dwallac3

I live in Central Illinois and just got permission to plant a food plot where I hunt. I hunt a small timber only about 3 acres. The deer come from other timber by mine for food and bedding. I am surrounded by corn and beans with timber around too. For my food plot I want to devided it up into three sections. I am providing a pic. below to help illistrate what I am talking about. I want to plant the L shape around the field, the path into the woods which is about 10 yards wide, and the clearing in the middle which is about half and acre. I am not sure what to plant where. I am thinking about the clearing being turnips, sugar beats, and peas. The path being clover, alfalfa, and oats. The L shape being milo and lab lab or chicory. I am sorry for the drawling it is not to scale and is a little crude. Thanks

timbercruiser

The small spot at the end of the path is smaller than you think. Rather than trying to throw a lot of different seed out there I would plant the whole thing in Buck Forage Oats. It is the wrong time of year to plant Lab Lab anyway.

bandgod

If your looking at it for a hunting plot I would go with a brassica mix like the sugar beets and turnips. It may be a little late in the year to make much of an impact on hunitng, but if it doesn't freeze until late november early December you could be in great shape for a late season hunt over the brassicas. I planted a bunch of turnips in early august and the deer are loving them!! We've already had a hard frost and snow up here.

dwallac3

Im not going to be planting this plot until spring. thanks for the imput

bandgod

I would check the PH now and lime accordingly so that in the the spring all you have to do is fertilize and plant. If you want more bedding cover, you can't beat sorghum and the deer will eat it up when it freezes next fall too. I would put that out in the open and then in the narrow strip put a mixture of clovers and brassicas planted later int he summer. Good luck with whatever you go with!

tharvishrose

just be sure to use the right fertilizer. clovers and alfalfa make their own nitrogen so if you add more your feeding the weeds. its the middle number in like 10-10-10, i think. the feed store where you get the stuff should be able to help. one more thing lime should be put down about 6 months early. it takes a long time to be useful in the soil. pot ash is quicker but it takes 4 times as much. it'll take a couple years to get it up and running. good luck. huntingman has lots of experience with food plots and others here can offer up all kinds of help.
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