Too late?

r49740

5 year old buck +
Finally making headway with my property for deer feed plots. I have nearly all the switchgrass in. Some will have to wait until next year, along with a few more acres of seed for pheasant habitat. I have all the clover in and coming up. I have all my corn in and thats growing great. in the last week. Brassica will be going in sometime about 3 weeks from now. The question is I have beans I put in yesterday. Feed mill says anytime until end of month will be ok for deer to eat them, but some individuals are telling me I am wasting my time with putting them in since it is 2 or 3 weeks too late. I am not harvesting. Just letting them grow for deer to munch on in the coming couple months, and then again real late season if they need. Thoughts?
 
No idea where your ground is but I'm assuming that you wont have any pods for the deer to eat late season. Maybe you're far enough south that it doesn't matter? I'm in Southern Minnesota, our growing season isn't all that long and our beans go in around mid May most years.
 
youll have good browsing for leaves up until freeze but pods won't be on them unless you are real far south.
 
Some people wait this late to plant beans. True the pods might not be great but when the ag beans are turning brown and drying up your will still be lush and attractive the first month of bow season.
 
Just planted six acres yesterday.
 
I'll be planting six acres next week.
 
Late planted beans are fine and dandy as well as highly attractive. My issue as well as advice on planting dates has to do with the fact the OP mentioned them as being an attractive food source in the late season. Unless he has a really long growing season or the deer in his area are deprived of food, they arent going to eat the brown beans stalks that are left standing after the frost takes them out.
 
Day length. I would hope no one would expect 60-bushel beans planted in mid-July. Regardless of where you are and assuming selecting the right group, those beans are going to flower and set pods. Might have a bean, or two, or three in the pod and the number of pods will be determined by day length and rainfall. We don't know where the OP is, but I would thing there's still some possibility of decent pod yields. Assuming, assuming, assuming....I know.
 
thanks for replies. Im in northeast ohio. Not looking for any harvest. Just wanted some feed for deer for early or late, or both if lucky enough. I have corn in as well as clover and will have brassica in by mid to late August.
 
Top