Balansa Clover is an annual grown for its pods, ready to pick about 120 days after sowing. It's hardy across USDA zones 3 through 9. Its late spring flowers are a real draw for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies, even though the pods are the prize. A nitrogen-fixer, it draws nitrogen from the air and feeds it back to the soil — turn it under or leave the roots in place, and the next planting inherits a richer bed.
Zones
3-9
pH Range
5-8
Sun
Full Sun
Days to Maturity
120
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What Balansa Clover is
Balansa Clover grows as an annual and reaches around two feet at maturity. It blooms in late spring.
How to grow Balansa Clover
Balansa Clover grows in USDA zones 3 through 9 and is ready to harvest about 120 days after planting. Balansa Clover does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5 to 8, on well-drained ground. It needs a growing season of at least 90 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
3-9
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
5 - 8
USDA PLANTS Database
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Days to Maturity
120 days
Balansa clover; cool-season annual cover; nitrogen-fixing. Days = establishment to flowering.
SARE; USDA-NRCS
Mature Height
2 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
90+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant balansa clover in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun. It grows in the cool halves of the year, so sow it in spring or late summer rather than waiting for midsummer heat.
Match the soil
Balansa Clover prefers pH 5 to 8 (Growable Ground Plant Database). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band. It fixes its own nitrogen, so skip the high-nitrogen feed and instead dust the seed with a matching rhizobium inoculant at sowing.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at maturity
Balansa Clover is ready about 120 days after sowing (SARE; USDA-NRCS). Pick the pods young and tender, before the seeds inside fully swell.
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — balansa clover isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Balansa Clover is a standout pollinator plant — high value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Where Balansa Clover thrives
Balansa Clover is hardy across USDA zones 3 through 9. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
Zones 3–9·Where Balansa Clover growsOpen map →
On USDA hardiness-zone overlap, Balansa Clover can grow in these states:
See if Balansa Clover will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether balansa clover actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I grow Balansa Clover in my zone?
Balansa Clover grows in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 9 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
How long does Balansa Clover take to grow?
Balansa Clover is ready to harvest about 120 days after planting (SARE; USDA-NRCS). Your local frost dates and soil temperature move that window earlier or later.
When should you plant Balansa Clover?
Balansa Clover is a cool-season crop, so it goes in during the cool halves of the year — early spring, and again in late summer for a fall planting — rather than at the height of summer heat. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Balansa Clover need?
Balansa Clover needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Balansa Clover need?
Balansa Clover prefers soil pH 5 to 8, on well-drained ground (Growable Ground Plant Database). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Balansa Clover attract pollinators?
Yes — balansa clover's flowers are a strong nectar and pollen source for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Is Balansa Clover safe for pets?
Balansa Clover is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)