Anyone planting their food plots this 4th of July weekend?

[tcook8296]

Hey guys, fairly new on this site. Been jumping back and forth on forums. Anyone planting this upcoming weekend and what are you planting. I just picked up a new to me tractor. A Kubota 4740. Don't have any implements for it yet but I have a place close by I can rent from. Anyway, my farm is in west central Illinois. I live in NJ. I have time this weekend to get some planting done if the weather allows. I currently have 3 plots. 2 have rye still standing from last year with clover and one is clover that was frost seeded after brassicas. I would like to do a mix in my plots. I have winter rye, buck forage oats, Austrian winter peas, Kopu clover, ground hog radish, purple top turnips, dwarf Essex rape, sugar beets and soybeans. 1st I need to know what to do with the standing rye. 2nd, do you think its too early to plant. Should I till or just broadcast. What do you think. What about any fertilizer recommendations. The ph is low 6's. This would save me a trip of trying to get back out in a few weeks.

 

[bueller]

First off welcome. As far as the plots I would leave the standing rye in the plot where your clover is growing the best, assuming at least one of them has good looking clover. Should we go droughty again this summer this plot could end up being better in the fall than anything you try to plant now.

Not sure about being early or not for a brassica planting down there. I lean towards you being a couple weeks early and risking the plot maturing and going rank.

You could do lots of prep work on those plots and return about a month from now to plant. Hope this helps some. Hopefully others with more experience down south will chime in.

 

[SD51555]

I'm putting mine in this weekend: Winter rye and tillage radish. Can't help on the timing though. This year has been goofy. Just got off the phone with my brother and he said he needed a sweatshirt in northern MN today.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Jordan Selsor]

Gonna spray for brassica an fall plots but not plant yet

 

[j-bird]

I think you are early (for central IL) but that's just my opinion - I wait until at least Aug. Some folks are getting started because they have a shorter growing season and the frost and the like will come sooner for them, so keep that in mind.

Soil test should tell you what fertilizer to apply. Legumes like clover, soybeans and AWP like P&K but need little N (they make their own) - while brassica and cereal grain typically like N.

If it was me I would till everything - I just seem to get better germination resuls. The soybean and AWP will do alot better if the seed is covered in some fashion. The other seed is small enough that just broadcasting over tilled ground and a good rain should do fine (you can pack it if you want).