Spring Food plot strategy for new plots

[Shearwood Forest]

to quickly summarize my father and I went together last summer and bought our first piece of owned hunting ground. Mostly working on the cabin the first year we got a handful of small fall food plots in last fall, everything but a brassica planting did really well.

I am in zone 5b and we have started get an early spring green up although this week is much colder than last week.

My existing plots all received some level of frost seeded clover, most have clover and oats held over from last fall and are looking very good this spring.

I have some fields that are either old hay or old cattle pasture that I plan some combination of mow, spray and disc later this spring for June planted summer crops. My soil isn't near warm enough for those yet.

This past weekend with the help of a dozer we cleared some new areas, we weren't sure when the dozer would be available so we didn't have a planting plan prepared ahead of time. Now I have several areas of completely exposed soil, many of these locations will be a fall planted annual later. my question is should I get in there now with lime, fertilizer and seed that can handle a bit of frost in early May or should I wait until that dirt starts to come back with whatever weeds are in the respective locations seed banks, spray it and then plant. I am tempted with how good the dirt already looks in some of those locations to get out there with something like clover, field peas, and oats and plan to terminate that with whatever weed competition they get when im ready for my fall planting. I also think a few weeks of new growth wouldn't hurt my coming turkey season.

I have buckwheat, sunhemp, sunflowers ect with some buck bag blends like power plant and lablab plus to put in later (likely mid June in my zone). My plan for those are my larger fields that are old pasture fesues need time to green then kill the grass before planting something that will shade and smoother them for the rest of summer. However many of these dozer made areas are more timbered locations with adaquent sunlight in the 1/4 to 1/2 acre range that were more brush or thistle than grasses.

 

[Shearwood Forest]

Here are a few pics of the locations I'm thinking about getting into now.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

 

[SD51555]

I’d go right away with a cocktail of cool season stuff. We’re 2 months from peak carbon day. I’d wanna be covered and thick when that rolls around.

 

[Telemark]

If you are able to get in with lime, fertilizer, and seed right away, I see no reason not to.

 

[Shearwood Forest]

I’d go right away with a cocktail of cool season stuff. We’re 2 months from peak carbon day. I’d wanna be covered and thick when that rolls around.

Does a cocktail of clovers, spring oats, and some peas make sense? I have a stock pile of clover and clover mixes just need to grab the oats and peas. I assume what peas the turkeys don't scoop as seeds the deer will eat immediately but honestly I want turkey to hang in these areas in the next few weeks. I don't have any experience with spring "cover crops" so I don't really have a blend worked up.

The larger field areas that still have thatch I'll wait for the summer kill and plant.

I've got more food plot and switch grass questions coming

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

 

[bigboreblr]

That sounds like a good plan.

Put your lime, fertilizer, and oats and peas down, then lightly disc. Then spread the clover, use some of the fertiizer or buy a bag or two of pellertized lime if you don't have a good way of spreading clover seed by itself. I used to mix clover until I started using my solo 421 spreader. Thought it was usless at first because it couldn't spread fertilize and large seed all that great, but its perfect for clover.

Once the clover is on, take that ATV or your tractor and roll over the entire area with the tires, a cultipacker, lawnroller, chain on a log, or bolt a few truck tires together as drag works good too.

You could pass on the peas, you could mix some wheat in, or rye. Critters love oats over wheat or rye. Clover is very hard to kill, a quart of gly per acre will kill those oats. Or, even lightly discing again in the late summer, then rolling tires on the oats will kill most of it, without gly. Clethodim is good to use if you ant to kill grass only. The boradleafs in there will be browsed by deer. Id what you want killed well though, take pics of seed heads that come up on them, and even dig them up to see what kind of root system the weeds have. Grasses and sedges get mixed up pretty often.

Everytime I have bought whole oats from the store, it has germinated well. In NY wheat and rye are hard to come by at alot of general lawn and garden places. Rye has some great properties, but if your ok with using roundup here n there, you could do great long term with oats. Rye chokes out the weeds better.

 

[Shearwood Forest]

That sounds like a good plan.

