What to do with plot?

[tbarile]

I have a 4 acre plot that was all clover but was getting a lot of grass so I put the Northern half into a brassica mix (WR, PPT, rape, kale, turnips, ground hog radishes) and the deer have been hammering it since the beginning of October. I had originally planned to throw down buckwheat in the spring and then go back to clover (based off yoderjac recommendation) but after seeing how the deer responded, I want to plant that same combo of brassica again. Can I do it? What should I plant in the spring to give me a good throw n mow thatch?

Secondly, the South portion of the plot that is still in clover needs to be redone but I want to make sure there is food through the spring & summer. Any recommendations there?

Thanks for the help.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

You shouldnt have any problem repeating it, and I would plant oats in the spring.

 

[swat1018]

Plant the other half to brassica this fall. Follow the spent brassica with spring oats, and maybe MRC, then go back into clover or do cereal grains. I'd study the LC mixes. Maybe, plant a ring of clover around the plot, then half in brassica mix every fall, the other half in small grains. It works well for a lot of us.

 

[Bowman]

Brassicas need nitrogen. I would set up your plot to rotate both halves, brassicas to follow clover. It is not recommended to continually plant brassicas in the same plot.

I would plant your brassicas in the clover half to utilize the nitrogen from the clover and maybe frost seed an annual clover in the existing clover half now. In the current brassica half, I would plant oats and an annual clover. Buckwheat is great but needs 65 degree soil temperature for best germination and growth.

I am curious about Yoderjac’s clover recommendation, especially if it for the fall.

 

[jsasker007]

You could also plant buckwheat/oats where the brassicas are in the spring and then switch the plot to a brassica mix in the fall. That might give you more of a draw in the spring to the entire plot and maybe take some pressure off of the clover in the spring.

 

[35-acre]

Definitely rotate.

I would also consider strongly if you want deer feeding in the plot all year long out of the plot. In the spring there is tons of forage to support the animals in the wild. By providing something for them to hit in abundance could make it hard for you to get things going in the fall (where you might be in your best year because it wasn't hit heavily prior to planting your brassica mix).

based on my experience with spring plantings, I'm actually backing my way out of spring planting this year. I've had a doe factory in my plot/field all year round for the past couple of years. I blame this for having difficult in getting my fall plants going because they get hit early as they germinate. I even tried the PlotMaster fence this past year and that didn't really help enough (maybe issues with an un-level field and irregular shape, etc.). So I'm just going to let me field go until later in the year, hit it with Glysophate and plant my fall stuff in August and see if I get better results.

 

[tbarile]

Can I frost seed the oats?

 

[Mortenson]

Probably not with great results? It's better to get them underground, but guys that I've read about have had some varying degrees of success spreading and walking away. It's been said oats like a snow on their back.

Edit for spelling and terrible grammar as always.

 

[Bill]

this year when you plant the brassicas add clover. I always add white and red to my fall brassicas. Doesn’t grow much in the fall but it takes off in the spring and the WR acts as a nurse crop.

Then kill the other clover side in the summer and start over. This flips the clover and brassicas every year.

 

[Bowman]

I would not frost seed oats. I would plant (broadcast and cultipack) oats and buckwheat after the threat of frost has past.

 

[tbarile]

I would not frost seed oats. I would plant (broadcast and cultipack) oats and buckwheat after the threat of frost has past.

I plan to frost seed red clover in the next few days. If I wait until frost threat is gone to broadcast oats, wont I kill the clover when I roll?

 

[Bowman]

No. Clovers (perennials) put roots down first, before putting on top growth.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

Rolling wont kill anything.

 

[35-acre]

I thought Buckwheat needed a high soil temp to germinate (44+ constant or something; I didn't look it up). I had great success with buckwheat one year but I had waited until Memorial Day to drag them into the soil with a harrow rake in a new field (Southern New York). They were awesome! They just don't leave as much biomass when you knock them down and spray them to kill them later in the year.