First ever food plot... so far so good.

[RCDuck]

Below are a few pictures of my first ever attempt at a food plot.
I planted 4 acres of Eagle soybeans on a previously fallow bottomland pasture. Planted April 15, had quick germination followed by several weeks of very dry conditions. Timely rains the last couple of weeks really got the beans going. They are being used pretty heavily based on trail cam pics and the exclusion cage I set up but they seem to be staying ahead of the browsing pressure so far.

I sprayed the field yesterday to try to get rid of a few weeds and also mowed and sprayed some other locations for fall plots. This is the first time I've had property of my own that I could plant plots, and so far, it's been very rewarding. I had plans to do two spring/summer plots but I figured out pretty quickly that it takes a while to get a plot ready in existing pasture land, so I decided to just do this one plot this spring and hopefully add to it next year.

 

[THE LLC]

If you can afford them, Eagles are hard to beat.

 

[Weasel]

Excellent work for your first plot! And you are using an exclusion cage from the get go!

 

[LetThemGrow]

Very nice!

 

[split toe]

Did you drill or broadcast those?

 

[RCDuck]

Beans were broadcast on a cultipacked seedbed at 50 lbs/acre, followed by a very light pass with a disk, and another pass with the cultipacker.

 

[Blizzard Ridge]

Congrats on becoming a plotter. The beans look great. It is always nice when all the work is done and you can sit back and watch the reward.

 

[horntagger]

Looks like you did a outstanding job. Keep some notes for yourself.

 

[shawn cox]

Very nice, congrats on your first plot, warning it is addicting though.

 

[G3 Ranch]

Nice stand of beans...sure is more attractive than drilling them into standing rye like I did, what a mess.

 

[bigbluetruck]

Lots of people drill or plant beans into standing rye, what problems did you have?

 

[Jason Broom]

Just as soon as you see those leaves start to yellow, consider broadcasting winter rye at a rate of 50#/acre. You may also want to include some forage radish, clovers and maybe even some chicory. These will likely become established and grow well the following spring, so that you don't have a bare field.

 

[G3 Ranch]

Lots of people drill or plant beans into standing rye, what problems did you have?

No real problems that I'm aware of at this point. The plots planted into worked soil just look better IMHO... The drilling into standing rye just appears a bit unkempt, I rolled some, mowed some and left some standing for comparison so it's a mess to look at. . I've read quite a bit about drilling into rye and the benefits of no-till, hopefully it'll make a stand.

 

[bigbluetruck]

Ya its not always pretty, but Ill take performance over looks any day, and everytime Ive seen beans done into rye theyve always looked better in July and August, which is the toughest on dryland beans here, than the others, . Luckily beans are a tough crop, if you get them in even just a little dirt, theyll make a stand.

 

[CTM1]

Very nice bean plot.

 

[RCDuck]

Just as soon as you see those leaves start to yellow, consider broadcasting winter rye at a rate of 50#/acre. You may also want to include some forage radish, clovers and maybe even some chicory. These will likely become established and grow well the following spring, so that you don't have a bare field.

Thanks for that helpful advice.

If I intend to plant beans there again next spring, would it be best to broadcast the rye only? I have other plots that I intend to plant into a Clover/Chicory mix around September.

 

[useyourbow]

Looks great congrats.

 

[dogdoc]

Great job. Hard fo beat the Eagle beans! My favorite.

 

[Elkaddict]

Looks great. I think you'll find great satisfaction watching the plot thrive and be utilized. In many ways, I enjoy it as much as the actual hunting.

 

[Jason Broom]

Thanks for that helpful advice.

If I intend to plant beans there again next spring, would it be best to broadcast the rye only? I have other plots that I intend to plant into a Clover/Chicory mix around September.

For no more than the clover and chicory would cost, why not include them, just to give you more options next spring? Maybe next year you focus more on bringing other plots into rotation, leaving this one as a perennial for a year or two? You'll find that your goals and your plans change over time.