So I planted Buck Forage Oats this year in a mix with winter peas and rape. The Oats are about 2 feet tall and thick. Are oats a good late season food source? Not sure this is my first time ever planting it.
Not so much for late season. The oats will die after the first frost but thats where the rape and peas come into play if any are left. In the future you can over seed with Cereal rye around Sept to get late season forage as well.
Depends on what you mean by late season, are you talking about late November or a late winter food source? Deer in our area love winter wheat in November after surround field have been worked under, and winter wheat/winter rye. I would say if it is still visible (no snow) and still green, the deer will still be feeding on them.
The plot I shot the doe off of last night has a brassica mix and Buck Forage Oats in it. The oats are about knee high on me. I'm 5'9. The deer have been mowing them off from the area closest to the timber working their way across the plot. We've had about 4 killing frosts here this year so far. Nothing below 25 degrees though. The oats are all still green and looking good.
Thanks for the input. They still are really green and look great, I am going to take a chance and sit on that plot tomorrow night.