So last year i planted alot of plots. First year that i really got serious with it. I made the (believe to be) mistake of planting purple tops early (may) in one. They grew great then all died out before it got to be the season, leaving me with rye grass. My question is, if im planting small 1/4 plots, what should i plant in the spring? Clover seems like the only legit option.
That small of a plot and at that time of year, that's about right. A quick growing annual clover with spring oats mixed in would be a good option on that small of a plot. Could even try something like Berseem. Are you after summer forage, or planning for hopes of carrying over into the fall? I have better luck establishing in the fall with a grain/clover mix than in the spring when weed competition can be much greater. I combat this by planting smaller areas in buckwheat as my main cover, then terminate that in July or August depending on what I'm planting (July if planting Brassicas, mid August if doing clover/grains).
Matt pretty much nailed it in my opinion. I would do wheat/oats, annual clover or buckwheat if you're going to work it under in late summer.
Im looking for something that will be there in the summer and carry over into the fall. Like ive mentioned, my brassicas just dont get very much action. And if they do...its getting the leaves eaten off early.
You don't want to plant them that early. Were there bulbs leftover? We tried it once as an experiment (April planted Brassicas) and they grew massive vegetation, but the bulbs were stunted and then rotted before they would ever become useful for you (winter freezes). Typically, they should go in 60-90 days before your first frost in your area. That being said, you could do clover and oats this spring, then go back and broadcast the turnips into your existing stand in late July.
I love Chicory for this. I had two plots behind the house this year and the Chicory was by far their favorite, plus it grew more food per acre than the clover I had. They were on the Chicory right up until beginning of December when the snow cover killed things off.
This particular early plot didnt even bulb much. It amounted to nothing. I did plant 2 later plots in September. One bulbed good but got the leaves eaten off. The other didnt bulb, grew alot of vegetation, and the deer never touched it. But we havnt had a good long cold streak either. My main problem is people feeding corn. The deer just didnt seem interested in food plots when corn was piled up everywhere.
We're still here I planted Chicory a few times, but it was always a light mix with my clover. Seemed to do well.
I experimented by planting brassicas last spring. Big failure. I've always planted them late July, early August and had great luck with them..... plant wise. The deer don't pay them much attention until late winter by me. I also experimented by letting my chicory grow to maturity without cutting. I got a 6' tall mess of woody stems and flowers. Birds loved it, deer not so much. I will be keeping them mowed this year. As the guy's have said, for spring planting, oats and clover are great. For any plot, follow the suggestions from your soil tests for best results. For my 2 1/2 acre plot I've had all soybeans one year and all corn the next and let stand all winter. I got the most bang for my buck with the soybeans.
Soybeans are on my list someday when we acquire the property. I'll actually have room to get bigger plots in without worrying about fencing or browse pressure.
Why not do a spring and then till under overseed in fall? The only true all season plot is going to be something like already discussed which is a clover mix BUT I always and forever will add Chicory into my clover stands now. The stuff stand up to mowing for a few years if not more just like the clover and the deer love the stuff. Outside of that honestly if you only want to do one work up and plant a year in the Spring. Why the hesitation or reluctancy to do fall plots? Someone already brought it up but you could always seed cereal grains into the clover/chicory blend in mid/late September and have fresh Oats or Winter Rye (not Ryegrass) bursting through it. Clover is quite resilent and just light scraping through plot with a harrow or even disc set shallow will expose soil but not kill the clover and allow solid soil to seed contact for the cereal grains. Or just seed heavy (lower germination) right into the stand come fall. We've done both and have success with both.
We will have 25 acres of corn on the farm this summer. My plots are going to be "kill plots" planted to draw the deer out of the corn. Weve always had beans planted and for summer they are no doubt the best option, but once harvested the fields become a wasteland. Im excited for the advantage corn brings for holding deer year round. Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
I think im going to do 2 plots each in chicory, clover and oats. 6 total. Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
A stand alone Chicory plot is something I've never done. I would definitely do clover/chicory together. They are an amazing combination.
If you are looking for kill plots I wouldn't plant them until July or August. Also as others have said the combination of clover and Chicory is a good one. I usually plant that in the late summer early fall for the next year.
I shot my buck this last year feeding on Clover/Chicory late October. Had numerous pictures and videos of another one of our shooters coming to the same spot during early/mid November seemingly between doe searching. For whatever reason the mix for years now seems to be attractive during my prime bow time on stand. That very plot will be overseeded early this spring with some clover and more chicory. Waiting till mid year can result in lower germ rates due to heat or possible drought. Let the moisture of the spring get it going. Frost seeding clover now is a great option too! Chicory is a very small seed and can be sown into almost any plot unless big broad leafs (brassicas if thick) or canopy exist (soybean already up).
