I am planning on planting my first food plot this spring and I am looking for any tips on how I should go about this. I plan on planting a 40x40 yard plot of white clover in a field on the backside of my property along with a 20x20 yard plot of corn in the same field on the other end. My main goal of this is to get more deer on my property. I only have around 5 acres of woods to hunt but I figured even a small plot is better than nothing.
what experience do you have with farming, corn can be very expensive and tough to grow compared to other things. clover plot is pretty simple, kill off the area with glysophate mid to late April, till it a few weeks later and broadcast the seed on. pack it with a roller. plant it by mid may and you will have a good catch of clover. corn plot i will defer to someone with more experience than I!
a 20x20 corn plot is not going to last very long if at all..the deer may eat it before it has a chance to grow. first step tho is to kill the vegetation and get a soil sample test. the same goes with the clover plot.kill the vegetation and get a soil sample test..once you get the results go from there..
I have planted corn before in a garden and it has done well in the past so I'm not too worried about that. What minimum size corn plot would you suggest if a 20x20 isnt big enough? With the clover, would you recommend planting some brassicas with it too? I was debating throwing it into the mix but I'm trying to go cheap and not spend money on lime or any fertilizers, that's why I went with the clover.
i plant chicory with my clover. there are many clover chicory blends on the market. as far as corn goes..minimum of an acre 2 or 3 would be best.depends alot on your deer density..corn is expensive to plant so you dont want to waste time and money.soy beans are cheaper and also a great food plot.if you plant soybeans this year it will help with planting corn next year as it will add nitrogen to the soil.you need a soil test tho to see what your ph level is.if its to low and you dont spread lime your just wasting time and money..good luck
I'll definitely keep that tip about the corn vs beans in mind. Since you mix the chicory and the clover, do you put any lime down to help the chicory? I know that clover generally doesn't need lime since it doesn't require the nitrogen but I haven't really looked into chicorys nitrogen demands.
if your ph level is fine you wont need to add lime the clover adds nitrogen and aids the chicory thats why they work so well together.