Put your lime, fertilizer, and oats and peas down, then lightly disc. Then spread the clover, use some of the fertiizer or buy a bag or two of pellertized lime if you don't have a good way of spreading clover seed by itself. I used to mix clover until I started using my solo 421 spreader. Thought it was usless at first because it couldn't spread fertilize and large seed all that great, but its perfect for clover.

Once the clover is on, take that ATV or your tractor and roll over the entire area with the tires, a cultipacker, lawnroller, chain on a log, or bolt a few truck tires together as drag works good too.

You could pass on the peas, you could mix some wheat in, or rye. Critters love oats over wheat or rye. Clover is very hard to kill, a quart of gly per acre will kill those oats. Or, even lightly discing again in the late summer, then rolling tires on the oats will kill most of it, without gly. Clethodim is good to use if you ant to kill grass only. The boradleafs in there will be browsed by deer. Id what you want killed well though, take pics of seed heads that come up on them, and even dig them up to see what kind of root system the weeds have. Grasses and sedges get mixed up pretty often.

Everytime I have bought whole oats from the store, it has germinated well. In NY wheat and rye are hard to come by at alot of general lawn and garden places. Rye has some great properties, but if your ok with using roundup here n there, you could do great long term with oats. Rye chokes out the weeds better.

I've got all that equipment disc, chain drag, and cultipacker even a tiller. Lime and fertilizer got picked up last weekend so it's ready in the barn. I've even got a new solo 421 spreader in the box as well as the ATV pull behind and tractor pto driven hopper for big stuff.

I've done small food plot the last few years and knew I'd eventually own my own place so just kept accumulating equipment until I got the place now I actually get to use it more than twice a year.


My guess on seeding rate would be 10lbs clover, 15-18 on peas, and 20-25lbs for oats per acre or should the peas and oats be heavier than that? Probably talking about 1-1.5 acres total for locations. Some a few thousand square feet up to 1/2 acre in individual sizes.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

 

[SD51555]

Does a cocktail of clovers, spring oats, and some peas make sense? I have a stock pile of clover and clover mixes just need to grab the oats and peas. I assume what peas the turkeys don't scoop as seeds the deer will eat immediately but honestly I want turkey to hang in these areas in the next few weeks. I don't have any experience with spring "cover crops" so I don't really have a blend worked up.

The larger field areas that still have thatch I'll wait for the summer kill and plant.

I've got more food plot and switch grass questions coming

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

I think that'd do it.

 

[bigboreblr]

I'd go higher on the oats, like 40l-50lb. If you do no-till in the fall in some spots, you'll have a good thatch cover. Since you used a dozer, some spots may not be as good too. Sometimes there's only 2 or 3 inches of good soil before you get into sand or clay. Although from the pics, you look like you got some good stuff to grow in.

Seen some really rough ground from bulldozers buring good soil. Scrp away good to pile, level, push it or loader bucket it back.

I'd plan a good bit of fall rye in some of those spots, so you have more time to work on other plots or projects at your new camp. Look up red dogwood growing on here. Some saw work would give that powerline area some more light. Enough for grains n clover. I food plot a east / west snowmobile trail that looks alot like that.

Keep a food plot journal somewhere. Remeber what you planted, seed rate settings on spreaders, lime, fertilizer amounts, etc. Hard to remember certain details like that.

 

[Shearwood Forest]

I'd go higher on the oats, like 40l-50lb. If you do no-till in the fall in some spots, you'll have a good thatch cover. Since you used a dozer, some spots may not be as good too. Sometimes there's only 2 or 3 inches of good soil before you get into sand or clay. Although from the pics, you look like you got some good stuff to grow in.

Seen some really rough ground from bulldozers buring good soil. Scrp away good to pile, level, push it or loader bucket it back.

I'd plan a good bit of fall rye in some of those spots, so you have more time to work on other plots or projects at your new camp. Look up red dogwood growing on here. Some saw work would give that powerline area some more light. Enough for grains n clover. I food plot a east / west snowmobile trail that looks alot like that.

Keep a food plot journal somewhere. Remeber what you planted, seed rate settings on spreaders, lime, fertilizer amounts, etc. Hard to remember certain details like that.

