WTFOutdoors

Us here at WTF Outdoors are putting in our first food plot this year and we've already ordered our seed for the fall plots and we've got our spring and summer plots underway hoping to start planting this weekend. But our question is is there anything we can plant in our 4 acre fall plot this spring to use as a cover crop until we are ready to work ground and plant in July?

GTOHunter

You're kind of like us...You need something to plant that's going to carry over for 2 or 3 months and then you're going to Disc it under and plant Your main Food Plots. I would go with foraging oats or wheat or mixture of those 2 or even go with turnips rape and Brassica?

mrbb

buckwheat cheap easy to plant grow in almost any soil, deer and turkeys and most critters will use it
it will condition the soil to make turning it over come late summer easy as well, a win win in my eye's!

WTFOutdoors

Thank you for your input I'm pricing stuff now

mrbb

sorghum isn't bad too
if your a member of the NWTF< they sell members discounted seeds at pretty dirt cheap prices
many times you can get sorghum or buckwheat off them for prices that are almost free , as to buying at a seed store
sure there a yr old but there brand new stored seeds
just add a little new seed inoculant ,(also cheap)
before planting
almost 15+ yrs of using there seeds this way never NOT had a great take yet as long as weather doesn't factor in, a few drought yrs?? doubt any seed would have worked LOL
great way to save a lot of $$ and get a bunch of plots planted!

North Texan

A lot of what you can do depends on your location, temps, and rainfall. I did not notice a location in your post, so my response will be of limited value. It would also help to know what species you are planning for when you are planting.

My initial though is plant a legume of some kind if you have that option. They are generally decent forage for deer, and if you purchase innoculated seed, they will act as a nitrogen saver if used as a cover/green manure crop. If not heavily utilized, they will even add some nitrogen to the soil. Depending on your location, something like red clover might be an option.

GTOHunter

Weve been getting several Food Plots ready.......plowed several new ones and simply disc-ed several that were last Fall's Plots and only needed to be ran across a few times then re-disc-ed when We started to plant.

#1 Plot Corn
#2 Plot Corn/Soybeans
#3 Plot Corn/Milo
#4 Plot Turnips,Raddishes,Sunflowers,Clover on edge and,Milo.
#5 Plot Clover,Turnip,Radishes & Sunflowers
#6 Plot Corn/Milo
#7 Plot Corn
#8 Plot Turnip,Radishes,Sunflowers in middle,Milo on sides.
#9 Plot Soybeans,Milo.

Most Plots were Smaller in Size and in lower Fields ranging in size from around 2 to 4 and 5 Acre Bottom Fields and the Plots ranging in size of 1/5 to 1/4 Acre and the larger Food Plots going from 1/4 to 1/2 Acres in the open Ridge Field.

Can't post a pic?