Spring brassicas

Barndog56

5 year old buck +
Just wondering if anyone plants spring brassicas? They grow very well in my garden without any insect pressure.
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Also, do deer eat mustard greens? My wife and I didn't like their spicy flavor in our salads, but they grew a ton of biomass.
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I planted Swedes this year and am unimpressed so far. Zero fertilizer and no till so the jury could be out on that one.


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Here in Mass when I have tried that the plants get eaten heavily by green inchworms. Cabbage looper worms or something like that? I think the are related to the small white butterflies that precede them too.

As you can tell I have not researched them much. I just only plant brassicas in the fall after several years of failed spring runs.
 
We have rain in the forecast for today so I bit the bullet and fertilized my Sweedes as well as a plot that I will be planting within a week.
 
ive read several times that the PTT and radish that dont get eaten that they rot and smell the next year or when spring come. so, the next time you plant do u just seed with them in the ground and let them decompose in the ground? i dont have a disc or till so once in the ground if they take off and dont get used ill have (i hope) a lot of bulbs in the ground
 
Just wondering if anyone plants spring brassicas? They grow very well in my garden without any insect pressure.
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Also, do deer eat mustard greens? My wife and I didn't like their spicy flavor in our salads, but they grew a ton of biomass.
View attachment 30677

I did it years ago and I doubt I'll ever do it again. They grew great but deer completely ignored them. It wasn't long before they began to rot and stink. My deer use them fine when planted for fall.

Thanks,

Jack
 
ive read several times that the PTT and radish that dont get eaten that they rot and smell the next year or when spring come. so, the next time you plant do u just seed with them in the ground and let them decompose in the ground? i dont have a disc or till so once in the ground if they take off and dont get used ill have (i hope) a lot of bulbs in the ground
The bulbs will rot out and radishes, since they push so deep, serve as a good aerator.

They do stink in the spring, but its not the end of the world. The roots/bulb will rot out
 
ive read several times that the PTT and radish that dont get eaten that they rot and smell the next year or when spring come. so, the next time you plant do u just seed with them in the ground and let them decompose in the ground? i dont have a disc or till so once in the ground if they take off and dont get used ill have (i hope) a lot of bulbs in the ground

You don't have to terminate radish as it rots easily. I have not had big issues with it going to seed. If we have a have a bountiful year of both PTT and a bumper mast crop, many of the PTT bulbs will sprout and go to seed. They generally need to be terminated as they produce way too much seed for the ground to support. Most years I don't have that issue. I run a tiller on my 3pt hitch held so high it barely touched the ground. It chews up the vegetation without tilling deep enough to cause problems. A light disk can do the same.

Thanks,

Jack
 
The bulbs will rot out and radishes, since they push so deep, serve as a good aerator.

They do stink in the spring, but its not the end of the world. The roots/bulb will rot out
the smell wont bother me as mu nose doesnt really work anyway i was more worried if the deer didnt like it. i guess leaving it in the ground also takes up space that could otherwise get filled with weeds. this will be the 1st year i try them so i have no idea what will happen. the sand loves corn beans and watermelons so maybe the brassica will do well also.
 
You'll be fine. i've had em rot out in an area where i get more growth than I can get deer feeding. Stinks like crazy, but you'll be none the worse for wear by middle of may
 
the smell wont bother me as mu nose doesnt really work anyway i was more worried if the deer didnt like it. i guess leaving it in the ground also takes up space that could otherwise get filled with weeds. this will be the 1st year i try them so i have no idea what will happen. the sand loves corn beans and watermelons so maybe the brassica will do well also.

That is why I plant my PTT as part of a cover crop mix. I keep the rate low, about 2lbs/ac. I use WR and Crimson Clover in my area. The WR is the early season attraction and then then crimson starts producing a little bit. Unless we have a mast crop failure, my deer don't touch the PTT until after we get a couple hard frosts. They then hit the PTT tops. It is usually February before they hit the bulbs. I typically do a total of 6 or 7 acres total of this mix so after the deer are done, there is usually no need to terminate the PTT.

The WR begins to grow every time we get a warm spell and deer use it. Both the WR and CC take off in the spring. This covers that early spring period until my native foods green-up and become attractive. By May, depending on weather, I can then plant my warm season annuals. Keep in mind I'm in zone 7a, so my dates may be different than yours. I used to plant RR soybeans for my warm season annuals, but because of a naturally gly resistant weed (marestail), I've been planting Sunn Hemp and buckwheat for the last few years. The sunn hemp fixes a lot of N into the soil for the WR and PTT in the fall mix.

