turnips ?

[solon]

I'm thinking of doing a couple of small turnip food plots (1 acre or less for each)

for a late fall crop...from what i've read it says to plant end of July/early august.

Has anyone done this for a fall crop ? Success ?

Thanks in advance

[5.9cummins]

I havent done turnip alone but i have done a brassica combination. Turnip, Kale, and Rape. I always would spray the first weekend of july or last of june and then plant the second week of july. Had really good success. dont know if i am going to do it this year due to the fact that i am trying to move.

[G-Man]

Well i usually try to do my turnips in the beginning / middle of july as we seem to get a little more rain then.. if i wait to end of july/beginning of august they just don't seem to get that good jump in growing.. Of course this year it rains everyday.... The tops are what they want first anyway i've had them eating them in august and sept well before season and a frost for that matter.

[solon]

thanks for the replies !

[growalot]

Yep... mid July...Happy plant

[Cabin Fever]

I planted purple top turnips, rape, groundhog radishes, and Biologic Maximum (mix of brassicas) over the past 4 years. They grew great, but the deer never touched them! I have ag fields and apple orchards nearby, so I guess they preferred what they were finding in the ag fields. Only one way to know how they'll work in your area, so plant them up! 

[outdoorstom]

I planted purple top turnips, rape, groundhog radishes, and Biologic Maximum (mix of brassicas) over the past 4 years. They grew great, but the deer never touched them! I have ag fields and apple orchards nearby, so I guess they preferred what they were finding in the ag fields. Only one way to know how they'll work in your area, so plant them up! 

That stinks....great looking plots!  Was there standing corn or beans nearby to help them get through the winter?

[jr.deerslayer]

I planted purple top turnips, rape, groundhog radishes, and Biologic Maximum (mix of brassicas) over the past 4 years. They grew great, but the deer never touched them! I have ag fields and apple orchards nearby, so I guess they preferred what they were finding in the ag fields. Only one way to know how they'll work in your area, so plant them up! 

Exactly..... two years ago planted Rape and Turnip combination, deer never failed to walk through it to get to the regular alfalfa and corn

[bubba]

I do turnip/beet combintions.  I am also surrouned by ag fields.  I like it when hey do not feed on them all summer.  But after the crops go off the ag fields, late fall and all winter, guess where they are.  I am planning to plant them the weekend of july 9th

[Cabin Fever]

I planted purple top turnips, rape, groundhog radishes, and Biologic Maximum (mix of brassicas) over the past 4 years. They grew great, but the deer never touched them! I have ag fields and apple orchards nearby, so I guess they preferred what they were finding in the ag fields. Only one way to know how they'll work in your area, so plant them up! 

That stinks....great looking plots!  Was there standing corn or beans nearby to help them get through the winter?

Corn and soybean fields right across the road from my property and apple orchard right next to my property.

Everyone said, "Wait until first frost, then they'll start hitting it"........ Nothing!

Then they said, "Wait until it gets really cold, around December, then they'll be hammering it." ..... Nothing!

Then I was told, "They'll be digging through 2 feet of snow to get to it all winter."..... Nothing

Then, "Wait until spring and the plots will look like a rototiller has gone through it, as they dig up the bulbs."......... NOTHING!!

THEN they said, "Sometimes it takes them a couple years to learn to like them, so plant 2-3 years in a row."........ NOTHING!!

Personally, in my current area, I wouldn't waste valuable foodplot space on brassicas or turnips ever again, even if the seed were given to me. BUT, that's just from my personal experience "in this area". IF I were in an area with little or no ag fields nearby to compete with, then I'd probably give them a shot.

The ONLY positive thing that I can say about planting purple top turnips and radishes in my plots are the fact that they sure make a nice snack!! 

[growalot]

Sorry...I'm sure I was one of those ppl :-[ ....But like I've always said all deer don't act the same in all areas ...no matter what the "experts" tell you

but I am a tad surprised...you have basically the same type of food souces we do here...you have some picky eaters....hope you found something they like

[outdoorstom]

I plant them every year (rotating plots) and they get hammered every year.....always after we get a couple hard frosts.

[G-Man]

I think if the deer  will herd has other prefered food they will got to that until it is gone. I watched all winter as deer walked thru a standing cornfield of the neighbors to get to mine about a 1/2 mile away. What was the difference in corn? must of tasted different to the deer... m neighbors corn stood all winter and spring untouched..and is now plowed under.

[growalot]

G-man...you probably limed and fertilized better...

[landtracdeerhunter]

About 4 years ago, I planted a mixture of lettuce, sugar beets, turnips, rape, and collards in July. It grew very nice.  The 2 acre plot  was visited alot  from the time I planted the seed in the summer right through hunting season. Turkey love lettuce.  Deer ate everything.  The only thing that I don't plant every year now is the rape. Nothing eats it, and it spread all over the farm like a weed.  Every year when the ground is worked and it rains on it, up pops the rape. Now, I  leave out the rape and replace it with cabbage.  We do have acres of alfalfa, clover, harry vetch, corn, soybeans,and wheat, so they have their choice. A frost seems to excell the beets, turnips and cabbage adding more sugar content for the deer.

