How small is too small
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: Grubby
14-Apr-17
It seems these tiny plots are all the rage now days. I have a couple spots I could possibly add some. How successful could a plot less than a quarter acre be?
From: Crusader dad
14-Apr-17
My wife always tells me size doesn't matter, it's how you use it:-)
From: sawtooth
14-Apr-17
They can be very successful at getting deer in front of you. Picture a CRP type 40 acre field with 1/4 acre clover plot in front of your stand along the edge. Other plot types work as well. My favorite, winter rye planted in late summer.
From: drycreek
14-Apr-17
A good clover plot in the woods will draw bucks to it in the daytime, rut or not.
From: elkstabber
14-Apr-17
There is a limit to how small of a plot you can grow anything in. If the timber surrounding it doesn't allow much sunlight to hit the ground then the small plot will be a lot less productive. A few years ago I decided that a food plot of less than 1/4 acre was too much work for such little growth so I planted chestnut trees in it. If sunlight isn't a problem then a small food plot is a great idea.
From: OFFHNTN
14-Apr-17
One of the issues of a small plot, depending on what is planted, is that deer will wipe it out and keep it mowed down before it has a chance to grow a couple of inches.
From: The Famous Grouse
14-Apr-17
Totally agree, they can be good for drawing in wary deer, but the downside is that if you have any numbers of deer, they just get mowed to the ground and then they burn up in the sun.
I do a small plot blend for my customers that ask for it, but there are limits to how small you can go in most areas before it's just not viable. The best chance if you want to do small plots is to do multi-clover blend and then put in a nurse crop of fast-growing grain like oats or rye. Then fertilize with 20-10-10 to give it a good nitrogen boost and try to get it growing well before the deer find it. The oats/rye grow much quicker than the clover, so they protect the clover from overbrowsing at least for a time.
Grouse
From: Scar Finga
14-Apr-17
I would say B cup!
From: 35-Acre
14-Apr-17
I'm going in a similar direction that Elkstaber mentioned. Last year, I planted a few Apple and Pear trees around a 2 acre field that I was trying to grow as a plot. I have 4 chestnut trees shipping to me that will be more of the center piece in the field. I also purchased 300 tree seedlings from the local extension office that are a mix of pine (cover) along with nut, berry and apple that will be strategically planted throughout my property. I'll refer to this as the low-maintenance route (comparing to annual food plots).
From: Grubby
14-Apr-17
Ok, here's the spot that I was thinking. The small red spot was one choice but it would be quite small and since the trees don't really even want to grow there I think the soil is lacking. The pipeline is my most likely choice, here I could go pretty large if I wanted to but will probably go with a narrow strip. That one would be pretty easy to put in and the more I think about it the more i think that it would be a better location. The road scares me a bit so I would have to screen it somehow.
From: Grubby
14-Apr-17
From: Grubby
14-Apr-17
Pat, what do you prefer to plant in these small plots?
From: Bowriter
14-Apr-17
Just ask yourself this: Does a garden plot draw deer? Obviously, a small plot, one less the a 1/4-acre, is for killing deer since it cannot provide much nutritional benefit. So put one wherever you want and don't worry about size. I once made with a garden rake that was the size of my office and they ate it up before the season opened.
From: Fuzzy
14-Apr-17
small is good, multiple small plots mean more "edge". edge is high value in food plots. you're better to have 8 areas of 1/4 acre, than one 2 acre.
From: sir misalots
14-Apr-17
Im planting a small clover plot. Any nutrition is better than none:) any attractment is better than none:)
Also soaking a couple punky logs with mineral lick.
From: willliamtell
15-Apr-17
Lot of discussion about deer hammering small plots too quickly. Wonder why people don't install at least a temporary fence, then open it up during the season? My guess is it would take a few days for deer to get word out that the chow is now available, then they'd go apewild. Of course, if you have bears, you'd better electrify it or there goes your fence.
From: Grubby
15-Apr-17
Was just out and measured, the pipeline plot could be about 1/4 acre, if it warms up a bit I'll spray it next week.
From: Grubby
15-Apr-17
This one is on the other end of the property and is about 1/8 acre, I put it in last year and unfortunately it totally drowned out. My plan for it this year is to build it up some with rotted down manure from a pile nearby and plant it again in August.
From: r-man
17-Apr-17
pound for pound I think beans are the best , in small plots, as long as you put down a lot of seed and fert, I only plant a total area of 1/2 acre . I broad cast 70Lbs of cow peas , very thick .
From: Michael Schwister
18-Apr-17
For small areas, limited light, high grazing pressure, and shooter plots the answer is all the same - clover mix. All the rest of my plots serve as summer (forage soybeans) and winter (soybean pods with winter rye overseed) feed. Just make sure you really pour the fertilizer to it, especially K (potash, get to at least 4% base saturation K). Those power /pipe lines make superb plots, especially with clovers
From: Grubby
18-Apr-17
I was thinking clover with an oats cover crop. Would it be wise to add anything else with it? Maybe radish?
