Earliest date to plan brassicas in Zone 6B

I planted my brassicas here in Missouri last year on July 21st. Here is a pic from late August
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Native Hunter said:
I'm wanting to get started so badly, I will probably end up doing something crazy...:D
Click to expand...

Crazy is good sometimes.

Planted tillage radish first week of July with a mixture.
Most will germinate and grow late August when it is too dry to plant plots. The mixture will be left standing for fall if it provides food and cover. When planted in summer the deer don't seem to target the radish till later in the fall. After a good many of the acorns are gone the radishes are next. By then the tuber is six to eight inches.
Like you if radishes are planted in fall plots they never get
over three full leaves before being demolished.
Only used a pound per acre in this mix as a trial.
 
Lewi B said:
Crazy is good sometimes.

Planted tillage radish first week of July with a mixture.
Most will germinate and grow late August when it is too dry to plant plots. The mixture will be left standing for fall if it provides food and cover. When planted in summer the deer don't seem to target the radish till later in the fall. After a good many of the acorns are gone the radishes are next. By then the tuber is six to eight inches.
Like you if radishes are planted in fall plots they never get
over three full leaves before being demolished.
Only used a pound per acre in this mix as a trial.
Click to expand...

Great info.

Yes, last year when I planted Aug 15 we didn't get much rain the rest of the fall. The radishes seemed to get enough moisture from morning dews and grew well. My clover and most grains didn't come up until the next spring.
 
I broadcast DER, PTT, GHR, & Pasja blends on two plots today in anticipation of tonight's forecast inch of rain. I'm happy with this date. While I'm north a ways of you, I've never had them bolt when planted around this time frame. The large, mature plants get sucked up just fine by my deer. Now I just need yesterday's burndown to work and Mother Nature to do her part tonight.
 
Buckeye said:
Native Hunter, just curious if you planted any brassicas yet
Click to expand...

No, I got control of my emotions and had my wife to hide the seed from me...:D

Seriously, at the time I was considering this, we were in a rainy pattern that seemed like it was never going to end. But now we are in a normal, very dry summer pattern, and I have decided to hold off until at least the middle of August. If it is still extremely dry then, I will keep holding off until the first of September. That would be better anyway, because I could go ahead and plant my grains (wheat and oats) with the brassicas and not have to worry about them being too big by hunting season.

I have been doing some prep work by killing some weeds and even opened up a couple of spots with the chainsaw to make some of the plots a little larger. I'm still a little anxious, but finding other habitat work to do to keep me occupied.

I will be doing some different methods. Where I have enough dead weeds to cover good, I will do throw and mow. At some other spots I will disk.

Thanks for checking back. Hopefully I will have some pics to post later on.
 
August 15 is my go date for brassicas here. With moisture it hits about right. But you're right, fall moisture is iffy anymore.
 
Native Hunter said:
No, I got control of my emotions and had my wife to hide the seed from me...:D

Seriously, at the time I was considering this, we were in a rainy pattern that seemed like it was never going to end. But now we are in a normal, very dry summer pattern, and I have decided to hold off until at least the middle of August. If it is still extremely dry then, I will keep holding off until the first of September. That would be better anyway, because I could go ahead and plant my grains (wheat and oats) with the brassicas and not have to worry about them being too big by hunting season.

I have been doing some prep work by killing some weeds and even opened up a couple of spots with the chainsaw to make some of the plots a little larger. I'm still a little anxious, but finding other habitat work to do to keep me occupied.

I will be doing some different methods. Where I have enough dead weeds to cover good, I will do throw and mow. At some other spots I will disk.

Thanks for checking back. Hopefully I will have some pics to post later on.
Click to expand...
Hope she doesn't forget where she hid the seed
 
I am in south central Wisconsin and I try to have my brassicas in by the end of July(weather and rain permitting) I use the brassicas for a late season and over winter food. I want them to get as big as possible. I see some browse on them in Sept/Oct but not a lot of use until a good solid freeze. I hope the other plots with WR/Oats/peas will keep them around in Sept/Oct/Nov
 
My problem with brassicas this year is I broadcast in beans and my beans are way behind schedule. I am starting to worry there will be heavy canopy mid August and I won't get good germination. I guess time will tell. I had some late beans go in the first of July end of June.
 
I typically try to do brassicas the 15th of August but sometimes like last year the rains don't come and they really struggle. Also if we have a lot of grasshoppers around it is a waste to try to plant them early because the hoppers will eat them right down...
 
Blizzard Ridge said:
My problem with brassicas this year is I broadcast in beans and my beans are way behind schedule. I am starting to worry there will be heavy canopy mid August and I won't get good germination. I guess time will tell. I had some late beans go in the first of July end of June.
Click to expand...
You broadcast brassicas into your soybeans? Id like to give that a try. At what stage do you broadcast seed if the beans were planted earlier?
 
I plant them around the 15th of August. If still heavy canopy the seed will release after canopy starts to fall off and the soil gathers some light. Has worked out great for us through the years.
 
Guys, we got the best slow soaking rain I've seen for a long time, and more is forecasted in a few days. I went ahead today and put in part of my plots. I did 3 (.33 acres each) throw and mow plots with mixed brassicas and added some clover, chicory and oats. Now I know that this is too early for the oats, but I just added a few, and used the cheap ones from the feed store.

I'm not doing my most important plots until sometime around Sept 1. The three put in today should be fine unless we go into a drought, and if necessary I can replant when I do the main plot.

The feed store did indeed have collard green, but I decided not to add those this year. I already had enough brassica seed, so I will wait until next year and possible try some collard greens then.

So, we will see how this goes and I will post some pictures later on - unless it ends up looking embarrassing....:D
 
it's hard to resist planting a little early when you have rainin the forecast.I got my seed I will probably plant my brassicas before the next rain
 
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