Spring planting mixes

jlane35

Well-Known Member
What are some of your go to Spring planting mixes? I did buckwheat and sunflowers last year. And I have no problem doing that again but I’m just looking to add more diversity.
 
I'm going with Green Cover Seeds cool season soil builder in late April or early may, and then warm season soil builder 8 or so weeks later. We will have some carry over from the fall plots with rye, vetch, etc.
 
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My go-to has always been IC peas or soybeans if the plot was big enough, but I’ve grown more buckwheat in the past two years. I’ve found the buckwheat outgrows the browsing better, and “my” deer actually eat it pretty well, although not like they eat the peas. I still like to plant it in small plots and new plots, those less than three years old. It may be all in my head but I think a couple years of buckwheat makes the soil better.

All that said, I did use WINA Power Plant a couple times and it did pretty well, but the milo in it attracted the hogs. They have since removed the milo in exchange for sunn hemp but the one time I planted it (last year) everything was a bust because of little rainfall. It has beans, peas, sunflowers, and sunn hemp so it seems like it would be a good mix.
 
I started a list the other day; chicory, millet, sunflowers, sorghum, cowpeas or beans, alfalfa, and probably some red and white clovers. Going to plant earlier than last year, the dry summer spell hurt pretty bad.
 
I'm going with Green Cover Seeds cool season soil builder in late April or early may, and then warm season soil builder 8 or so weeks later. We will have some carry over from the fall plots with rye, vetch, etc.

I looked that mix up, do deer browse on the brassica that time of the year? Or is that solely to eliminate compaction?
 
My go-to has always been IC peas or soybeans if the plot was big enough, but I’ve grown more buckwheat in the past two years. I’ve found the buckwheat outgrows the browsing better, and “my” deer actually eat it pretty well, although not like they eat the peas. I still like to plant it in small plots and new plots, those less than three years old. It may be all in my head but I think a couple years of buckwheat makes the soil better.

All that said, I did use WINA Power Plant a couple times and it did pretty well, but the milo in it attracted the hogs. They have since removed the milo in exchange for sunn hemp but the one time I planted it (last year) everything was a bust because of little rainfall. It has beans, peas, sunflowers, and sunn hemp so it seems like it would be a good mix.

The deer browsed my buckwheat hard also. Which makes me not want to fix something that isn’t broke. But it’s always fun to try new things. I didn’t realize how hard they browsed it until I added some in my fall mix. They wiped it all out within 2-3 weeks.
 
I looked that mix up, do deer browse on the brassica that time of the year? Or is that solely to eliminate compaction?
I haven't planted this mix yet, but I have seem them browse brassicas in the summer from some DIY mixes.
 
All my stuff is established clover. Still tweaking this extremely early throw and pray blend onto frozen ground. This year it's gonna be flax, barley, spring wheat, oats, forage collards, and chicory, all on top of that established clover. You've seen the pics of the barley from last year. I wanna build on that. More flax, more straw, try to get more chicory to take hold.
 
All my stuff is established clover. Still tweaking this extremely early throw and pray blend onto frozen ground. This year it's gonna be flax, barley, spring wheat, oats, forage collards, and chicory, all on top of that established clover. You've seen the pics of the barley from last year. I wanna build on that. More flax, more straw, try to get more chicory to take hold.

I just looked up forage collards, and that is an interesting option. What is your termination process the following year? Are you spraying it with a broadleaf herbicide? Or just letting it go?
 
I just looked up forage collards, and that is an interesting option. What is your termination process the following year? Are you spraying it with a broadleaf herbicide? Or just letting it go?
Just planning to let it go. I'd expect it to die out on it's own or mow kill at some point. My clover gets so damn thick once it's up and running that i'm not worried about any volunteer stuff in case this makes viable seed.
 
Just planning to let it go. I'd expect it to die out on it's own or mow kill at some point. My clover gets so damn thick once it's up and running that i'm not worried about any volunteer stuff in case this makes viable seed.

So what do you think about this. Buckwheat, forage collards and sunflower mix, allow the buckwheat to mature, spread my fall mix and mow. That should give me some buckwheat regrowth along with collards and my new seed broadcasted.
 
So what do you think about this. Buckwheat, forage collards and sunflower mix, allow the buckwheat to mature, spread my fall mix and mow. That should give me some buckwheat regrowth along with collards and my new seed broadcasted.
I've never done that kind of mix, but I'd certainly give it a shot. If it's primarily buckwheat, I'd think that'd leave you some room for new stuff to come. You may also get your forage collards to regrow after you mow.
 
How many pounds of forage collards are you planning to broadcast over your clover? I’m trying to figure out how much I should buy for all of my mixes.
 
I've got a 25 acre pasture that has little bluestem and a little indian grass, along with some weeds. If I glyphosate say a 4 acre patch after spring green up, then seed buckwheat and sunflower, then mow, does that sound like it has a chance. Wading into food plots and wanting to get this 4 acres started this spring then sow oats, rye, and perhaps brassicas in mid August or so.

I was thinking of burning it. but want to keep some residue on the dirt. Thanks
 
I've got a 25 acre pasture that has little bluestem and a little indian grass, along with some weeds. If I glyphosate say a 4 acre patch after spring green up, then seed buckwheat and sunflower, then mow, does that sound like it has a chance. Wading into food plots and wanting to get this 4 acres started this spring then sow oats, rye, and perhaps brassicas in mid August or so.

I was thinking of burning it. but want to keep some residue on the dirt. Thanks
I've done exactly what you discribe. Worked well.
 
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