I have a Google doc running as my journal and habitat plan. That way I can keep soil sample results, plantings, dates along with Arial photos with layout drawings. The shadier ones will definitely get rye this fall, the largest I will likely terminate for brassica in fall as it's a little bigger than a 1/2 acre right next to prime thermal cover. That plot was put in hoping for creating a deadly secluded late season plot that I can get my wife on.

Got my peas and oats ordered today and will pick up tomorrow. Right now weather says rain later afternoon Saturday, so we will work as quick as possible, that should certainly help the cause if the timing works like planned.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

 

[bigboreblr]

Sounds good. For years I just had one plot at home and a spot up at camp in the adirondacks. Now I got 7 different ones. The clover n grains is less money but more importantly less work. I do lightly fertiilize. About 100lbs an acre of 1/2 6-24-24 and 1/2 0-0-54 potash. I let the legumes do the nitrogen once established. Tilled and replanted fields get 1/2 triple 15 and 1/2 6-24-24.

Tuck those treestand a tree or two back from the opening. Got busted too many times, it's not worth the 100% view. I try to put stands to the east of the plot and another one to the north. Seems winds are often n those 2 directions by me.

 

[Shearwood Forest]

We worked up 6 of the dozered areas that totalled 1.5 acres and got the blend of oats, peas, and clovers in finishing the final areas as a soaking rain set in.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

 

[Cool Hand Luke]

We worked up 6 of the dozered areas that totalled 1.5 acres and got the blend of oats, peas, and clovers in finishing the final areas as a soaking rain set in.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

Hey Shearwood, how did this crop ever turn out? I've got a similar situation coming up converting old pasture to plots and looking to do something similar for the spring, and then maybe terminating mid summer. How was your experience, did you let this seed run it's course for the season?

 

[Shearwood Forest]

Hey Shearwood, how did this crop ever turn out? I've got a similar situation coming up converting old pasture to plots and looking to do something similar for the spring, and then maybe terminating mid summer. How was your experience, did you let this seed run it's course for the season?

So these were new first time plots, carved out with a dozer then planted before green up without herbicide. We did solocal fast lime, 6-24-24 fertilizer, seeded clover blend, oats and peas late April (it was a cold spring still getting frosts in that time frame).

The peas were a non factor, my best guess turkeys and birds got 90% as seeds, the oats and clover germinated well and the oats helped protect and shade the clover when young.

First two pictures are 2 months after planting (late June), second 2 pictures is one month after that and 3 months in (late July) and when I mowed off the oats and topped the clover. It really headed it following that cut and clover took off into fall. It was weedy but not bad at all for having zero herbicide I hit with cleth and buterac in August. Over seeded with wheat, oats, rye, and clover in late August.

2 of the experimental plots have not been tiled since and 2 were lightly rototilled and got a homemade fall blend this past fall that did only ok given the almost zero moisture it got in the first 5 weeks of planting.

The soil needs more love but the original plants went well. I think them being timber plots and helped with the weeds in the seed bank vs pasture ground but I think the same method could be done just be prepared to mow or spray weeds through the first year. I left chicory out of these so I could use a broadleaf killer where a fall planted clover plot I would utilize chicory.

I will say the same year I did other planting styles as well, emend soil, spray, planted buckwheat, seeded into buckwheat 7-8 weeks, rolled and sprayed again. Those plots were larger and better soil but also thrived with much better results and weed free yields. Obviously this was a more labor intensive approach so I think it really depends on all the factors. I had cleared ground and with turkey season approaching didn't want to let it sit for fallow until fall, didn't want to plant in summer and had a free weekend, they were also not my primary plots and I knew that it would take several seasons to get the soil where it needs to be.

Sent from my Pixel 7 Pro using Tapatalk

 

[Cool Hand Luke]

@ShearwoodForest That turned out well, nice job!! I'm really liking the idea of trying versions of this as I've already got a blend from last year with oats, peas, radish, hairy vetch and buckwheat. When you planted your Buckwheat plots, what time frame did you plant and what did you broadcast in it at 7-8 weeks? I'm thinking of doing an acre of it for a first time planting, then getting it into rye.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Nice work, Shearwood Forest!! Deer & turkeys gotta be loving the greens.

