my first real food plot, tips / helps with growing.

so ive put in a few tuber/brassics fields before , very small sq footage, that turned out well. but i finally baught my own land and am putting in a real food plot/ garden. my "plot" is roughly .5 acres. I expect this taking a few years to get where i really want it. heres where im at. I am putting this in in the corner of an existing hay field. so far i have killed the hay, disced up the entire plot. planted pine trees and maple trees along the edges of the plot, transplanted 6 apple trees into the middle of the plot. i am planting corn and beans here in the near future and will save about a third of the plot to plant brassics/ tubers later in the year. my big questions are with regard to fertalizer, pest control. what do you guys recommend for how often and what to do to ensure a good yield from both my apple trees and the corn and beans.. ( i plan to harvest some of these for human consumption)

 

Make sure to get a soil test. May need lime. You are doing a lot of work. If the soil is not right you will be disappointed. I lime as needed, then fertilize twice a year. Planted tree I don't fertilize the first year then fertilize with tree spikes.

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My opinion is yourey making a big mistake.
First off is planting trees in the middle of a .5 acre plot.
Gonna end up being a pain in the ass down the road.
Second is planting corn/ beans in that small of a plot.
Been there,done that ( both).
Waste of time..

Oh, always fertalize!

 

I'll add to this thread, as there are many tip threads out here. I am in process of planting my first plot, going with a clover forest blend, hopefully good for limited sunlight. Area is small, roughly 20x50 yards. Placed a water hole near edge. Plan on clearing as much as I can but soil is rocky and tons of small roots. Too remote to get equipment down there to assist. Hand tools only. I'll spread seed and fertilizer before a good rain. I dont have experience with Ag. I've traditionally hunted travel corridors in thick timber.

Thoughts, or ideas? Picture posted. Also, there is a fairly beaten down game trail 10 yards adjacent to edge of this clearing .

 

Again soil test. You can plant the best seed, best fertilizer and just be throwing you money away. If the ph is not right it's not going to work and deer won't eat it. This pic is crying for lime unless the rocks are limestone. If its limestone you may have to lower the ph. There are other things in a soil test that may be an issue also.

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Tom if you can get a soil test done or at least get a kit to figure out what the pH is. If you get the kit and it calls for water be sure its distilled else it will throw the test off. Based on the soil test apply lime. If you decide to forgo the pH test drop around a 1000 bus of lime on your .5 acre plot. With it being smaller if you want a yield you might have to fence off or apply morganite to the plot to keep deer away until it has a chance to establish. Also make sure you have some clear entrances and exits for the deer that are not pinch points so they don't feel corralled. That could limit their use some. if you are going to plant beans and corn spring for round up ready seed to make it easier to control weeds and undesirable plants. Just became when spraying so you dont kill your trees. Corn also likes nitrogen so be prepared too drop fertilizer high in nitrogen.

Your pH has to be about 6.5 to 7 else you will lose the benefits of some of the fertilizer that you apply. Thats why its important to know your pH.

 

If the clover blend is thin the first year you can overseed the plot with oats/rye/winter wheat. In the fall be prepared to get in there with a leaf blower to move the leaf litter off the plot. In a secluded plot that is your biggest enemy. This is a shameless plug but once the clover is a couple inches high hit it with Antler King Jolt or Clover Fuel. Its easy to apply with a back pack sprayer. hope that helps and if you want to talk more details of have questions PM me.

 

You can mix a dozen eggs in water. Mix well and back pack spray the area to keep the deer off. Very cheap and works great.

