bowmanaj

I've learned a lot from you all over the last year or so, so I thought i'd share some pics of current and future projects. I spent the last couple weekends at our farm in SE Indiana (Ohio County) clearing land with friends, and having fun when the sun goes down..

Redneck stump removal
(note: that is not my buttcrack..what is funny is that guy is actually a plumber)



My buddy Ren... teaching them young




A small Alfa-Clover plot tucked back in a cedar corner, tried to make itlong and narrow as possible. I will extend it widernext year, but I want to see how this stuff does. It extents another30 yards or so that you cant see in the picture.We bush-hogged the hay and saplings around it, we are gonna let the hay grow back but create a little barrier. The hay is for edge cover and Im also going to transplant honeysuckle on the other side (thanks Bugflipper). I found a lot of wild honeysuckle in the woods today while scouting for turkey season.








Some clover I planted last year, starting to come up. A little patchy, but that is expected. Its good to see it coming up and establishing good roots before the hot weather gets here.






This is what I use to pack the clover/alfalfa/chickory seeds down. Again, Thanks haystack..I wasn't sure if I could just use this. Lawn rollers can be a pain sometimes





One of the crab apple trees I planted last year. Starting to get leaves. The deer got to it THROUGH a fence last year, but I found an old tall roll of chicken wire, so that and T-posts should do it..



These are going around the pond



Future 1/2winter wheat, 1/2 brassicasplot.. This is awesome little spot as far as deer travel goes. Just need to clear a few bigger trees and saplingsand prepare the soil. This will be planted in late Aug./early Sept. depending on the weather andrain.




I cleared this little spot for sweet corn for the family. It will get deer netting around it. I have learned this by trial and error. Last year I did field corn for the deer, and will again, but I learned by trial and error that in smaller plots (less than 1 acre) it is very important to protect them. We still got some corn last year, but a lot of it was munched downaround the milk stage of the ear development. This year, the family's corn gets protected. I got some "deer netting" that will go up. I have tried deer scram and many simliar products that say they last "months", but after 1 rain, the deer go crazy on it


All in all we had a good time and got a lot of work done while having fun. I justlove to watch things grow. thanks again to you guys for sharing your knowledge. More pics to come when things start coming up. I can't wait for the summer now:

haystack

Bowman, You have some nice looking property, definitely good habitat. I can not take the credit for the honeysuckle though, Bugflipper actually suggested that.

Looks like you have plenty of moisture, that corn patch is wet! What kind of sweet corn do you grow? I grow sweet corn also, and I might be able to give you some tips, if needed. Some you can grow with field corn and some varieties of sweet corn will get ruined if it cross pollinates with field corn.

Good luck, and if I can help in any way, I will be glad to. And I agree, not many things on earth is more satisfying and rewarding as growing and watching things grow.

chuckmanley83

That is some property you have there. Looks like a pretty big undertaking...good luck and God speed!

J Pike

bowman awesome looking property!! Haystack great suggestion about using the ATV. to pack down the seed!! Im making a new 3 acre plot that im going to start this spring that the only things I will be able to get into the location is the ATV, the ATV brush hog, if I can get it back there (I will use the lawn mower if not), sprayer and spreader, going to try your idea about using the ATV. to pack down the seed. I dont know how its going to turn out considering I wont be able to disk and plow it. Pike

mossberghunter93

Cool stuff Adam.

bowmanaj

Thats right, I couldn't remember, thought it was you. Thanks Bugflipper! The sweet corn I am looking at is called "double delicious", and another one I'm looking at is a hybrid called Honey and Pearl (sh2). If you have any other suggestions/advice I am definitely open to them, thanks.I have not made up my mind 100% if Im going to do field corn again. If so, I will research or ask you about potential cross pollination problems.

Thanks guys. It is hard to do what, the way I want, because I lack a lot of the equipment that makes it easier.. Plus I am in my last quarter of college and still kinda broke lol.That, and the fact that this is a pretty small property (less than 20 acres) is why the plots are small. I'm still in the learning process obviously, and there are a lot of things I still want/need to learn about. There is just something about growing things that I've come to love. I will be asking many more questions in the future.

haystack

Bowman, Sounds like you already know about sweet corn, not many people know the difference (IMO) between sh2, se, or su and several more recently. But there is a huge difference. I have grown honey and pearl, its yellow and white or bi-color, very good but needs warm soil to germinate.

About your food plots, you have got your priorities strait thats the main thing. The rest will come with time.

Good luck!!

Soilman

Great looking plots. Growing plants is a joy, and having deer, turkeys, songbirds, and other wildlife use them is a bonus. With your attitude,your plots will be a success. Some people have unrealistic expectations and not nearly as much energy and enthusiasm as you.

Haystack is right on with the sh2 hybrids, they need warm soil- 65+ soil temp is best. We have real problems with raccoons in sweetcorn. A battery powered electric fence 6-8 inches off the ground works great for them! Sh2's do require isolation. Ten day maturity difference should work,and/or field corn is accross the plot from the sweetcorn.

bowmanaj

hmmm.. I'm going to have to look into that. I already have a raccoon problem as it is.

Soilman

The worst part about raccoons, they take 2-4 bites from 20+ cobs. If they ate 1 or 2 in total, it wouldn't be too bad. Here is the fence charger I use. Works well on small plots, runs on D cell batteries, isn't terribly expensive. http://www.zarebasystems.com/products/ProductDetails.aspx?id=247