Big Bullets

Is it possible to plant small food plots in semi-open areas in the woods?

I was thinking of doing this but, is it too late? What will grow if you just sow the seeds without ground preparation (if anything)?

It is just not possible to plow or disc in there.

M.Magis

Things like clover and cereal grains will grow if you can rake up the ground enough that the seeds can make contact with the soil. Of course, you’ll need a little bit of sunlight too. It’s much too late to plant this year in PA.

Big Bullets

Well, there is always next year until you die. I thought there were some products which are planted in the fall for winter feed. Maybe serious ground preparation is required.

M.Magis

The things I mentioned are typically planted in the fall, but they do need time to grow before cool weather sets in. Around here, Labor Day is a good planting date. By mid October, there’s just not enough daylight and warm days left for anything to get much growth.

Big Bullets

Thanks for the info. I will plan for next year.

titleist_03

I have a spot like what you described. Its a half acre opening in the woods. I am lucky enough to get to use my parents tiller to work the ground....or so I thought. I got half of it worked and the tiller died. I had everything sprayed and killed a few weeks earlier. I went ahead and spread my mix of peas, clover, oats, rye, and groundhog radishes hoping to get lucky. We received 2.5 inches of rain the next three days and the plot looks awesome! You can grow a great plot without working the ground. The key is killing all the existing vegetation and timing the planting with the rain.

halfbakedi420

agree...if the weather permits, around 70*f, and rain...you can get er done...need water and temps to germinate...some things wont grow unless buried in the ground an inch, as they wont be able to hold themselves up when reaching maturity and will fall over and die, but alot of things will make it...rye grass and oats are a fav around here for least work done plots....if ya dont get a soil sample, you could be wasting yer time and money....guys told us to put out lime and till it in, let it sit for a year and so on...turned out we just needed a lil trip 13 (13-13-13)