Anyone broadcast seeding into beans?

I like 15", but have done with 7.5. It's more a timing issue than a spacing issue. If you can get your beans to yellow early enough (variety dependent) to get your brassica down and still have enough growing season. I've even spread brassica before they yellowed. The seed just struggled along, until the leafs fell off. They survived, but don't think there was any advantage.
 
I am going to do this on plots that are getting pretty much destroyed. I bet if I make 14" rows I'll be able to see a lot of bare dirt in mid August?
 
Mid August may be a little late for the north country for brassica, especially with an early winter. I put mine in the end of July in N. MO
 
I like 15", but have done with 7.5. It's more a timing issue than a spacing issue. If you can get your beans to yellow early enough (variety dependent) to get your brassica down and still have enough growing season. I've even spread brassica before they yellowed. The seed just struggled along, until the leafs fell off. They survived, but don't think there was any advantage.

Did you get much growth on the brassica? I slung some into beans the first week in August last year but barely any of it germinated. Sheduled rain event missed us so the seed sat for awhile.
 
I use Real World Plot Topper in my beans which is a brassica, turnip and radish mix. Depending on your location, I would say once the beans have started to lose their canopy in late summer you could top seed your beans with good success. I had good success last year except in areas that had thick canopy on beans still. I was just impatient and went ahead and topped plots before they were ready in those locations. The deer are still eating on the plot topper that is throughout the beans. Well whats left of it.
 
Did you get much growth on the brassica? I slung some into beans the first week in August last year but barely any of it germinated. Sheduled rain event missed us so the seed sat for awhile.

Some years are better than others. I always strive to get my beans in as early as I can, for this reason. Going 15" rows is a double edged sword, if I don't have a very high bean population planted, I don't get a good bean crop or canopy to keep weeds down. But I think it helps with overseeding. I prefer to stick with 7.5" rows still, because the beans are still a priority. I have other brassica plots that I plant weekend nearest July 25 in NEMO. I do get good brassicas, but they can be patchy due to field conditions when overseeded, compared to a worked up plot.
 
I am going to try it this year. If it doesn't work I'll drill oats/peas into the plot in August. That way I'll have a back up plant. Brassica seed is cheap
 
You could always mow a section if it's getting around brassica/oats planting time and your beans aren't yellowing. Lets you strategically place fall plots/strips where you want them too.
 
Some years are better than others. I always strive to get my beans in as early as I can, for this reason. Going 15" rows is a double edged sword, if I don't have a very high bean population planted, I don't get a good bean crop or canopy to keep weeds down. But I think it helps with overseeding. I prefer to stick with 7.5" rows still, because the beans are still a priority. I have other brassica plots that I plant weekend nearest July 25 in NEMO. I do get good brassicas, but they can be patchy due to field conditions when overseeded, compared to a worked up plot.

Thanks for the info. Trying to get the timing of beans yellowing from 5.5 hours away is what keeps me from planting beans in my plot since it's only 2 acres and I want something to hunt over during late season.
 
I tried it for the first time last fall. Aug 4th broadcast. Did the same in corn on the same day. In western MO last year, it was wet and warm well into Nov. The beans test failed badly. Corn was fantastic. I will mention this. Not all beans are the same. My neighbors beans were yellow and cut a month before mine. Different bean, different maturity times. My beans were 4-5' tall and almost impossible to walk thru. Some seed germinated fine but not early enough to form bulbs. Best of luck.
 
Thanks for the info. Trying to get the timing of beans yellowing from 5.5 hours away is what keeps me from planting beans in my plot since it's only 2 acres and I want something to hunt over during late season.

Yea, we're in similar situations. 5.5-6 hours away, myself. Beans are still a good fit possibly. They provide tons of forage through the summer. If come the end of July, beginning of August, you could till them under and plant brassica conventionally if they aren't going to be mature enough. Just a thought.
 
Thanks for the info. Trying to get the timing of beans yellowing from 5.5 hours away is what keeps me from planting beans in my plot since it's only 2 acres and I want something to hunt over during late season.

Real World makes a northern blend soybean that may be your solution to get a quicker ripening bean. I am sure there are also just local bean seed that can be had for your local farmers as well they may work for you. If you are wanting beans I bet there is a solution out there.
 
I plant beans on 15" centers. The thing is that with more narrow rows the plants canopy sooner and reduce weeds, however this can work against you later in the year when you are trying to overseed. When your overseeding you need that sunlight hitting the ground and that is when the wider rows are more to your advantage in my opinion. Just keep in mind which is your primary plotting function. It's tough to get the best of both worlds, you tend to have to favor one or the other. I tend to favor the beans and then see the overseeding as simply a taking advantage of an opportunity and I get what I get from that - I see it as a "bonus", but that is how I do it......that doesn;t mean that is the only way to do it.
 
I personally let my beans do 90% of the work for the plot. If you don't have too big of a deer herd and a big enough plot there is nothing better in a plot IMO than standing beans. I overseed mine with brassica, turnip mix and I just get what I get out of it. Last year I had heavy canopy at the time that I overseeded I didn't get a great stand of greens but there was enough to make it through the winter. I had a 3.5 to 4 acre bean plot if and do not have a huge herd on that farm. My beans finally were picked clean about 3 weeks ago.
 
If the deer destroy the beans anyway I'd go with 7.5" rows. Question; Anyone have experience with how the oats do seeded into the beans? especially if they are seeded in green canopy beans in August?
 
If the deer destroy the beans anyway I'd go with 7.5" rows. Question; Anyone have experience with how the oats do seeded into the beans? especially if they are seeded in green canopy beans in August?

My guess is it would produce the same as any other seed into a shaded area. It will be slow going in those heavy canopy areas. You would be better off waiting for the beans to ripen and start to turn to allow enough sunlight for the oats or whatever seed is broadcast to grow. IMO
 
If the deer destroy the beans anyway I'd go with 7.5" rows. Question; Anyone have experience with how the oats do seeded into the beans? especially if they are seeded in green canopy beans in August?

I would just wait until the beans are definitely yellow before doing oats. I plant oats/rye labor day weekend, and they can get plenty mature. Most beans, at least in the midwest, are going to be yellow by then anyway.
 
I have one food plot of about 5 acres.
I plant beans in the spring.
Late July I broadcast brassicas in the bare spots followed by rye and wheat around labor day.
I have a high deer density so my beans never canopy.
I have done this the last few years and have food the whole season.
 
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