Maybe folks just aren’t talking about it as much but it seems like less and less folks are planting summer plots these days……

Are you planting anything this summer? Why or why not?

I am planting a lot of Summer plots.....always have.

But, even the guys at the Feed Stores are saying that very few people plant year-round. They have to order the seed usually because they cannot afford to stock it and it sit there.

Yep, today and tomorrow

Planted 1 1/2 acres of Alyceclover and Jointvetch last week in one field. This mix is amazing on red clay.

Getting my big field 4-5 acres ready for iron clay peas sunflower and Laredo soybeans now.

Sprayed my Durana clover fields last week.

I have a couple fields in Durana clover that I mowed for the first time couple weeks ago. Gonna plant a few acres of sun hemp eventually. I try to wait until turkey poults have hatched before doing a bunch of in my foodplots.

I have another field that is mostly clover of all different types. If I take care of it through the summer it will stay in decent shape.

I planted mine in September.

Yeah, I think hunter behavior has changed a lot over the last couple decades as it concerns summer plots. I think we likely had a big explosion of people planting them after it went main stream…..only to go on a steady decline once folks began to see the constraints of small acreage plots.

Planted 15 acres of corn corn and 25 acres of forage soybeans 4 days ago.

We're never able to plant until a little later than ideal due to a family reunion that's the focus at the farm for the first part of the summer. It's always been right on the threshold of being "worth it," but we'll plant more acreage this year and throwing in sunn hemp, which should be more browse tolerant. I enjoy doing it and it certainly gets more deer on the property. I'm not delusional thinking racks are going to double in size because of this....that's what Trophy Rock is for.

I'm posting less about it this year because I half-way know what I'm doing now.

Gonna plant next week-end. Finally got my tractor fixed after a small fire over two months ago. My tractor guy I had used for years died and it was next to impossible to find anyone who would come out and work on it.Anyway, I have about 8 acres in my only large field. I am going to put in about 6 acres of Eagle Beans with 7 lbs r RR Corn /Acre and hope its enough acreage to keep ahead of the deer. I do have an e-fence which I will put up if the beans cannot keep up, but it would be nice not to have to put it up. I will also plant a 40-50 foot strip around the field perimeter with a mix of Buckwheat, Sunn Hemp, climbing peas or soybeans and Teosinate, which I tried for the first time last year.Its a distant corn relative which makes a seed Quail and Turkeys like and grows tall to help screening.Later in the summer I will probably plant about an acre of Sunflowers.

I also hope to be able to plant at least some of my smaller food plots with something similar to the screening mix after the Arrowleaf Clover in them finishes up. I am going to do throw and mow which I tried on one plot last year and was successful with.

Were about to plant a 7 acre plot with Laredo beans, I/C peas and sunflowers for the first time. It was too wet to work the soil, now it's bone dry but it's ready to go now. What ratio of seeds do you plant?

Not me. We spent the money on clearing and stumping 10 acres of new plantable ground. Went from 25 acres to 35 acres tillable on 900 acres. So I'll be working on getting the new plots ready all summer

I planted 5 acres. But then going to focus on clearing new ground.

Planting corn Saturday and then beans and chufas near end of may.

I think it’s around 50 ICP, 25 Laredo and 5 sunflower per acre. I change the mix every year in my big field just to try diff things and see what works. But I plant the same smaller field each year with Alyceclover and Jointvetch. The deer love it and it grows like crazy even when it’s dry.

I put clover in all my food plots last fall and it is doing well. I guess Ill leave it alone since it is doing well.

Meeting a farmer Saturday to see about converting part of the north pastures into soybeans. I think he is looking for 150 acres, so that will leave 150 to remain in hay. Very interested to see how that many acres of beans effects my deer population.

Just bought some iron clay peas few days ago. Not going to plant all the fields but planting the ones mainly in the center of the club. Hopefully start next week.

If you don't mind sharing, where did you get them from and what did they cost you per bag?

Iron and clay peas are cheap. Normally around $35/bag. This year we found some that were last years but had been germination tested at 70% for $10/bag. Loaded up and will just up the planting rate

Bout to get ready to plant

I planted roughly 2 acres with power plant last week. I'm going to look at it in the AM to see how its doing

On Iron Clay peas, does anyone do the inoculant? Seed selling websites act like it's super important, but it sounds like a pain.

I do. It’s not that much so why chance it. I use S type on beans and EL type on peas, Alyceclover and Jointvetch.

I bought them at the feed and seed here in Moundville. It was $35/50lb bag.

If the plot hasn't recently been planted with peas or soybeans I inoculate the seeds, you get more bang for your buck. As far as the whole process goes, it's just one more step to do it right. I put peas/beans,in a wash tub, add just enough water to moisten seeds, add inoculant, stir to mix and cover seeds, let it dry then mix seeds with fertilizer and plant

I just pour a coke on the seed and add inoculant, sticks bettern water.

I’ve done that before too but now just mix some sugar in a bottled water. Doesn’t take much liquid to get it to stick.

We are planting some Corn and also trying out some WMS Pea Patch blend this year.

I planted 50# of sunflowers and cow peas last week. Didn't think about inoculant. I would like to plant two to three more areas but time is a factor for me this time of year. Bigger equipment and implements means less time in the seat. I just broad casted them this time and disced in. Now I need some rain.

Why?

Prepped fields several weeks ago. Planting this weekend. Fields are varying combinations of iron clay pea and/or vetch plus sunflower or sunn hemp as ladder structure.

Going to try my first plot this year. Marked off a 1 acre spot in the rear of my property. Going to try some turnip, clover, and rape.

I’d wait until fall to plant that mix

ok - great, thanks for the tip.

Yes, plant those in the fall. You might want to look into adding some chicory to that mix because it will be attractive to the deer during the fall, but also will be something they can eat next summer.

About half my plots for the winter are planted in the summer. Hard to beat a corn field about Jan. Plant big enough and I have yet to not have corn into Feb.

I planted an acre of chufa last weekend. Going to try to plant about 6 acres over the next couple of weeks with combination of forage beans, sunn hemp, and sunflower.