Plot Pics

Been having some trouble with the plots and, ya know, desert like conditions this summer. Planted in late July right before a storm and pretty much didn't see any rain until last week! But the seeds seemed to have survived and are finally starting to show signs or progress.

Turned over this .75 acre clover plot and put down daikon radish and hybrid brassicas. Left about 1/5 of it with standing clover for critters to munch one whilst brassicas grow. Working pretty well too. A few more weeds than I would like to see but I didn't spray GLY this year as the clover had basically choked out all the weeds before planting. Not a big deal though. And a good bit of clover reseeded itself which is fine by me as I plan to frost seed it in Feb. anyhow.



This is our second plot which is about 1 acre now. It was half the size last year and what was planted did not grow as I had no clue what I was doing and didn't do much soil prep. This year it is looking much better with the old 1/2 planted in radish, dwarf essex rape, and buckwheat. The new 1/2 I opened up this year is all buckwheat and with no soil amendments or spray, simply brush hogging and tilling, I have a killer stand of BW coming up that the turkeys are loving. Plan on overseeding this 1/2 of plot with winter rye and clover in Sept. and mowing down BW, and the other 1/2 that has radish and rape I will overseed as well but won't mow. WR seems to grow on concrete so I'm not too worried about putting down thatch over top.




Deer and turkeys have been hammering both plots regularly. Can't wait for Sept 24!

bowhunter1023 said:

Hopefully the deer take to your brassicas better than ours have. Love how those plots look, but our deer never touch them. How's the food supply in your area?

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Beans just outside of a mile, nothing closer. Deer have been hammering the clover all spring and summer since I frost seeded. And to my knowledge no one else plants food plots in the area so the deer seem to take to anything I have put in so far. Radishes they seem to like the best last fall.

Update....

10 days after last pics and things are still going as planned. I think spraying the fields with this foliar fertilizer is really helping since rain has been sparse.

Deer are also HAMMERING the buckwheat, at least I assume it's the deer. Might be turkeys also but I have never seen so much browse in a field. Every other Bw head it picked off. I was going to throw and mow some winter rye and clover into it yesterday but gonna give them another week or so to keep hammering this buckwheat and allow for some more thatch to grow. I did overseed the other 1/2 of that plot with 50# of rye since I won't be mowing it and rain was supposed to be coming.




The brassica plot is popping now since last application of fert. Leaving a small patch of clover in the middle of the field might have been the best idea I've had in a while. Deer are still hitting the clover and leaving the radishes/winfred/turnips to grow, which is much needed. Some weeds and ryegrass coming up from last year, but I don't mind since it doesn't seem to hinder the growth of the brassicas. Might give it a dose of cleth in a week or so. I even found a new trail they have paved coming into the plot from some of the thick stuff below it which is about 40 yds. from the ground blind I put up. Things are looking good for the 24th.