I want to make a small food plot this spring before I leave for basic training and want to know how much it will cost.

I know that there is many factors like the quailty of seed and things. I have the means to till the ground and spread lime and sead. But how much for materials? i.e. seed lime p.h. test and what ever else there might be.

i'll take a stab at it, but there are way too many variables.

assumptions:
1) plot size = .5 ac.
2) lime needed but not too much, say 1.5 T/ac.
3) fertility ok, but needs some fertilier
4) seeding clovers at 3-5#/ac.
5) tillage is no "out-of-pockets cost"

If you can get the lime in bulk (back of a pick-up or dumptruck) you will save a lot of $$. going rate for bulk is ~$25-30/ton. If you need yo get bagged lime the costs will be considerably more (~$3-5/50# bag). You shouldn't need much fertilizer at a minimum you will be looking at ~200# of a started fertilizer (total costs ~$50). However, you may want to go with a blended mix with lowre N and higher P for the clovers. Seed will be ~$4-5/# for good Ladino clover and red clover will be ~$3/# (total cost for clover seed = ~$25). You may want to put down a cover crop of cereal rye (that's cheap - 100# for $10). It won't cost an arm and a leg to do a .5 ac plot, but there are mant variables to consider. First and foremost, take a soil sample and follow the recomendations.

i disagree with a few things in the above post.

here in kansas, bulk ag lime dumped in the back of your pickup is $6/ton.

at the co-op, they have bulk fertilizer. 46-0-0, 18-48-0, 0-0-60. it's $5 to fill up a 5 gallon bucket. it'll weigh about 50 lbs.

the rest of the info looks right.

the $25-30/ton was for an as spread price by the lime distributor.

Thanks for the replies. What I was going to do would be about a 1/4 of an acer. I live in eastern maine and would like to know what kind of seed works best.

I also saw in cabelas a bio-logic ph tester whare you just stick the neddle into the ground and it tells you the ph levels. How well does that work and does anybody have experince about this.

Would it be more practal for me to just go with a big mineral lick. I am going to do one anyways but would it be better to put a few different licks instead of a plot?

Thanks ahead of time.

What are you trying to accomplish with the mineral lick? As a hunting attraction I haven't found them to do anything. Deer seem to use from early spring to late summer and stop using them.

Answerguy, Im trying to accomplish overall health for our local deer herd. It needs lots of help. I know the mineral licks help with the does gestation (sp). I just want our deer to be healthy.

I forgot to mention that I will only hunt this land on junior day with my younger brother and with a bow before school with a bow because I have been told of a great big drop-tine who has been there for a couple of years. It won't be hunted much because it is out behind a a horse barn and just outside city limits. I watch deer all year out in the pasture. They are not bothered by the horses out in the pasture during the summer. I just want to increase the numbers.

answers is right on - my experience has been that the deer hammer that minerals hard in the late winter/early spring and slow down during the summer and basically stop by the fall. the use conicides with their antler growth

So would it be better if I just go with mineral licks? Or is a food plot worth the work?