Thanks,

Jack
 
thats 3x the area i have my plot is about 2 ac and that counts the giant raspberry bush in the middle of it. im actually doing what you recomemeded to me b4 in putting in the buckwheat now and around labor day gettin 1/4 ac of brassica and the rest putting in WR.. there is so much ag around me i want to be the food source when it gets cold and the fields are empty. if the brasc do well i might play with my ratios next year. im going to try and frost see some CR clover in the spring as a cover and see how that goes
 
Yep, every place is different and you have to adapt things to your area. If you are talking about Crimson Clover, it does not frost seed well.

Thanks,

Jack
 
Yep, every place is different and you have to adapt things to your area. If you are talking about Crimson Clover, it does not frost seed well.

Thanks,

Jack
well that stinks... when do u suggest it goes on the ground?
 
I plant it with my PTT and WR for fall. It bounces back in the spring. There are lots of different combinations and techniques that can work. It all depends on your situation. Crimson is an annual clover. It acts as a reseeding annual in my area. I'm not sure about yours.

Keep in mind that frost seeding is a very specific techniques. Seed is broadcast when night time temperatures are cold enough to freeze to top layer of soil and daytime temperatures warm enough to thaw it. This causes micro-fissures in the soil that sort of suck the clover seed into the cracks where it stays until the soil warms up enough for it to germinate.

You can still T&M crimson clover in the spring after the soil warms. It does best if cultipacked. I never plant perennial clover in the spring except for frost seeding bare spots in an existing field. I find that I get more weed free fields to start with if I plant perennial clover in the fall with a WR nurse crop. But annual clover can be planted in the spring.

I can't really tell you what will work best for you. I'll do my best to answer specific questions.

Thanks,

Jack
 
I plant it with my PTT and WR for fall. It bounces back in the spring. There are lots of different combinations and techniques that can work. It all depends on your situation. Crimson is an annual clover. It acts as a reseeding annual in my area. I'm not sure about yours.

Keep in mind that frost seeding is a very specific techniques. Seed is broadcast when night time temperatures are cold enough to freeze to top layer of soil and daytime temperatures warm enough to thaw it. This causes micro-fissures in the soil that sort of suck the clover seed into the cracks where it stays until the soil warms up enough for it to germinate.

You can still T&M crimson clover in the spring after the soil warms. It does best if cultipacked. I never plant perennial clover in the spring except for frost seeding bare spots in an existing field. I find that I get more weed free fields to start with if I plant perennial clover in the fall with a WR nurse crop. But annual clover can be planted in the spring.

I can't really tell you what will work best for you. I'll do my best to answer specific questions.

Thanks,

Jack
not sure yet. this is my first go w planting on my own so i really have no idea what is going to work.. what is the benefit of a annual vs a perinatal clover other than not having to plant it every year? im going to have to put the buckwheat down every year as is so maybe clover isnt the way to go
 
Annuals generally store a lot of energy in the seed and often have larger seeds. Because of this, they pop up and grow quickly. Because they grow so quickly they are very attractive when young. Reseeding annuals will bloom, and put a lot of seed back into the soil which gives you a volunteer crop. Of course each crop thinner than the previous. Because annuals grow so quickly, they compete better with weeds.

Perennial clovers take longer to get established. Because they will last many years, the need to establish a good root system. So, they spend a lot of their energy developing that root system in the first year you plant them. If you plant them in the spring, they are trying to put down roots rather than forming a canopy. This gives weed seeds time to germinate and get above the clover. If you plant them in the fall with a WR cover crop, depending on when you plant them, they may not do much more than germinate that fall. The WR becomes the attractant and food for deer in the first fall. Because much of the clover has already germinated, it has a significant head start on summer weeds. The WR takes up space and resources from the weeds. It also has a chemical effect on the germination of many weed seeds. So, if you mow the WR when it starts getting tall, it lest sun get into the clover. With this advantage, clover can form a thick canopy before most summer weeds get established. I like to establish my perennial clover fields as clean as possible, but after that first year, I become very weed tolerant and don't usually use selective herbicides like Cleth or Poast.

Perennial clover is the anchor of my food plot program. I like Durana in my area. It is and improved clover that is persistent and drought resistant. Perennial clvoer provides more months of deer food per dollar and labor hour than any other crop I can think of. I typically plant all of our small hunting plots in perennial clover. It can handle a little shade in the small plots. Also, the small plots are distributed around the pine farm, so there is a lot of transport time to get to each little field. So, the fact that I only need to rotate into an N seeking crop every 8 years or so helps. We also keep a few of our larger plots in perennial clover. Our main feeding plots are on a pipeline that bisects the farm. Those are the ones we plant twice each year. Keep in mind that I'm further south than you. Here summer is a greater stress period. I'm trying to do QDM. Folks further north should be more focused on the winter stress period if they are doing QDM. Folks with smaller properties don't really have enough scale to do QDM. With those properties, goals should me more focused at making the land more huntable.

