How Does Your Garden Grow?

[stlcatfan]

Maus, my wildlife plots are growing well and I've still a few to plant after I spray the damned bindweed growing in them.

Very nice, ToledoCat. Can you tell me more about your wildlife plots? How big are they? Where did you place them? What plants to you have growing in them? What wildlife are you trying to attract? Does having wildlife plots help keep the deer and other animals out of your own garden? Thanks in advance.

[ToledoCat#2]

I have 20 acres that I can plant to gardens/food plots, etc. I rotate my regular gardens for disease/weed control purposes. I plant a variety of wildlife food plots -- grain sorghum, wheat, rye, turnips, kale, vernal alfalfa, Austrian peas four different kinds of clovers, and hairy vetch.

My chickens love the clovers and alfalfa and kale that I plant close to them. The more distant plots attract deer, dove, quail, ducks, geese, and wild turkeys -- not in abundance, but regularly.

I often buy the wildlife food plot mixture sold by Nixa Hardware in Nixa, Mo -- suburb of Springfield. The shipping costs about as much as the seed, but you can buy is small amounts. I have a 6-ft tiller behind my tractor, but just a belly-button, broadcast hand-seeder for planting. I usually run the tractor tires over the plots to get good seed/soil contact.

[stlcatfan]

I have 20 acres that I can plant to gardens/food plots, etc. I rotate my regular gardens for disease/weed control purposes. I plant a variety of wildlife food plots -- grain sorghum, wheat, rye, turnips, kale, vernal alfalfa, Austrian peas four different kinds of clovers, and hairy vetch.

My chickens love the clovers and alfalfa and kale that I plant close to them. The more distant plots attract deer, dove, quail, ducks, geese, and wild turkeys -- not in abundance, but regularly.

I often buy the wildlife food plot mixture sold by Nixa Hardware in Nixa, Mo -- suburb of Springfield. The shipping costs about as much as the seed, but you can buy is small amounts. I have a 6-ft tiller behind my tractor, but just a belly-button, broadcast hand-seeder for planting. I usually run the tractor tires over the plots to get good seed/soil contact.

Thanks for the info. I'm still dreaming of buying some land when I retire and wildlife plots are something I will definitely plant on my property. In my suburban backyard, the best I can do is bird feeders and native wildflowers for the birds, bees, and butterflies.

[Number8son]

I have 20 acres that I can plant to gardens/food plots, etc. I rotate my regular gardens for disease/weed control purposes. I plant a variety of wildlife food plots -- grain sorghum, wheat, rye, turnips, kale, vernal alfalfa, Austrian peas four different kinds of clovers, and hairy vetch.

My chickens love the clovers and alfalfa and kale that I plant close to them. The more distant plots attract deer, dove, quail, ducks, geese, and wild turkeys -- not in abundance, but regularly.

I often buy the wildlife food plot mixture sold by Nixa Hardware in Nixa, Mo -- suburb of Springfield. The shipping costs about as much as the seed, but you can buy is small amounts. I have a 6-ft tiller behind my tractor, but just a belly-button, broadcast hand-seeder for planting. I usually run the tractor tires over the plots to get good seed/soil contact.

Cool. Nice strategy.

[ToledoCat#2]

I will say this about wildlife food plots. They are incredibly difficult to "save" for any wildlife except "blackbirds of all sorts." One flock of starlings can strip 10 acres of milo in just a few days. I try to save some milo for the deer/quail/doves/turkeys/ducks/geese by trampling some of it down with my tractor or ATV just as it gets ripe.

[ToledoCat#2]

Planted four food plots yesterday and got 1.4-inch rain on it last night. Nice timing on my part. Now for a late frost.

[stlcatfan]

Planted four food plots yesterday and got 1.4-inch rain on it last night. Nice timing on my part. Now for a late frost.

Perfect!

[Mauser]

Planted four food plots yesterday and got 1.4-inch rain on it last night. Nice timing on my part. Now for a late frost.

What mix are you using? I went straight red clover this year.

[ToledoCat#2]

My mix that I planted recently included: wheat, turnips, Austrian peas, hairy vetch, Vernal alfalfa, Dutch white clover and red clover. The Dutch white clover will persist year to year if you get enough rain for it to go to seed. Deer like the peas, turnips and wheat. The vetch is mostly a soil conditioner -- adds nitrogen and organic matter.

[Number8son]

Crops are doing well around here....soybeans averaging in the mid 60's reported around here.