rem700man

Over the july 4th weekend i got 2/3 of an acre plowed(rototilled). The area is an old hayfield that has had nothing done to it but mulch hayed every year for a long time. The ground was very hard and dry ,,,and full of rocks,,,which i have picked some of the rocks but have alot more to pick. We did not do a soil test but we put two tons of lime on the ground before tilling. The ground was extremely hard so we went over it again with the tiller and we got down to a depth of 4"-6" evenly. This field is in full sun all day! What i would like to do is plant a sugarbeet,, turnip,,,and cowpee mix??? I would like a tall,,lush food plot but im not certain that it will grow under the circumstances. What are your thoughts??? I have access to machinery,,,but im lacking any sort of planter,,,im looking to rent one but i have not found anyone that rents a planter to date,,,so i guess i have a few restrictions to consider
Thanks alot
Mike

haystack

Mike....I know what you mean when talking 'bout rocks, a lot of my ground is VERY rocky. Makes using a tiller "interesting" lol.

Sounds like you got 'er in good shape and ready to plant. The mix you're considering could work. I've never grown sugarbeets but I have grown something very similar called "Mangels" One thing about them is they are VERY slow growing at first and keeping the weeds from overtaking them is very difficult. Plus in order for them to produce a root/bulb/shoot, they need to be planted late May - June. The sugarbeets may still work, but just in my opinion, there's better choices at this point. The cowpeas is very easy to grow, not particular about where its grown, grows very fast and deer LOVE them, and that could be a problem in a small plot...the deer could wipe them out quickly, and not have an attractive plot well before bow season. Turnips/brassicas are a different story altogether. In most areas the deer will not begin to feed on them until fall, preferably after frost "sweetens" them. IMO its best to plant a mix of brassicas...turnips, rape, radishes etc. Deer will eat Rapeseed and Radish much sooner than turnips also. The best time to plant a brassica plot in this area is late July - first week of Aug. Lots of fertilizer is needed, but brassicas are capable of producing literally TONS of plant matter per acre, if they are properly fed and decent rain falls late summer. SHOT PLOT is good mix of brassicas for small plots, but there are many great brassica mixes available and there are online sources that you can buy a little cheaper and create your own mix.

Another option to consider is a mix of cereal grains...Rye, Oats, Wheat. Planted around Labor Day or a little later almost guarantee's are very attractive plot by bow season and possibly through late M/L season...

Hope y'all got some rain ? its been ungodly hot and dry around here I know that! Hopefully the drought is over........


Almost forgot....a planter/drill is nice, but not necessary to grow great plots! in fact I prefer to use a hand type seeder for many seeds like clover, brassicas etc. Just about any and all seeds can be spread that way including corn and soybeans. I use a "SOLO" brand seeder and have planted acres in a few hours with it, many brands/models to choose from also. It's also possible to spread seed by hand...literally. Just put the seed in a bucket and fling seed as evenly as possible across the plot, can be difficult to get an even distribution, but can be done. After the plot is tilled and just before rain is expected sow the seed OR till the plot, run over it with a four wheeler, cultipacker, even a small tractor and then spread the seed, and pack once again to insure seed to soil contact and as a small hedge against the fickle rains...........

rem700man

rem700man

rem700man

4evrhtn

Looks good! I have been planting food plots in the same field for 3 plus years and I am still pulling a bunch of rocks out every year. Good Luck! Post some pics closer to the season.

rem700man

4evrhtn:
Thanks alot,,,i will post some pics as things get growin

rem700man

Haystack:
Thanks for replyin,,,i have been hanging on yer every word here for quite awhile,,,,,that said im gonna take your suggestion and run with it! Im gonna get the shot plot and plant the 1st week of august after i get back from Obx,,,,without a soil test would you think that 400 lbs of 10-10-10 is a good start for 2/3 of an acre or should i lay more down?and,,should i fertilize before or after seeding a brassica plot? I got some pics of what i have going on but i forgot to put them in order,,,if your sitting in the "Blind" the food plot is about 300yds in front of you,,,,ya have roughly 200yds on either side of the plot to the wood lines,,,i did this in hopes to have plenty of time to get a good luck at the deer before takin a shot,,and you have half a chance at getting in the blind before they see ya. The very 1st pic i was standing at the feeder looking back towards the blind (which is hidden) at the top of the hill just to the right of the last vehicle tracks you can see.
Thanks again
Mike

haystack

WOW...you've got a paradise there! if that is in PW county that is a JEWEL of a piece of property!

Looks like you got a very good kill on the grasses, there might be some grass seed continue to sprout for a while but eventually it will diminish. As time allows in the future, there's different types of fast growing screens that could be planted to hide your entry and exit, to and from your blind. Just a thought.

On the fertilizer question....I really believe you could get by with 300 lbs. of triple 10. Most brassica plantings call for roughly 90 lbs. of nitrogen per acre and that will indeed grow some hellish brassicas with adequate rainfall. 300lbs. would be a plenty on 2/3 of an acre IMO. It is best to apply the fertilizer right before planting. If its applied to early, weeds will explode and use up some of the nutrients and nitrogen can be lost if applied to early.

Something I need to mention on the Shot Plot and/or any type brassica, is there are many cases where deer just won't take an interest in them at anytime throughout fall and winter. Yet travel a few miles away and those deer absolutely love them. So there's only one way to find out what those particular deer will and will not favor.

I believe the Shot Plot is available in 2.5 and 10lb. bags. Roughly 5 lbs. is recommended per acre, so you could almost get by with the 2.5 lb bag or get the 10 lb and save the left over until next year. Its very important not to plant them to thick, they need a certain amount of space to grow a strong stem to support the huge leaf, but you don't want them so thin that weeds can get a start and rob moisture and nutrients from the brassicas.

What have you got planned for the strip where your truck is parked ? Looks like great place for Rye, Oat or Wheat plot....

The deer around here prefer that mix to just about any type of food plot out there.

Here's an example from last fall...

rem700man

Haystack: That property is actually on the pw faquier co line,,,broad run va rt 600,,,just far enough in that we can use the rifles safely. The area where my truck is sitting is where i got lazy,,,and i broke the slip clutch and part of the drive shaft on the tiller,,(which cost me a few hours and 250.00$ to replace,,since it was a borrowed piece of equip. I wanted it to go back to the owner perfect),,,so my thoughts were to hit hard with the disc and give it a dose of either winter wheat or clover of some sort,,but i was leaning towards the winter wheat,,,i have some land in Pa and i have watched those deer walk right thru whitetail clover to go to the winter wheat.Those plots of yours give me WOOD!,,,That is exactly what im hopin for this year!