RE: Cold weather miracle plant
Brassicas are a family which includes Turnips, Kale and Rape, maybe even broccoli and cauliflower and others. What you probably ought to use is Rape, generally planted later, it doesn't appeal to the deer until a frost, and because it's planted later and tolerates the cold, there shouldn't be as much weed competition. I don't know what the Wildlife seed sellers package in their brassicas mix, but I'd guess it's mostly Rape seed.