If you just getting started, the first thing to do is figure out what are achievable goals for your situation. Do you plan to do QDM? Do you have the scale and resources for it? Are you more focused on improving hunting? Food plots are not a goal, they are a strategy to achieve some goal. In many places the focus should be cover if the objective is improving hunting. The biggest driver in most area is hunting pressure. Having sanctuary becomes important. Every place is unique, and the specifics take time to work out.

Most folks are too anxious to get dirt under their fingernails when they should be stepping back and looking at the big picture and developing goals and strategies.

Thanks,

Jack
 
Annuals generally store a lot of energy in the seed and often have larger seeds. Because of this, they pop up and grow quickly. Because they grow so quickly they are very attractive when young. Reseeding annuals will bloom, and put a lot of seed back into the soil which gives you a volunteer crop. Of course each crop thinner than the previous. Because annuals grow so quickly, they compete better with weeds.

Perennial clovers take longer to get established. Because they will last many years, the need to establish a good root system. So, they spend a lot of their energy developing that root system in the first year you plant them. If you plant them in the spring, they are trying to put down roots rather than forming a canopy. This gives weed seeds time to germinate and get above the clover. If you plant them in the fall with a WR cover crop, depending on when you plant them, they may not do much more than germinate that fall. The WR becomes the attractant and food for deer in the first fall. Because much of the clover has already germinated, it has a significant head start on summer weeds. The WR takes up space and resources from the weeds. It also has a chemical effect on the germination of many weed seeds. So, if you mow the WR when it starts getting tall, it lest sun get into the clover. With this advantage, clover can form a thick canopy before most summer weeds get established. I like to establish my perennial clover fields as clean as possible, but after that first year, I become very weed tolerant and don't usually use selective herbicides like Cleth or Poast.

Perennial clover is the anchor of my food plot program. I like Durana in my area. It is and improved clover that is persistent and drought resistant. Perennial clvoer provides more months of deer food per dollar and labor hour than any other crop I can think of. I typically plant all of our small hunting plots in perennial clover. It can handle a little shade in the small plots. Also, the small plots are distributed around the pine farm, so there is a lot of transport time to get to each little field. So, the fact that I only need to rotate into an N seeking crop every 8 years or so helps. We also keep a few of our larger plots in perennial clover. Our main feeding plots are on a pipeline that bisects the farm. Those are the ones we plant twice each year. Keep in mind that I'm further south than you. Here summer is a greater stress period. I'm trying to do QDM. Folks further north should be more focused on the winter stress period if they are doing QDM. Folks with smaller properties don't really have enough scale to do QDM. With those properties, goals should me more focused at making the land more huntable.

If you just getting started, the first thing to do is figure out what are achievable goals for your situation. Do you plan to do QDM? Do you have the scale and resources for it? Are you more focused on improving hunting? Food plots are not a goal, they are a strategy to achieve some goal. In many places the focus should be cover if the objective is improving hunting. The biggest driver in most area is hunting pressure. Having sanctuary becomes important. Every place is unique, and the specifics take time to work out.

Most folks are too anxious to get dirt under their fingernails when they should be stepping back and looking at the big picture and developing goals and strategies.

Thanks,

Jack
the goal for me is hunting for sure. i want to make the property the best it can be for deer for sure. my timber needs cleaned up it hasnt bee touched in years maybe a decade+ dove already come in but id like to imporve for that if possible and i am not sure about birds yet. when migration starts i will have a better idea if they are in the area. i have no plans to sell the place so id like to make it a little piece of deer heaven as my main goal. i have a lot of acres of fallow ground with med sized pines left from when it was a tree farm.
 
I will use brassicas in the spring in multi-species cover mixes to condition the soil for a fall planting with the added bonus of a quick grazing forage. Great soil builder and nutrient scavenger.

Mind u this is in an area with a shorter growing season, and not intended for deer. But wildlife seem to love it as well.
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I will use brassicas in the spring in multi-species cover mixes to condition the soil for a fall planting with the added bonus of a quick grazing forage. Great soil builder and nutrient scavenger.

Mind u this is in an area with a shorter growing season, and not intended for deer. But wildlife seem to love it as well.
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There is so much ag surrounding me I'm not sure anything in the spring would do much good food wise. I really want to be the food when there is no food. That's the idea in my head anyway.
 
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