First fall plot of the year went in today. A bit early for what was planted but it is what it is.
This area at one time was a natural opening. Back in the day there was a turkey processing plant in the town I live in. Our family farm is only about 3 miles away. Short story long the plant would pay farmers to get rid of their waste. Blood would get spread on fields feathers and sawdust would generally get dumped somewhere else.
This opening was a location where they dumped. Not much had ever grown there after that but over the years it did start filling in with trees. Back in 2017 I opened it up tilled it by hand and planted a plot. It was a lot of work with all small power “tools”. The seeding all germinated fantastic and I had a green carpet.
Not long after that several patches started dying off. In the end about half of the plot died and the other half produced a decent plot. I always wanted to get back there with some larger equipment and dig it up better.
The renter took the hay off late last week so my uncle took the 3 bottom plow out there and turned it all over then ran the disk across it. The soil actually looks great and well mixed up. I pulled a sample from several locations throughout the plot that I will have sent off for a full soil analysis.
We planted it with an Earthway bag spreader full of sunflowers as a base planting and drug it. We followed that up with a bag of Imperial Whitetails Destination. I don’t generally by me seed from stores but I haven’t yet procured my fall plot seed and I had to run to town anyway. For those not familiar with that seeding, It is a mix of oats, triticale, berseam clover, kale, pacelia, and peas.
Depending on what the soil test says I will try to amend accordingly though I have a feeling that it is going to need more than I have the time, equipment, and give an F for. Regardless, I will be amending it to a degree this fall as well as overseeding it into a clover and chicory mix.
Supposed to get some rain this week so we’ll see.
Update on soil test and over seeding to come.