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corydd7
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corydd7 Experienced

corydd7

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As many I miss growies topics this time of year. I found them to be helpful and thoughtful as to what to plant and why. 

I have a mix of cowpeas soybeans and sunflowers in my main plot and have three small areas with clover and chicory. 

What am I missing? Buckwheat, alfalfa, grains, cover crop? Help me out what have you had success with and why? Im talking early season food source but I'm open to any input. 

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stubborn1VT Proficient

stubborn1VT

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At home, I will be planting about 1/3rd acre of soybeans in our back pasture.   It hasn't been a pasture in 20 years, so the sod is pretty considerable.  I till up a new strip every year and plant that into brassicas (groundhog radishes and purpletop turnips)  They help break up the clay soil.  I will be doing that again.  I am also thinking of adding either 10-12 rows of field corn, or some Egyptian wheat as a screen.  

In the woods I will overseed any bare spots with clover.  If I get around to it, I will plant the new log road in clover, chicory, and fescue.  I have heard that the fescue will stand up to driving on it, and will grow in low light conditions.

At one of my other spots, I will plant a clover, chicory mix with forage oats as a nurse crop.  This spot was in brassicas last year, and the deer loved them.  I'm interested in planting a perennial though, and just mowing it once a year.  I won't hunt here much anymore since a group of guys now hunt the neighbor's from shooting houses.  They are there just about every day, and have changed the travel pattern of the deer there.  My spot is only about 6 acres, and daylight movement is down to nothing from October on.

At the farm, I pruned about 10 apple trees on the powerline.  I need to check on the one small plot I put into chicory and clover.  The chicory was up when I checked in early May, but I didn't see much for clover.  I may have to scratch that up and seed that.  I suspect the plot still has a PH issue, despite the 1000 lbs of lime I spread on it the past 2 years.  

That's it.

 

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Fantail Newbie

Fantail

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Greetings, 

Two more dunstan chestnuts brings the count up to 7, should be 8 but one didn't survive winter so I used it's spot. Going for about 12 but the ground is a chore to dig into where I am & the dunstans in 5/6 gal buckets arn't easy to come by & not cheap either. 3 more apple trees for the year, got a line on some oak saplings, .. more work. Also dropped two pin oaks I think a third is in order.

Maintaining the w/r plots, clover/chicory, and redoing the soy plot again. Thinking of mixing in some turnips or some jazz like that in.  

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LET EM GROW Experienced

LET EM GROW

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Friday I seeded a blend called Deer and bird over an acre area i sprayed 3 weeks earlier. This blend has soybeans, sunflowers, Sorghum, WGF Surghum, and Buckwheat i believe. Mixed in with a screening/bedding cover. They may eat the deer bird blend this summer. but if not, it should be a magnet come winter for both "deer and birds" depending on how it goes. I didnt get a chance to disk or roll it due to rain. But we had very heavy rains and some near all day soakers since. So i'd imagine it will do ok. Its my first dedicated "summer" food besides clover. white Clover they dont normally eat in summer months until fall nears. I planted soybeans also but will be fencing one off for a while. and the other until the rut/late season. They are rock bottom awesome for early bow season.

I dont normally do summer food plots because there is so much for them to choose from with native growth and a couple ag fields down the road. Plus i dont have the acerage to do them. Id have to terminate in july/august to get my fall winter plots in. 

I did mix in some a couple pounds sweet corn with my beans in spots to see how it does. If its edible ill eat it, if not the critters can have it.    

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land 1 Rising Star

land 1

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ill be doing radish turnips mix again this year its called big n beasty deer loved it and by spring the ground is all broken up from the bulbs and deer digging. also going to try tall tine tubers from WI, only summer plot i have is 2 clover plots ....I like the turnip mixes because it seems to give food when most needed they started eating the tops in october  and had bulbs to nearly march.  and the hole plant is eaten...

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moog5050 Mentor

moog5050

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26 minutes ago, land 1 said:

ill be doing radish turnips mix again this year its called big n beasty deer loved it and by spring the ground is all broken up from the bulbs and deer digging. also going to try tall tine tubers from WI, only summer plot i have is 2 clover plots ....I like the turnip mixes because it seems to give food when most needed they started eating the tops in october  and had bulbs to nearly march.  and the hole plant is eaten...

I think we used the big and beasty last year.  Grew great.

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corydd7 Experienced

corydd7

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3 hours ago, grampy said:

Will be trying a couple acres of sugar beets this year.

This will be my first attempt I've heard good and bad things. I'm in 5h and waited to long to plant my brassicas last year. I'm going to plant two different times and see what happens, I'm thinking 1/2 acre mid July then an acre beginning of August. Third week of August was to late for me last year. Summer annuals are going in on Sunday.

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LET EM GROW Experienced

LET EM GROW

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Forgot to mention. My plots will all be double cropped and or triple cropped. To keep something growing as many days out of the year as possible. Brassica and bulb blends overseeded into soybeans for Winter. Some Annual clovers with grains in plots. Some Late Summer planted soybeans in a mix. Got a lot of ideas.  

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corydd7 Experienced

corydd7

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6 minutes ago, LET EM GROW said:

Forgot to mention. My plots will all be double cropped and or triple cropped. To keep something growing as many days out of the year as possible. Brassica and bulb blends overseeded into soybeans for Winter. Some Annual clovers with grains in plots. Some Late Summer planted soybeans in a mix. Got a lot of ideas.  

Pretty much exactly my plan. Helps reduce weeds as well. Winter wheat was a huge attraction quickly after planting and helps my soil.

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LET EM GROW Experienced

LET EM GROW

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14 hours ago, corydd7 said:

Pretty much exactly my plan. Helps reduce weeds as well. Winter wheat was a huge attraction quickly after planting and helps my soil.

Sure does. Just hope late summer brings a little more moisture than it did last year. For overseeding purposes the ground was to dry and the little bit of rain we got every so often wasn't enough to dampen the soil and germinate any seeds at my place, until it was too late. 

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