can be left as long as the gardener likes. If left to flower, the plot will become an attractive buzzing haven for pollinating insects. It is not winter hardy. 

Crimson Clover is a legume, fixing nitrogen from the atmosphere and into the soil. It does this through a sybiotic relationship with rhizobium bacteria. Of course some of the nitrogen that it fixes is put into the clover's own growth; but when the clover is dug into the soil the micro and macro organisms feed from the rotting vegetation. The waste from these organisms is rich in readily available nitrogen - perfect for growing healthy crops of vegetables. Another important element which is added to the soil in this process is carbon. This carbon was captured from the atmosphere when the clover was growing and converted into glucose in a process called photosynthesis.

Crimson Clover also develops sybiotic relationships with mycorrhizal fungi, these fungi connect directly onto the clover's roots but are much finer and longer, allowing them to forage farther and wider than the clover's own roots. From this relationship the fungi obtain glucose from the host clover, and the clover obtains hard to reach nutrients such as phosphorous from the fungi. The fungi are said to "mobilise" these otherwise difficult to obtain nutrients. This phosphorous which was previously out of the reach of regular plants is now brought into use in the root zone and will be available to following crops as the clover decomposes.