[erussell]

Funny how everyone has different experiances in different areas. I planted turnips and rape last yr and the deer mowed them down to dirt after the 1st frost. Only problem was that it was a week before bow so I never even got to hunt the plot. Still not sure what I will plant this yr. Probably a mix of oats and winter rye, it seems to last longer than rape.

[wdswtr]

I find it quite interesting as well. The only thinng that comes to my mind is proper amounts of lime being applied ahead of time.  Ag department made it pretty clear to me that lime will also sweeten up plants and without the proper amounts would lead to a bitter tasting foodplot and I would be wasting time and money if I skimped on the lime.  They even claimed if you spread lime over other grasses growing wild in the area it would get teh deer on it as well.  All I know is the first food plot I put in I didnt know any better and just limed according to the directions on the bag.  Deer never touched a single one of them.  Had 3 out and 3 different seed blends.  Did a soil test the following year and I was very suprised to see it still called for 3 tons more per acre.  3 tons later and alot of hard work and the deer ate them up.  All I started out with is basically 3 small test plots to  learn from mistakes and to find a good seed blend for a 1 acre plot.  Glad I went the route I did and this year Im set to put down forage oats in august. Want to put in a annual in this plot so if I have dormant weeds that come back in the spring I will have another year to battle them before a perenial goes in.  Looks good so far no weed growth in 6 weeks.  Lime is where its at in my opinion.

[erussell]

No weed growth!! Sheesh id be suprised if anything grows in this weather, ground is hard as a rock, Im not even going to till the ground till I see some rain coming.

[growalot]

Your right it is dang near rock hard...but I just disced up most of my fall plots ...because I really need to get the water...if it EVER comes...(rained 12 seconds this morning : ) into the ground and not running off or staying near top and then evaporating away before I get the seed down

[landtracdeerhunter]

In or area, the alfalfa, clover, trefoil, and other deep rooted plants are growing. They are stunted  very badly,  because of the lack of moisture. The hayfields I harvested 3 weeks ago, are still looking brown. The corn and soybeans are really doing good. We got about 1/10 of an inch this morning. I'm going to try to disc in some of that moisture into the summer fallow ground this afternoon. Rolling it is a must, to preserve any moisture at all. Pray for rain

[growalot]

I took these today...soybeans I planted a month ago...so much for that...in desperation I went down and threw some 1yr old turnip seed(i think...bag not marked) all over one end of them...the sorghum is rather sad looking and the $9.00 bag of feed corn I planted...well it's holding it's own but stopped growing...Thank God I just heard rain for a whole 10 seconds just now...lets hope it rains for real this time

[wdswtr]

Well Im lucky enough that I have a creek that runs through my property about 30 feet from my main foodplot.  Im also a maple syrup producer so I have some gas pumps that will push more water to the plot to keep it nice and moist than I need.  That one is an area that has never been plowed up now.  I plowed it last year in the spring and again in the fall and yet again this late spring to work the soil better.  Have dragged it 3 times since to get the old growth roots out and way way too many rocks so its nice and broken up finally.  Been welding up my version of a rock picker to go on the bottom of my backblade on the 3 pt hitch.  Back is to sore to pick up one more rock.  It is all looking good and ready for fertilizer and seed in a few weeks.  Wife thinks Im nuts to go to all this trouble but heck its alot easier than making malple syrup and just as enjoyable to me.  But syrup makes me money and food plots cost me money lol.  Maybe I am nuts now that I think about it.

[bubba]

I used to hunt a farm that planted fields of soybeans.  Th edeer hammered them.  I am thinking plannting some next year.  Anybody have any experience using it as a food plot?

[growalot]

Yes  and I know every one says you need to go big or it won't work...all my plots are small and I wish I had pics of what I watched tonight in the 1/4 acre soybean /sorghum plot....5 fawn playing and 4 doe and 2 buck just eating away and I have to say the beans are small...deer and mostly lack of rain....and they won't eat grain sorghum until it heads out....they are far from that happening...I do have other pics of that plot...I usually use Milorganite ...top dress right after planting ...it's worked for me but this year didn't make much difference nothing grew much any how...pics of last year are included the deer nip off tops and they just regrow but branching to produce more ...you decide

[landtracdeerhunter]

I think it depends on what is available in the area.  I try to offset what the big farmers are planting from year to year. If their are alot of soybeans in the area, I tend to go more for corn with alittle soybeans. Just the reverse other years.  They hammer them on those years , when their not as plentiful around.  I always look at what they have to eat in the area. They will always go for good protein.    I always plant wheat.  They browse it heavy every fall, when other plants loose their nutrition. It also gives me a chance to frost seed the clover, trefoil, and timothy every year for new seedings.