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Well I have many small plots, I've been doing this for many many years. So, did it, doing it and there isn't much I have not tried.
So I see absolutely no reason to plant maples around the edge. As for the apples, how big? Are they wild transplants? How far apart? Are they early, late or different types ? Now I have trees in my plots . One of my plots has 4 apples two standard late, red and yellow plus two semi dwarf. One late, one early, one green, one red. I also have 2 peach trees. Then one dark cherry, 5 soon to be 6 Dunstan chestnuts. Now When planting I carefully spaced them to allow 6 ft diameter fencing around each tree and my being able to cleanly drive our 35hrs JD with a disc behind around these trees. Taking into account their future canopy. With this said the main issue is working a plot around fruit and nut trees with out constantly root pruning them by working the soil to deep. Also fruit trees do not need the same high ph some grazing plants do and they definitely don't need the nitrogen.
that covered what does this plot have around it for food on not only you land but neighboring lands. Is the hay field a mixed legume grass or mainly grass feild? Horse or cattle hay. They have different mixes. Why the pines and did you take into consideration the way the sun travels across the sky during the year? Because that will make a big difference in light availability . If you are only doing one 1/2 acre plot what ever you plant will get mowed down so don't sweat it. Plant a perennial on the cheap...that is ag seed or sale seed . Dont worry about the weeds because deer eat weeds. Go heavy on most but not all at once. Seed wait a couple of weeks and walk over more seed wait a few weeks and walk over an annual and repeat. If you want beans for browse not beans use cow peas.
If you want food plant a light clover and winter squash / pumpkins then once they get going walk a sugar beet or brassica /cowpea in just before a heavy rain. You can walk over the beans to get soil contact they do well not buried deep. They are a small seed bean. This will work the first year usually. After that deer know and BAM! they will devour your squash. Put your money into fertilizers micro and macro. It's what you put into the plant that attracts through taste and nutrients. Decide on what the plant can do for your soil not just the deer. Think out side the box I have planted kenaf,hemp, sainfoil, fixation, feed clrn bird seed sun flowers, buckwheat,

 

I did quit planting apple trees a few years back. Now I add a couple of pear trees instead, the trees produce fruit faster and deer love them.

 

ok so here is my thought process.. and thank you all so much for the tips and tricks.. my thought process around the pine and maple trees... I currently have a 5+ acre hay field. that was being grown for horses that lived on my property. I dont have horses. Im slowly converting a large portion of that back to natural trees and forest. (no, none of the local farmers wanted to farm it, to small to be worth their time) The pine trees and maple trees are just saplings. Pines are fast growing and will provide nice cover on the 2 sides of the plot starting next year. so the deer dont feel exposed while eating.. ( there is forest on the other 2 sides) the maples.. i wanted them because i like them and would like to tap them for syrup at some point down the line. but maples are slow growers and it will be years before that happens. these line 2 sides of my plot and are spaced out to allow for growth.

Regarding my apple trees in the middle.. they are semi dwarfs that ive had for 5 years at another property ( they are about 10-12 ft tall ) . still relatively young and growing. all have budded out this year and appear to be thriving in the new environment.

I know over time the apple trees will be the main/ if anything in this plot.. but ive got a good 5-7 years before thats the case.. so may as well grow other stuff in the mean time.

all the hay has been disced, and the some hay that survived that was hit with roundup.

I did get a soil test kit that ill use in the next few days, and will put nitrogen or lime as they indicate, although i know it take a few years for it to really work itself in. I expect the corn to grow quite well.. it grows "naturally" in various parts of my yard on its own.. I know corn doesnt naturally grow.. but i had about 10 random stalks growing all over my yard last year. and i know the random stalks werent fertalized or anything (thanks squirrels). I also know corn and beans compliment eachother from a ground standpoint...

everything in this plot will get very good southern exposure , untill the trees get large.. but i will have some time before thats the case.

next year or the year after i will likely put in another half acre plot 50 yards to the south of this one. so as this plot gets overrun by the apple trees, i will convert it to clovers, or brassics only , and move the other stuff to the new plot.

my neighbors to the north have about 50 acres of corn.. and to the south about an 1/8 mile away.. corn as well. im sure they rotate crops.. but you get the idea. corn is extremely abundant in my area, infact there were 2 plots left standing all winter.. and i live next door to an apple orchard as well(although the deer cant get to it).. food is not the problem in my area at all.. hence why apple trees are a huge draw.

those of you with apple trees, and other stuff growing.. to you put fertalizers and pesticides on after you plant?

thanks again.

 

yes the fertilizing is along with the plot. Yes to spraying we have a huge borer problem and fire blight issue here. Then there is the leaf curl and rust. Which means fungicide as well. Just be careful with your wild bees. If your running late don't spray. As for the corn, people blame deer for stripping it. Well let me tell you raccoons and grey squirrel are a huge issue in small corn plots so what you may have is a place they'll hang in and find some corn, but most corn will PROBABLY be gone early. Good cover if not pulled down. I plant small plots of corn and beans ,cow peas, cheap and will grow and grow. Even after being browsed hard. BTW RR corn has become a weed in areas. If your going back to " natural " don't over look bushes for browse, mast, and cover. There are many.bush cherry, aronia, hazelnut,, blueberry, dogwood,ect., ect.

