Kale

Early Bird

5 year old buck +
Does anyone plant kale as part of there brassica mix? if so how do the deer like it? How does it compare to other Brassicas for deer preference.

Ray
 
Does anyone plant kale as part of there brassica mix? if so how do the deer like it? How does it compare to other Brassicas for deer preference.

Ray
I add it to mine, late summer early fall they start hitting the brassica greens then all winter they hit the bulbs. I believe it's a good addition to your brassica mix.
 
How big of a plot do you plant? and if you don't mind what else is in your mix?

Ray
 
Purple top turnips, rape, radishes, kale is the mix, I have 2 plots one's about 3/4 acre and the other's about 1/4 acre and plant the brassica mix around the 4th of July.
 
Where I live in the south, the only thing that eats my brassicas is my wife and I. Hogs wont even eat the bulbs.
 
Ditto here

bill
 
Where I live in the south, the only thing that eats my brassicas is my wife and I. Hogs wont even eat the bulbs.
It’s amazing how different deer are, my deer eat bulbs and all like they are candy!
 
I know mine will eat the radishes because I planted them in my rye, but I have a feeling it might be not be if they will eat it but when. Time will tell.
 
Years ago, I planted some giant kale seed that I bought from Albert Lea Seedhouse. I don't know if they sell it any more though. It grew a few feet tall and deer bedded in it. The deer started eating it in late December once the snow got a foot or so deep. By the end of winter, it was eaten down to the base. It was a great wintertime carryover food for the deer.
 
Thanks, I will see how the deer on my property eat it. They will have plenty of options so it will be cool to see there preferences.

Ray
 
Take this for the limited value it holds, but I have a friend that's a farmer in my town (Central NH, not much ag, very low deer density) that was getting his kale absolutely savaged throughout our hunting season. I don't know what kind of kale it was, and I'd bet the area he was growing it in was smaller than a 1/5 of an acre, but it got blitzed.
 
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