 

[Shearwood Forest]

@ShearwoodForest That turned out well, nice job!! I'm really liking the idea of trying versions of this as I've already got a blend from last year with oats, peas, radish, hairy vetch and buckwheat. When you planted your Buckwheat plots, what time frame did you plant and what did you broadcast in it at 7-8 weeks? I'm thinking of doing an acre of it for a first time planting, then getting it into rye.

I planted my buckwheat June 3rd and June 18 planted 2 weeks apart because I wanted to terminate at different times for my fall plantings, the earlier planted buckwheat I did throw, roll and spray with brassicas, oats, and clovers with brassica being the primary seed at the end of July and the later planted I did the same method in mid August with rye, wheat, peas, oats and clover. Both came in great!

I did the buckwheat in plots that were coming out of fallow field and old pasture, broadleaf weeds and grasses were going to be a bigger problem in those so spraying, discing to break up the thatch, suppressing weeds with fast growing buckwheat, rolling instead of disc again what that final spray really gave everything a blank slate.

Most of my buckwheat grew about 30in but I had one field where it got to head height and that was a bear to seed into evenly while standing, I thought it would be too much thatch but came up great!

Sent from my Pixel 7 Pro using Tapatalk

 

[TreeDaddy]

So these were new first time plots, carved out with a dozer then planted before green up without herbicide. We did solocal fast lime, 6-24-24 fertilizer, seeded clover blend, oats and peas late April (it was a cold spring still getting frosts in that time frame).

The peas were a non factor, my best guess turkeys and birds got 90% as seeds, the oats and clover germinated well and the oats helped protect and shade the clover when young.

First two pictures are 2 months after planting (late June), second 2 pictures is one month after that and 3 months in (late July) and when I mowed off the oats and topped the clover. It really headed it following that cut and clover took off into fall. It was weedy but not bad at all for having zero herbicide I hit with cleth and buterac in August. Over seeded with wheat, oats, rye, and clover in late August.

2 of the experimental plots have not been tiled since and 2 were lightly rototilled and got a homemade fall blend this past fall that did only ok given the almost zero moisture it got in the first 5 weeks of planting.

The soil needs more love but the original plants went well. I think them being timber plots and helped with the weeds in the seed bank vs pasture ground but I think the same method could be done just be prepared to mow or spray weeds through the first year. I left chicory out of these so I could use a broadleaf killer where a fall planted clover plot I would utilize chicory.

I will say the same year I did other planting styles as well, emend soil, spray, planted buckwheat, seeded into buckwheat 7-8 weeks, rolled and sprayed again. Those plots were larger and better soil but also thrived with much better results and weed free yields. Obviously this was a more labor intensive approach so I think it really depends on all the factors. I had cleared ground and with turkey season approaching didn't want to let it sit for fallow until fall, didn't want to plant in summer and had a free weekend, they were also not my primary plots and I knew that it would take several seasons to get the soil where it needs to be.

Sent from my Pixel 7 Pro using Tapatalk

that's some good work^^^^^^

bill

 

[Cool Hand Luke]

I planted my buckwheat June 3rd and June 18 planted 2 weeks apart because I wanted to terminate at different times for my fall plantings, the earlier planted buckwheat I did throw, roll and spray with brassicas, oats, and clovers with brassica being the primary seed at the end of July and the later planted I did the same method in mid August with rye, wheat, peas, oats and clover. Both came in great!

I did the buckwheat in plots that were coming out of fallow field and old pasture, broadleaf weeds and grasses were going to be a bigger problem in those so spraying, discing to break up the thatch, suppressing weeds with fast growing buckwheat, rolling instead of disc again what that final spray really gave everything a blank slate.

Most of my buckwheat grew about 30in but I had one field where it got to head height and that was a bear to seed into evenly while standing, I thought it would be too much thatch but came up great!

Sent from my Pixel 7 Pro using Tapatalk

Awesome Job man! What did you use to roll your buckwheat?

 

[Shearwood Forest]

Awesome Job man! What did you use to roll your buckwheat?

6pt Cultipacker behind a tractor, it folded over very well without a crimper.

Sent from my Pixel 7 Pro using Tapatalk