 

did my soil test, ph is like 6.5... should be good. nirtogen is lacking.. so ill get them in here in the next week. hopefully planting beans next to corn helps with this as well.

how often do you spray the fungicide/ pesticide/ fertalizer?

ill be literally planting a few hundred corn seeds, so i would expect with me having farmers for neighbors with corn planted, my corn should fair reasonbly well.

pulled my trail cameras this weekend.. the bucks have started sprouting their antlers.

 

As for fertilizer spring ,late summer. I don't fall because you don't want growth before harsh weather. Fugicide and insect..read your labels carefully.
Lol..the corn, it doesn't work like that. BTW did I mention crows, robins and grackle...they will yank every seedling they can leaving them laying on top of the soil, looking for the kernal. How farmers avoid this is by coating their seed with products such as Avipel bird repellent. I had an entire plot stripped in one day. Oh ever see a scurry of squirrel all digging a plot at the same time? It's a sight . Scare them and they move just a bit and then continue digging.

 

Tom. Sounds like you're dead set on corn?
Forget it.. that little bit will never make it.

 

Ok so I do sound down on the corn, thats because I fight and fight and fight some years just to grow it in a small patch in fenced i garden. Not only fenced in but I cover the area with bird netting . Still the birds get it or I didnt put enough insecticide in the soil for wire worm.

 

well i figured with it growing around my yard randomly.. and all the corn being grown by farmers nearby, it will be one of many many nearby corn plots, so it wont get hit that hard. i like eating corn, and know deer eat it as well.. ultimately if it fails.. i could still plant brassics/tubers. corn will get planted in a few weeks, and i wouldnt be planting brassics till middle summer... so i guess well see how it turns out.. plus i had a neighbor/farmer plant a similar sized corn plot last year, and the vast majority of it seems to yield good results. i already bought the seed , so its going in the ground.

keep in mind.. im alternating rows with beans, and then im planning on doing a mix as well.

the tips about the insecticide you have tried and how often to apply to give it its best chance.. would be greatly appreciated.

 

BTW i have done the soil test and ph is 6.5 to 7. nitrogen is lacking, so ill be adding , but i know nitrogen takes a bit of time to get into the soil.

 

No, it is that lime takes time to work with soil .Nitrogen in the form of urea HAS TO BE worked in or it will evaporate. There is fast and slow release nitrogen. But with lime even " fast acting" takes weeks over months to work.
You mention eating it, so sweet corn is to be planted? If so and you have field corn very close by, watch your tasseling timing. You do not want your sweet and field corn to tassel at the same time because cross pollination will ruin your sweet corns taste.
Now being cheap my corn plots have been grown using feed corn. It has worked GREAT for years, until last. I believe Tractor supply got in a batch that was high heat dried and it killed germination. . This year if I plant a view barrier of corn I will have to do a germination test first.
As far as sprays , there are many general fruit tree sprays, thats how they are marketed. Timing is basically before bloom , after petal drop, every few weeks and then dormant oil in the late fall. But weather effects this and spray type. So I have to say get reading, it is the best and really only way to thoroughly learn. Sometimes my head aches from the amount of research and reading I do.

 

thank much.. Well the nearest corn field is about 150-200 yards away.. i dont know if i still have to worry about cross pollination, but i guess ill find out if the corn sucks.

Update, The apple trees have all budded out.. my two new ones appear to be slower than the older ones.. but ive got nothing but time. And i had to reinforce the fencing around the trees, as the deer already started chewing off the shoots on the lower limbs.

all my maple saplings appear to be growing and alive.

i planted 300 corn seeds yesterday.. i still have another 300 to do.. but heres hoping they grow well. beans will go in in a few weeks. (update, got the other 300 seeds planted)

the only thing im dissapointed in is how much hay i still have growing in my plot.. hit it with roundup 2 times, and then disced the land. my plantings have avoided the active hay for now.. ill probably round up them again.. and try to keep it away from all my plantings.. and i really need to buy my own disc, renting one is annoying, but $500 for the one i want is also not on the top of my priorities right now.

and i got to watch a buck walk right past my barn with TV blaring during the basketball game last night.. that was a treat.. he didnt seem to care much that the game was in double overtime. He has about 2 inches of growth.. ive got him on camera a bunch already.. its good to see him and the cluster of does, making my land their primary stomping grounds.