Brassicas into beans

[Hoosier hawkeye]

I have a 3 acre bean plot that I broadcasted this spring. It's doing great but was wanting to extend the life of out some by overseeding with brassicas. Does anyone have any creative ideas on how to seed a plot this size without trying to wade through 3 acres of chest high beans with no rows? I don't think I really want to try and walk through them with a hand spreader.
On a side note, what seed rate has anyone used for say dwarf essex rape or turnips into beams?

 

[DocHolladay]

Unless your seeder can get above the beans, you might have spotty coverage due to the seed not being able to go far from the slinger. I would probably sacrifice some beans to get a tractor in there. I would try and get the seeder as high as I could and then throw as much angle as possible, while seed still feeds out and gets slung. Mix in some grains like WW, WR and/or Oat to give them some vittles once the frost takes out the brassicas. You may not have enough time to get bulbs at your location this late. Maybe someone that lives in your zone will chime in.

 

[TheOldOak]

You could bush hog 2-3 rows through the beans and hand seed those rows with turnip/rape/clover mix. Sacrificing a few beans now for quality food late winter is a good idea in my book.

 

[buckmaster27012]

better make sure alot of the leaves are off beans before planting i broadcast one year too soon and it did not grow. probably best to bushhog some rows then plant like somebody suggested, be even better if had a drill so could keep in the rows.

 

[MarkDarvin]

Does anyone have any creative ideas on how to seed a plot this size without trying to wade through 3 acres of chest high beans with no rows?

I bought this setup this year and have already used it. Out of my blower, I can shoot brassica seed 25 feet on a level footing. I can also point it up at a 45 and blow it even further. Makes it very easy to spread small amounts of tiny seed effectively. Walk to each a spot, blow it in a circle, turn it off, walk to the next spot and repeat.

 

[Gator]

I had rows but I would just spread the small seed (radish in my case) with a hand spreader and use the tractor cone spreader for larger seed like rye or oats. It was hard for me being a distance from the farm but try to do it right in front of a good rain event to set the seed.

 

[j-bird]

Couple of things....
#1 - mowing any sort of grain crop will be considered baiting here in IN if it has ANY sign of grain on it. Even if the grain isn't mature. IF you mow I would think you would have to till what is mowed under or remove it in some fashion.

#2 - keep in mind a top seeding like this is to get BONUS forage.....it may not be great, your just getting bonus food. Those beans are the primary food source, so anything additional is just icing on the cake.

#3 - without rows I would consider only doing areas near your stand and not the entire plot.

#4 - If you mow and till those strips they will produce the best for what you are spreading. I tend to top seed once I see the beans starting to yellow. You may not grow big tubers, but the forage you grow will continue to improve as the beans dry down. I would mix in some wheat or rye as well. I target 5 lbs give or take of brassica and 2 bushel (1 bag) of wheat/rye all per acre.

#5 - the longer you wait for the beans to dry down the better the result you may have in germination, but the less time those new plants have to produce forage......it's sort of a game you play. Good thing brassica and cereal grains are cheap! Wheat and rye will also germinate and grow in cooler temps. Brassica tend to need 60 to 90 days to reach their max output.....so in an application like this don;t be surprised if you don't see the same results as an actual fall annual plot. This can be where the maturity variety of your beans can come into play as well.

 

[Jeff H]

That Extreme Blower is pretty cool. Another idea is to go the redneck ingenuity route: Find a helper, put them in the back of a truck with a bag spreader and drive backward through the plot enough times for complete coverage. That way the seed goes down first and even in those spots where your truck tires push the beans to the ground your see will already be under them. Just be careful, Jeff Foxworthy will be watching somewhere!

 

[Jeff H]

Regarding the blower idea, I'll bet you could easily rig up a device to throw small seeds using the venturi effect instead of buying their blower.
Venturi effect video:

 

[G3 Ranch]

I had rows but I would just spread the small seed (radish in my case) with a hand spreader and use the tractor cone spreader for larger seed like rye or oats. It was hard for me being a distance from the farm but try to do it right in front of a good rain event to set the seed.

I'll be broadcasting rye in my beans with my tractor/spreader, then small seeds with an atv/spreader as soon as they turn yellow.

 

[j-bird]

That Extreme Blower is pretty cool. Another idea is to go the redneck ingenuity route: Find a helper, put them in the back of a truck with a bag spreader and drive backward through the plot enough times for complete coverage. That way the seed goes down first and even in those spots where your truck tires push the beans to the ground your see will already be under them. Just be careful, Jeff Foxworthy will be watching somewhere!

I like the concept.....just drive forward. If your helper falls out that is bad enough, if he falls out and you run him over....that's a lot worse! I see this turning into some pretty redneck stuff...I'm seeing Bubba in some sort of beat-up recliner or bar stool all strapped down with ratchet straps all sitting on a dropped tailgate of a pick-up. Bubba is slinging seed and pounding beers and eventually the driver decides to see just how much Bubba can take! And you know your going to here the call of the redneck, "Hey yall watch this!!!"

 

[bigbluetruck]

Do you have a 4wheeler? Or the truck idea would work, if you've got a hand spreader, just have them sit on the back, backwards and spread while you drive or vice versa, you wont be going fast so theres really no danger.

 

[Blizzard Ridge]

You are fine on your timing to get brassicas, turnips and radishes out. I usually wait for the canopy to start to drop off some but if they were late beans if you can get seed to soil they will grow. I would go out just before or during a rain shower and sad to say but the best way to get the seed out is wade through those beans. I just pour seed in either my hand or into the lid of the container they come in and toss them in a semi circle pattern. Take another step or two and do it again. I care about my beans to much to run them over this late in the growing season.

 

[MarkDarvin]

The blower idea isn't cheap. I've got $220 into the blower and the attachment. When you take a step back and realize how many times you'll use it between brassicas, clover, and micros (if you're a micro applier), it pays off. I've thrown away enough spreaders already that I could have bought this rig in the beginning and been money ahead.

 

[TheOldOak]

Not to be outdone by the blower idea, I would suggest an arial seeding via jetback. Bonus is you get a nice view of your property!