Fall-planted hairy vetch flowers in April and ripens seed in May–June. Groups of 10 to 40 small, long, blue flowers hang from one side of a long flower stem.

Does vetch come back every year?

Hairy vetch, as a winter annual, will sprout in the fall, overwinter, regrow in spring, go to seed and die. ... In spring, when the vetch plants were tall, bushy and in bloom, they were mowed down to an inch above the ground, and the residue piled above the stubble to form a thick, smothering mulch.

Is vetch an annual or perennial?

Hairy vetch and common vetch are widely used as cool-season cover crops. They are annuals that can easily be killed when time comes to plant the main crop. Crown vetch is an extremely aggressive perennial that is used for erosion control, not as a cover crop.