Spring Planting?

This will be the first time we have tried to do a food plot. I notice that most people plant theirs in August. I am curious about planting it in the spring and letting it grow all spring and summer. Is this not a good idea? I am curious.

Thanks

 

It just depends on what you want for a food plot. Food plots can either be warm season or cool season. Typically cool season food plots are what folks plant around August and are intended to supply food through the fall, winter and early spring with green food. Cool season varieties of plants will be like Rye, wheat, crimson clover, brassicas, winter pea.

Warm season food plots (because they grow in the warm season months) are planted in spring, early summer. Warm season plants would be things like corn, soybeans, milo, buckwheat, sunflower, etc.. and can be left standing over fall and winter for late season food plots as hard, mature grain. They can also be interseeded with the cool season forages though so you have a mix of both.

 

I would ideally like to have this setup so its a viable source year round... Am I hoping for too much?

 

Oh no...not at all.
Beyond the stuff I mentioned there's also clovers, lespedeeza and alfalfa that are short term perennials. They can be planted basically once and with minimal care can last several years (3-5'ish). Any of it can provide a year around food source, just depends on how much planting you want to do and what equipment is available.

I prefer no-till, basically I can run in and do my planting right through a standing crop residue and never have to worry about the transitions and tillage. The drawback is no-till equipment isn't always viable to everyone.

 

I have access to a tractor and a disc. The area that we want to plant is in a "Bowl" I use that term loosely but it has a horseshoe like hill that surrounds it and it flows down from there, so all of the water from rains will flow through it. Would it make it easier if I were able to get pictures? Sorry I am very very new to the whole planting thing ha

 

Winter rye and white clover might be a good choice for you, one of the good reasons to plant in August is you don't have to compete with weeds as bad then if you plant in spring. I planted a plot a few years ago in the spring and had to fight weeds. If you plant your winter rye and clover together in August the rye will give deer food in fall and winter and be a cover crop for your clover before it becomes established. In the spring winter rye and clover will emerge and give deer immediate food. You can then mow rye and hopefully have a great stand of clover. I guess rye has an affect where it helps control weeds. I am no expert but have been really studying food plots lately and have learned a lot. I will be planting this combo along with Honey Hole from Antler King this late summer. Scoot

 

Deer Food Plot Management Products Here is a good article on the planting. Scoot

 

This year I plan on taking my current brassica plot and discing it under. I will plant my Egyptian Wheat screen, and then plant some type of annual clover until August. At that time I will turn it under and plant a winter rye, oats, red clover mix.

I will be breaking in another new plot, and doing this same thing. However it will get a brassica mix come August.

For me, the hardest thing this year was getting the deer to rely on my plot consistently. I hope that by a diverse year round food source, paired with good bedding cover nearby, will provide a sweet little honey hole in the core of our property.