Spring/Summer plot
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: drycreek
11-Jun-23
This was yesterday, top photo was last Tuesday
This was yesterday, top photo was last Tuesday
I usually have a difficult time getting a decent spring/summer plot unless I plant buckwheat, and for me, it has limited browsing from deer. This spring I decided to plant a soil builder mix from Green Cover. This plot usually produces a good wheat/red clover plot in the fall but even though the ph is decent, I feel like it could do better. One reason I can’t get a good summer plot is that our rainfall usually falls off drastically in June, sometimes in late May. This year we’ve been blessed with a little more moisture and the plot looks pretty good right now. It was planted when the ground was fairly wet and we’ve gotten some good rains since. It’s only .6 of an acre and probably needs to be a little bigger but you do with what you have. I couldn’t see the seed well when I was broadcasting so I ran out of seed at about 3/4 finished. I ran to the local feed store and finished it out with iron clay peas. You can see them easily in the left side of the photo.
From: Catscratch
11-Jun-23
The plot looks good drycreek! I run into the same problem. Rain shuts off around this time of yr so getting a summer plot started is difficult. Glad you got some moisture!
From: t-roy
11-Jun-23
Lookin good, Don! Rainfall always seems to be the “X” factor, no matter where you are. Glad to see you have gotten some decent moisture. What’s the plan with the Green Cover mix? Is it something that will attractive in the fall, or is it strictly for soil building and something else will get planted later this year?
From: drycreek
11-Jun-23
Thanks Jason, this time I hit it right !
Troy, it’s touted as a soil builder and this plot is pretty sandy and could use a little help. I have a decent stand of wheat in the fall and I’ll probably go back in September or early October with a wheat, red clover, and possibly some chicory just to see what the chicory does, or I might give the Green Cover Fall Attraction a try. It looks like a pretty good blend.
From: Catscratch
11-Jun-23
I would think chicory would do well in your sand. It has a deep tap root and does well when it gets dry.
From: drycreek
15-Jul-23
A little update on this plot, picture taken a couple days ago.
From: t-roy
15-Jul-23
Looks like you’re keeping the pigs out of it, Don!
From: drycreek
16-Jul-23
Troy, I pulled cards on my cams this morning and I scared something out of the plot. I don’t know if it was a fawn or a hog, but it wasn’t a grown deer. The crop is so tall you can only see a deer’s neck and head in most of it. Whatever it was got into the woods on the other side without me seeing anything more than the vegetation parting like the Red Sea. They are really browsing the IC peas that I had to finish up with
From: Catscratch
16-Jul-23
Loving the plot drycreek! That's a great pic with the deer in it. Nice antler in food so high he has to stretch! Nice.