First time planting a food plot

[SEmnBowHunter]

Im going to be headed down to my hunting land this weekend to brush mow the spots that im going to be planting. I plan on planting corn soybeans and some turn ups. I have a couple questions, first should i spray everything i mow with round up than come back and til it all? Or mow it all til it all, than come back and til it again than plant it? Second im planning on planting the turn-ups towards the end of july. When should i plant the corn and soybeans will early to mid june be fine? Last im gonna be cutting some brush, and going to plant roughly a half acre inside the timber....what would be best to plant in there, will beans grow well if i cut enough to let the sun in? Thanks for all the help!

[Stanley]

If you are going till it all I wouldn't use chemicals to kill the existing vegetation. Tilling will do that. Round up is expensive if you can eliminate that cost I would. When you say till I am assuming you are talking about a tiller? If you are planning to do some seeding in the shade you need to plant something late season so with the leaf drop you will get some additional sun light to help you out. Rye grain comes to mind and is inexpensive to seed.

[Phildaman]

I would suggest that you do a soil test. If your soil doesn`t have the right P.H. you should to Lime and Fertilize. I think Gander Mtn. or Cabelas
sell do it yourself kits or else you can take a sample to your local Agriculture Extension office and they will send your soil sample to a Lab and have it tested then send you the results. The Lime and Fertilizer maybe expensive, but with the price of fuel, and your time and effort I think it is worth it. Turnips do well when planted in mid July, or else they may burn out. I agree with Stanley mow then till it. Good luck

[SEmnBowHunter]

thats what ive been leaning towards, til it up this weekend when i go down. Than til it again when i go down to plant. I'm planning on taking the soil sample to the co op this weekend that way i know what i need before i plant. How do you post a picture on here? Thanks for the advise!

[Z7WIBoy]

The reason you spray is for weeds as they grow faster than most crops and the suck up the nutrients. I spray, wait 10 days and then till up. The dead plants act as mulch. If u are not planting more than 2 acres of corn and soybeans I would just go with soybeans. Soybeans get hammered which is what you want. I bet your soybeans are not very tall by end of July so I would just till under and plant a combo or winter rye and turnips. Why these 2 - simple - rye is great for kill plot and once a couple of frosts you have sweet turnips that they love through late season. This is what I do and works for me.
Good luck and there is a ton of info on northern plots on the world wide web :-)

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Bucky]

How much acreage do you have to work with? I wouldn't bother with corn, nitrogen costs will kill you and if you dont have big plots they will wipe you out. I agree with above comment... Roundup ready beans are the way to go. RR beans will run you roughly $60-100 per acre, anything under 2 acres with a good deer population will get wiped out. But, it will help you prep for your fall planting of rye and turnips (why rye and turnips? They are cheap and easy 2 grow! Deer in my area hammer this combo).

Do you have access to a grain drill?

If not the cheapest way to go is wait to till until June, get soil sample and tell co-op you plant on planting brassicas/turnip combo, wait 10-14 days go back and spray new growth weeds, get soil recommendations for fertilizer, buy seed and fertilizer, try to time plating sometime July 1st - July 15th prior to good rain, broadcast fertilizer and seed at same time. You need to make sure you have good seed to soil contact = cultipacker best, otherwise use drag such as fence or go over plot slowly with 4 wheeler tires to pack seed tight to soil. A 2 acre plot is gonna run you about $300-500 minimum if done right. If you add beans in as summer crop looking at $500+ minimum. Good luck!

[ Post made via iPad ]

[DEERSLAYER]

thats what ive been leaning towards, til it up this weekend when i go down. Than til it again when i go down to plant. I'm planning on taking the soil sample to the co op this weekend that way i know what i need before i plant. How do you post a picture on here? Thanks for the advise!

Here is how to post pictures using photobucket.
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10307&p=112635&hilit=post+picture#p112635

And here is how to do it using the Beast photo gallary.
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=10695

How many total acres do you have to plant?

[SEmnBowHunter]

Thanks for all the great info! I think ill be planting roughly 3 acres. Ill know exactly how much this weekend. I thought id plant some corn, i got to free bags from my uncle. But my two main objective's are beans for early and late season, and the turn ups for late season.

[jlh42581]

If it were me... and I had a drill

I would plant the first 20 yards the whole way around the plot with clover. The next 20 with switchgrass($$$$, hence the drill), till and plant the corn next and come back once the corn is up and over see it with purple top turnips.

I wouldnt plant soybeans and this is why besides cost. In my area they are not interested in the actual bean till later in the year. With a plot that small they are sure to top them off.

[DEERSLAYER]

It sounds like you may have enough room to plant enough corn & beans to get through the season. Depending on how high you deer density is. Are you going to post any picks of the property?

[SEmnBowHunter]

Not sure if this is going to work, but im trying. What do you guys use for maps, as far as scouting, and drawing on. copper/upload.php

[SEmnBowHunter]

I tried using google earth and as you can see it doesnt look very good. But than the white line will be all beans on the edge of the field. The yellow box will be beans and turnups, and the pink and going to be a winter rye mix i think.

[DEERSLAYER]

I suggest blotting out the coordinates on that pic. You don't want company out there.

So you are planning on five plots? (I had been thinking one.)

[SEmnBowHunter]

I was thinking the same thing but i dont know how, is there any way i can delete that comment?

It's been to long for you to do it so I just deleted the pic. PM me the link for another one with the coordinates covered and I will insert it back into the post.
DEERSLAYER

[SEmnBowHunter]

Ya there is going to be a long strip of beans, than a good sized plot of a winter mix and beans, than some hidden plots in the timber, and another good sized bean/ winter plot in the valley. That big field was all beans last year, and will be all corn this year.