Question on Turnips
 

Do you still need a soil test when planting turnips? Also, Ive heard that turnips are hard to beat when the snow and cold weather comes, is this true? Im sick of not seeing deer in the late season and im hoping this is my ticket out of that mess. Thanks for any help you have.

RE: Question on Turnips
 

To answer your first question YES YES YES. You need a soil test no matter what you plant. I plant turnips every year, but I incorperate them in with other items, like winter rye or buck forage oats. Also I plant rape in some of my food plots. The deer normally wont eat the green until theres a heavy frost or freeze, something about the sugar content rises after this. I live in northeast Arkansas and the deer are just now eating on the my turnips out of two of my plots.Good luck to you next year.

RE: Question on Turnips
 

Awesome, thanks. Just looking for an alternative to my untouched clover plot.

RE: Question on Turnips
 

ks - what type of clover?

I've never seen deer prefer turinps over clover - at least not on my plots.
Sometimes we grow them together -

If the Ph is "borderline" for clover - even if it grows well - it can be "bitter" if the Ph is too low. Taste it yourself - you'll get a good idea from just that little test.

Old time farmers say Lime "sweetens" a plot - because it really does.

Lastly - sometimes our plots - are in spots that the deer don't like to feed in. Maybe its a road, a house, the prevailing wind - or whatever................. if the deer don't feel comforable entering the plot, they wont. Not in the daylight, and sometimes not at all. Wind is the big deal in my experience.

Our Prevailing winds are from the SW. The NE Corner of the field can be a real good point of entry - but if hindered - (houses, road, open area, etc) deer activity in the field goes down.

My deer rarely approach from the North or the South.
You CANNOT hunt the East Edge - and the Deer approaching from the west usually litereally RUN to the center of the field to feed at dusk.


FH