Brassica plots

[scott44]

I picked up my brassica seed today and I think we finally have enough moisture to get them in the ground. I usually plant them around July 4th but it's been really dry here so I've been waiting for some rain. My mix this year is PTT, dwarf essex rape, groundhog radishes, bayou kale, and I'm trying Bonar rape this year also. What's mix does everyone plant and when do you plant your brassicas?

 

[BobinCt]

In Connecticut. I go with Rape, Radish and PTT. I try to plant them the third week of August. My first frost is usually Oct 15.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

PTT and Radish is all I use anymore for a short season brassica. I like to plant the first week in August.

 

[woodduck]

PTT and Radish, sometimes I mix in some Dwarf Essex Rape. I usually shoot for last weekend in July.

 

[Tap]

I just ordered some brassica seed from Green Cover Seed. Winfred hybrid, Impact collards, smart radish (supposedly a new variety), rape, and I added some chicory.
I usually try to plant it in late July, but sure as SH1+, the rain will shut off the day that I plant. I'm doing strictly TnM with this.

 

[Rit]

I am enthusiastically very unmotivated to even plant brassicas anymore. The deer just don’t eat them. Some nibbles on radish tops last year but not much else. Every year my radishes don’t winter kill and Spring bolt up to about 4’ high. I keep planting them though. Mostly radish just for the tillage properties. I also have tried ptt, winfred brassicas and almost everything in between. They will eat clover regularly into late November and at times dig thru the snow to get at it. This year I will be planting less than a 1/3 of an acre into Brassicas.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

Ptt and radish are cheap enough that I plant them in every plot I have


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[BobinCt]

I’m hesitant to plant the brassicas because of the insect problem I had 2 years ago. Maybe it was because I had the RR sugar beets that I planted in May Of that year, not sure. I rotate plots etc.. but boy did they destroy the brassicas. I really don’t feel like spraying insecticide, but I might have to. It’s not even damage you can deal with. It’s damage that makes you ask yourself if it’s even worth it. They destroyed the beets too, even though they aren’t a brassica.

 

[scott44]

I just ordered some brassica seed from Green Cover Seed. Winfred hybrid, Impact collards, smart radish (supposedly a new variety), rape, and I added some chicory.
I usually try to plant it in late July, but sure as SH1+, the rain will shut off the day that I plant. I'm doing strictly TnM with this.

Moisture always does.

 

[finahol]

Scott, over here in Mecosta co I have generally planted brassicas 2nd week of august, but i am leaning towards a week earlier this year. Going to t&roll last couple of years they seem to start a bit slower and havent had as big of bulbs. Still refining this technique. I have switched to trophy rape from DER, it seems to get bigger and better preference. I buy seed from Remus. Hoping to terminate the volunteer clover and rye tomorrow and be ready to plant Aug 8. PTT and GHR seem to do well in my soils. I added some collards to the mix last fall and they got hammered. Always experimenting. I worked on reducing the amount of clover in the plots this year in favor of later summer brassicas and now the deer wanna hammer the remaining clover. Go figure. After 3 mostly dry weeks it looks like nearly 2" of rain on my ground last 2 days.

 

[finahol]

Moisture always does.

I spent last weekend turning the nightmare beaver pond into an irrigation advantage. Now we get big rainfall event. Way it goes I guess.

 

[scott44]

Scott, over here in Mecosta co I have generally planted brassicas 2nd week of august, but i am leaning towards a week earlier this year. Going to t&roll last couple of years they seem to start a bit slower and havent had as big of bulbs. Still refining this technique. I have switched to trophy rape from DER, it seems to get bigger and better preference. I buy seed from Remus. Hoping to terminate the volunteer clover and rye tomorrow and be ready to plant Aug 8. PTT and GHR seem to do well in my soils. I added some collards to the mix last fall and they got hammered. Always experimenting. I worked on reducing the amount of clover in the plots this year in favor of later summer brassicas and now the deer wanna hammer the remaining clover. Go figure. After 3 mostly dry weeks it looks like nearly 2" of rain on my ground last 2 days.

When I started out planting brassicas it was mid to late Aug and I kept working it back mostly due to lack of moisture a lot of years in Aug and I settled on first week in July. This year the first week in July is dry so I had to wait for some rain.

 

[BobinCt]

Has anyone noticed less insect damage with later brassica plantings?

 

[Native Hunter]

My deer won't touch turnips and barely nibble at diakon radish. This year I'm trying some rape for the first time to see if they will eat it. I will just throw some in with the grains.

 

[Bill]

Has anyone noticed less insect damage with later brassica plantings?

no. I’ve planted as late as mid August and the brassicas beetles still show up. I planted a plot once to brassicas for the first time that was miles from any other brassicas and surrounded by corn. Darn beetles wiped it out???

2 miles away at my farm where I plant almost every year. No brassicas beetles. I don’t get it.

 

[Bill]

I usually plant mid July but I’m going to be late this year. I’ll put my normal PTT, DER and radishes. I usually just broadcast them, sometimes I disk to add urea. This year I’m going to use the drill and even drill some into my standing beans.

 

[Tap]

There are 2 reasons to plant brassica.
1...deer food.
2...soil improvement

If your herd won't eat it, its still great for soil building.

On the other hand, if you plant it for food, then there are 3 possible outcomes.
1...it works as planned, which means deer dont eat it at all until after the freeze. It develops tonage and is a late season forage.
2...deer eat it as it emerges. I have that issue. Deer pound it to the ground starting in August. It never develops tonage and doesnt suppress weeds because the deer remove it.
3...deer never eat it. So its not food, but its great for building OM and reducing weeds.

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[finahol]

In my area the usage can vary widely from year to year. Not a ton of ag locally but pockets of beans or corn or grains depending on the weather in spring. Also deer pops can have wild swings. 2 years ago we were seeing 20-30 deer/evening sit. last year only 4-5 per evening or morning . Sure it has something to do with the surrounding ag plantings but I cant control that. This years cameras so far looking like a high population. Brassicas have been a good draw in my area unlike some others experience. Some years they are wiped out some years not so much. But I have learned I will always need them. More work than perennials. I was leaning more to let clovers take over as volunteers but as deer usage changes year to year i seem to need to increase the percentage of brassicas. When i get it all figured out I will lose interest.

 

[TenPoint]

Big buck brassica mix from Welter. Has everything I usually plant anyways and at $2.50/lb isn’t expensive.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

There are 2 reasons to plant brassica.
1...deer food.
2...soil improvement

If your herd won't eat it, its still great for soil building.

On the other hand, if you plant it for food, then there are 3 possible outcomes.
1...it works as planned, which means deer dont eat it at all until after the freeze. It develops tonage and is a late season forage.
2...deer eat it as it emerges. I have that issue. Deer pound it to the ground starting in August. It never develops tonage and doesnt suppress weeds because the deer remove it.
3...deer never eat it. So its not food, but its great for building OM and reducing weeds.

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My deer wipe it out and stunts it every year. I may get some bulbs in the 2” range by fall.