Originally Posted by
dbllunged
you could plant clover and then put something like winter wheat, oats, rye over the top of it. this way you will have a fall plot and in spring the clover will come nice too.
This above method is, in my opinion, the best way to plant clover. I really like mixing in oats for a couple of reasons.
1. Oats are an annual. You will not have too worry about pesticides next spring to get rid of them. Rye will grow the next spring and shade the clover. It gets stemmy when tall and will not be eaten.
2. As dblunged said, you get a great fall plot out of it still. Clover can withstand a lot of grazing, but the oats will help to keep the pressure off so the clover can fully establish.
3. Deer love oats!
For what it's worth, ive read a bunch on buck forage oats vs. other oats vs. rye and winter wheat. Some research suggests that deer may prefer (slightly) BFOs if given a choice, but the bottom line is to me they just arent worth the name brand price. Two years ago, I actually split a field and planted rye and BFOs each on a half. In my observation, they preferred the rye by a lot. Rye is great in the north because it will stay green long into the winter. I just dont like it in clover fields because its a perrenial (i should mention that you can get rid of it in a full year with mowing). I guess what im trying to say is, go to a farm n feed and buy some generic oats if you decide to go that route.
Sorry for the long post. Im known to ramble a bit