Food Plotting Rebel Without a Cause

[Native Hunter]

I have about decided the guys in the central US, east of the Mississippi, have the best food plotting conditions. It doesnt seem like they have the extreme cold or heat. Shoot, I lost spring crop plantings this year due to drought and heat.

The grass always seems greener............

Two years ago I planted rye in late August and it stayed so dry that fall that the rye didn't germinate until the next spring.

Three years ago we got down to -32 that winter.

However, for me, having 34 feet of soil down to bedrock does help a little.....

 

[SwampCat]

The grass always seems greener............

Two years ago I planted rye in late August and it stayed so dry that fall that the rye didn't germinate until the next spring.

Three years ago we got down to -32 that winter.

However, for me, having 34 feet of soil down to bedrock does help a little.....

No doubt, there are always extremes. But for us, typically, we are upper 90's - been as high as 107 this summer. Maybe three inches of rain since the first of May. I don't consider this an exceptionally hot or dry summer. We probably wont start getting consistent rain until sometime in November. To be honest, for me, summer plots are much more likely to fail for a variety of reasons than winter plots. I probably lose half my plantings. Some of that is my fault - like planting fall plots the end of September instead of waiting until November. This spring, I had 18 acres of Eagle seed beans fail, ten acres of peredovik sunflowers fail, and three acres of browntop millet fail. I had five acres of Tecomate Lablab plus do well, and five acres of millet do OK. This has been a worse than average year - for me. Our winter plots typically grow at least a little bit all winter long. My soil is about a foot deep. It has a pH of 7.5 - no lime required - but it does greatly limit what you can and cant grow. You are correct - always greener on the other side of the fence.

 

[Triple C]

The grass always seems greener............

Two years ago I planted rye in late August and it stayed so dry that fall that the rye didn't germinate until the next spring.

Three years ago we got down to -32 that winter.

However, for me, having 34 feet of soil down to bedrock does help a little.....

Lest we forget...The fall of 2016. Stopped raining in late August and hardly a drop until the 1st week of December. Lot of $$$ put in the dirt that fall to only look like this on Nov. 22nd. Mother nature ultimately rules our sometimes feeble attempts at manipulating the ground with seed.


Fast forward 2 years and you'd think I had a green thumb. Clover around the perimeter and millet in the middle for dove. Mother Nature has been extremely good to us this summer. Just hope she continues with liquid gold come October.

 

[Native Hunter]

Lest we forget...The fall of 2016. Stopped raining in late August and hardly a drop until the 1st week of December. Lot of $$$ put in the dirt that fall to only look like this on Nov. 22nd. Mother nature ultimately rules our sometimes feeble attempts at manipulating the ground with seed.
View attachment 13030

Fast forward 2 years and you'd think I had a green thumb. Clover around the perimeter and millet in the middle for dove. Mother Nature has been extremely good to us this summer. Just hope she continues with liquid gold come October.
View attachment 13031

That brown ground brings back old memories TC!! I think that's why I like to always have a good perennial plot or two that is well established and can take a drought.

That year the new plots I planted did nothing until the next spring, but the existing plots with chicory and clover were sufficient, even though they would have done better with more rain.

 

[SwampCat]

Lest we forget...The fall of 2016. Stopped raining in late August and hardly a drop until the 1st week of December. Lot of $$$ put in the dirt that fall to only look like this on Nov. 22nd. Mother nature ultimately rules our sometimes feeble attempts at manipulating the ground with seed.
View attachment 13030

Fast forward 2 years and you'd think I had a green thumb. Clover around the perimeter and millet in the middle for dove. Mother Nature has been extremely good to us this summer. Just hope she continues with liquid gold come October.
View attachment 13031

It did that here in fall of 2017 also. And then when it did start raining in Feb, we had flood waters on the food plots until the Middle of April, killing all the clover and chicory. Then the rain quit falling May 1st and everything quit growing.

I will have to say my tecomate lablab plus plot has done amazing. It is a weed fest in there and I dont think the deer are using it very much right now - but that could change. In a year when eagleseed beans, sunflowers, and millet did almost nothing, the tecomate is a jungle of growth.

 

[dogghr]

However, for me, having 34 feet of soil down to bedrock does help a little.....

And this is why I just unfriended you! There is no excuse for that. I'll just keep working my 6-12" of soils thankyou.

 

[Native Hunter]

And this is why I just unfriended you! There is no excuse for that. I'll just keep working my 6-12" of soils thankyou.

LOL, you are a good comedian!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[bigbluetruck]

And this is why I just unfriended you! There is no excuse for that. I'll just keep working my 6-12" of soils thankyou.

Ive only got 6-12" of topsoil, after that its yellow S**T clay till idk when, its deep though.

