Iron Clay Peas

[falcon]

Iron clay peas are a good food source for deer. i got into planting clay peas a few years ago. This year we have about four acres of them on three properties.

This patch of clay peas is about one acre: The deer have eaten all of the blooms off the peas. If we get good rain, good growth and the deer do not eat the plants down to their nubs; we will let this plot go until the frost kills it and then plant Chilocco oats mixed with winter wheat.

[rem700man]

Beautiful!

[Soilman]

Nice looking patch of peas. I hope you get the timely rains to help you out.

[Indianabucks]

How much does the seed run an acre to put out? Have you tried planting them in the fall? Plots look great!!

[haystack]

Nice looking I/C peas. Looks like a little Milo mixed in also. The deer have definitely hammered them, but looks like the peas are holding up well, they can take the heat and dryness about as good as any crop also.

You must have worked those hogs over pretty good too, otherwise I don't see how the peas would have made it that far!

[falcon]

How much does the seed run an acre to put out? Have you tried

planting them in the fall? Plots look great!!

Iron clay pea seed costs about $50 per bag. A bag will plant a couple of acres if a drill is used. Mine are disced in so it takes about 50 pounds to seed an acre. Would like to find food grade iron clay peas but they are not available here in bulk. We have never planted them in the fall.

The milo is reseeded from last year. We have killed about 15 hogs on that place this year.

[timbercruiser]

A friend of mine was talking about the Chilocco oats a few days ago. Do they stand up to cold temperatures well? Do they stand up to heavy grazing well? I've planted Buck Forage Oats for several years with great results and would like more info before changing.

[falcon]

A friend of mine was talking about the Chilocco oats a few days ago. Do they stand up to cold temperatures well? Do they stand up to heavy grazing well? I've planted Buck Forage Oats for several years with great results and would like more info before changing.

Last year we planted several plots in Chilocco oats. Despite a very bad ice storm and some unusually cold weather; they held up well and tolerated some very heavy grazing by hogs and deer. The feed oats that we planted at the same time turned brown on the ends but grew out of it when the weather warmed up.

IMO: Plain old horse feed oats grow just as well and are just as cold tolerant as the more expensive Buck Forage Oats.

[FlaBoy18]

I wonder if those peas would work in central florida?

[timbercruiser]

Iron Clay Peas should work well anywhere. Either grain drill, planter or just lightly disc them in preferably before a rain. They will last till frost from now.