Creek chub
Active Member
I have a very small plot that I’m gonna plant in buckwheat mid May or so. The planting instructions for deer greens says planting can start in mid March. Would planting a week early carry much risk?
Pennington Deer Greens
- Thread starter Creek chub
- Start date
Creek chub
Active Member
I believe it’s a mixture of rape, turnips and radishes. I’m not concerned if it doesn’t turn out great. It’s fallow now and I’d like to get something growing now or soon if possible and then go to a summer annual
Creek chub
Active Member
That’s what I thought but looking at the planting directions for my zone, it shows a mid March planting option. It’s left over seed and I doubt I’d use it anywhere else this fall so I may give it a whirl this or next weekend
Creek chub
Active Member
https://www.pennington.com/all-products/wildlife/rackmaster-deer-greens
Here’s a link to Pennington’s website
Here’s a link to Pennington’s website
Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
I second Cutman on the oats. Save the brassica seed for a fall plot. Oats, sorghum, millet, wheat or buckwheat will give you a perfect plot for throw and mow or any other style midsummer or early fall planting later, brassica won't.
Creek chub
Active Member
Is it safe to plant oats now?
Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
I'd say yes, in your area. If you get a late frost it will not kill it, just freezes the tips back. Oats can take a lot of cold, but not solid frozen ground. Oats is my go to crop for any bare dirt plot that I have in the spring that I just want to cover dirt. Cheap seed (I plant bin run because weeds don't scare me) and quick early deer food, the seed is turkey food later for the half grown chicks, great weed suppression, and then great cover for a notill fall plot. Spring oats is very versatile, terminate early, or just let them mature. Rule of thumb, plant rye in the fall, plant oats in the spring, plant wheat either way.. Doing that in reverse will result in failure. I've planted oats as early as March 15, zone 6b with great results. But 2 days ago that field still had a foot of snow, something will have to change fast for that to happen this year. Send some heat up from Virginia, we'll take global warming or any other kind you've got.
Creek chub
Active Member
I’ve got about 25 # of oats left from last year. The plot is about 1/2 acre that has a lot of dormant weeds right now with plenty of bare spots. I’ll probably go ahead and broadcast it in the am. Then gly it all later in the spring and disc it in and sow Sunn Hemp and buckwheat.
Thanks for the suggestions
MarkDarvin
Well-Known Member
Much better. If you don't see those oats up in 10 days, I'd get an entire second bag and spread the whole thing again.
MarkDarvin
Well-Known Member
Creek chub
Active Member
I tried Pennington rackmaster oats last year. Great growth but in hindsight I don’t think the extra price was worth it
pinetag
Well-Known Member
Creek, I just frost seeded oats in two different locations over the last two weekends. I believe there won't be much germination until the soil warms up into the 40's, which we're not quite there yet, but I suspect we will be soon. I'll be heading back out in two weeks and let you know if I see any progress.
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Creek chub
Active Member
I was gonna spread some oats yesterday but there is still snow on the ground in the VA mountainsCreek, I just frost seeded oats in two different locations over the last two weekends. I believe there won't be much germination until the soil warms up into the 40's, which we're not quite there yet, but I suspect we will be soon. I'll be heading back out in two weeks and let you know if I see any progress.
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X-farmerdan
Well-Known Member
Frost seeding oats doesn't work very well. It works. Just not very well. We do it, but sometimes it just fails. Not every seed is like a clover seed. Clover has a hard coat. Oats do not. Clover seed is small. It can easily find a crack in the soil. Oats are huge! Unless pushed into the soil, they will probably never, naturally roll into a soil crack. It takes some time for clover to absorb enough water to start germination. Oats have a permeable sheathing, will quickly absorb water and try to start germination quickly...even before it has enough seed to soil contact to survive. The possible outcomes for a germinating oat seed on the soil surface (or worse, on top of snow) are numerous with only one of them being positive. Sure. Seed. But, up your rate considerably.
Creek chub
Active Member
Do you have better luck discing in oats? I did oats throw and mow and they turned out good. The downside was captured on my game cam that Turkeys came and ate a lot of the seed
X-farmerdan
Well-Known Member
If throw and mow works for you, then keep doing it. Disking has it problems, too. On fluffy (as in dry) ground I have a tendency to roll too much dirt and my seeds get buried too deep, but that's about me and not the idea. We talk about all kinds of seeding methods here. Each has its trade-offs. Seed needs to be in the ground at the right depth. Oh, we might get lucky with throw and mow or other types of broadcast seeding, but it's not always a sure thing.