 

[shawn cox]

Lest we forget...The fall of 2016. Stopped raining in late August and hardly a drop until the 1st week of December. Lot of $$$ put in the dirt that fall to only look like this on Nov. 22nd. Mother nature ultimately rules our sometimes feeble attempts at manipulating the ground with seed.
View attachment 13030

Fast forward 2 years and you'd think I had a green thumb. Clover around the perimeter and millet in the middle for dove. Mother Nature has been extremely good to us this summer. Just hope she continues with liquid gold come October.
View attachment 13031

Yep I rem

Lest we forget...The fall of 2016. Stopped raining in late August and hardly a drop until the 1st week of December. Lot of $$$ put in the dirt that fall to only look like this on Nov. 22nd. Mother nature ultimately rules our sometimes feeble attempts at manipulating the ground with seed.
View attachment 13030

Fast forward 2 years and you'd think I had a green thumb. Clover around the perimeter and millet in the middle for dove. Mother Nature has been extremely good to us this summer. Just hope she continues with liquid gold come October.
View attachment 13031

I remember that well. I planted last week of September and no rain until mid December that year. I did use throw-n-mow because I didn't have a tractor and my best clover plot came from that. Luckily everything eventually came up. Well everything except what the hogs vacuumed up.

 

[Mennoniteman]

I have about decided the guys in the central US, east of the Mississippi, have the best food plotting conditions. It doesnt seem like they have the extreme cold or heat. Shoot, I lost spring crop plantings this year due to drought and heat.

I don't know if there are any holylands in food plotting for deer, everyone has their achilles heel. Here in PA we don't have the extreme cold or heat but we seem to have weeds that don't quit, cattails, marestail & ragweed, it'd take some serious spraying to get nice clean fields like Native's pics here...

 

[SwampCat]

I don't know if there are any holylands in food plotting for deer, everyone has their achilles heel. Here in PA we don't have the extreme cold or heat but we seem to have weeds that don't quit, cattails, marestail & ragweed, it'd take some serious spraying to get nice clean fields like Native's pics here...

Is anywhere weed free?

We have pigweed, ragweed, johnson grass, coffee bean, and ground cherry. When you are basically frost free from the first of April until the first of Nov - there is a lot of opportunity for weeds to grow

 

[deer patch]

NH...Everything looks good. We are starting to get some rain here but it normally gets dry in September and I figure if I planted now it would not make it.

 

[Native Hunter]

NH...Everything looks good. We are starting to get some rain here but it normally gets dry in September and I figure if I planted now it would not make it.

Glad to hear you are getting some rain deer patch. I understand the fear of it getting dry. It's always hard to know what to do.

Starting on Tuesday, they are giving no less than 40% for the next 11 days. Most days are 60%. I took my chances today and put in the rest of my plots.

 

[dogghr]

It’s not 34 ft of soil but I felt my mini brassica plot is coming along good. Hopefully can shoot a booner in it beside my chimney.

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[Native Hunter]

It’s not 34 ft of soil but I felt my mini brassica plot is coming along good. Hopefully can shoot a booner in it beside my chimney.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

36,000 comedians out of work, and you keep trying to be one....

You can't fool me - that's Lambs Quarters instead of Brassicas.

 

[dogghr]

LOL. Stood back so no one would really see but should've known those eagle eyes and encyclopedia brain cells would notice. Picky picky.

 

[Native Hunter]

LOL. Stood back so no one would really see but should've known those eagle eyes and encyclopedia brain cells would notice. Picky picky.

LOL, you a mess boy............

 

[dogghr]

Certified psychologist my buddy used to date told both of us the same thing. We wore it as a badge. Seriously looks like you are getting some rain on those plots. Did you do your rye plantings also, kinda early?? I've never done rye until first couple wks of Sept unless it was just a cover for new clover plots .

 

[Native Hunter]

Certified psychologist my buddy used to date told both of us the same thing. We wore it as a badge. Seriously looks like you are getting some rain on those plots. Did you do your rye plantings also, kinda early?? I've never done rye until first couple wks of Sept unless it was just a cover for new clover plots .

Dogghr, I'm doing wheat and oats instead of rye. I went ahead and added them now, and have had good luck with that in recent years.

PS: I just updated my habitat thread. Check it out and you can see another plot planted around July 27. You also enjoy wildflowers, and I got some good pics today.

Below is the Rebel plot in the fog this morning.

 

[deer patch]

Dang it NH!!!...With all the rain in the forecast and your thread here, I went ahead and planted at the house. It's to keep the kids happy so they can shoot whatever deer they want without them wanting to come to the other farm which we manage for fully mature deer with an itchy finger. Besides it doesn't cost much to plant it. It already has red and white clover, so I planted Wheat, Daikon Radish and PPT.