How to cultivate virgin ground for a food plot? I don't have a tractor!

[95XL883]

Hi Chaos,
Thx. I don’t exactly know. My first one is, I’m guessing, a third of an acre, I need to redo it as the weeds and broke are coming back after two summers and the clover is fading. The chicory is hanging on but it is low in comparison to the weeds and broke so this is probably it’s last year. The other is smaller but fits between two groups of trees. The deer seem to really like the clover and cover. It’s about 200’ long by 30’ wide.

I’m going down tomorrow and hope to get time to prune back the hedge on one side of it. I’d like to clear enough to plant some apple, peach and pear trees. The deer can have most of the Apple but the pear and peach will be mine.

Thank you for your service, sir. This country is lucky to have men like you.

 

[Zerk]

Clover and chicory are supposed to come back, which is why I planted them. But I also seeded the bare spots this year. Not saying mine is perfect. I should do PH test, lime, and fertilizer. It is a hobby for me. Mine still has 4 feet of snow on it, this year there was snow on during gun season too. But hope to keep them around.

 

[Chaos USMC]

95XL, that must be one beast of a push lawn mower (I have a humorous vision of it in my mind). Proof is in the pudding though and should be useful info for the OP.

I'm to old and broken now so if I can't gain a mechanical advantage during the process and, if I have to dismount the tractor or UTV/ATV, I need a bottle of Motrin and a cold beer or two... Also thinking of getting some new fruit in the ground this year but with the numbers of deer around here, you have to install a good defensive perimeter or the trees are decimated before they even had a chance. I'm thinking a few claymores this year! I am actually laying in wire around my brides grapes and raspberries this year. They were hit very hard last year so... Our garden has Kencove wire fence, really great stuff. Easy to install, and, it works well.

Are you in an area that has significant crop production surrounding your location? Here we live among old family farm land, no longer used for crop production, only hay for the dwindling beef cattle. The reason I ask, our food plots get hit hard as they are usually the only candy store for many acres.

Thank you for your sincere comments, it means a lot...

Be safe and be well.

MAGA/KAG

 

[Chaos USMC]

Zerk, I am amazed at the number of food plotters who "should take soil samples" but don't. I just don't understand why some of us would put the time and effort into a plot and then ignore the condition of the soil. I was convinced early on to do occasional samples and the results of the effort have given me bragging rites among us brother-in-laws. It is so obvious when you visit one or the other plot. A soil sample that is analysed by PSU costs me roughly $9. About the same as a six-pack of my favored adult beverage... It obviously takes time and a little more money to get the soil right, but once your there, the costs are dramatically reduced. Yet the plantings are much more successful. I'm off my soapbox now.

Based on 4 feet of snow, sounds like you have another month to make a decision

 

[Zerk]

Zerk, I am amazed at the number of food plotters who "should take soil samples" but don't. I just don't understand why some of us would put the time and effort into a plot and then ignore the condition of the soil. I was convinced early on to do occasional samples and the results of the effort have given me bragging rites among us brother-in-laws. It is so obvious when you visit one or the other plot. A soil sample that is analysed by PSU costs me roughly $9. About the same as a six-pack of my favored adult beverage... It obviously takes time and a little more money to get the soil right, but once your there, the costs are dramatically reduced. Yet the plantings are much more successful. I'm off my soapbox now.

Based on 4 feet of snow, sounds like you have another month to make a decision

Unless we get a real warm streak I have well over a month. Last year end of April top of picnic tables were showing. Some years melts early. But I doubt this year.

YaI should do more. But not like I have a lot into it either. Less than $100 in seed. Tractor time is time, but also just my time. Not saying I shouldn't, and won't. Just got lots of other things I am thinking about.


Never done it, may be what is stopping me from doing it.

 

[MossRoad]

Thread pruned. Please continue original discussion.

 

[95XL883]

95XL, that must be one beast of a push lawn mower (I have a humorous vision of it in my mind). Proof is in the pudding though and should be useful info for the OP.

I'm to old and broken now so if I can't gain a mechanical advantage during the process and, if I have to dismount the tractor or UTV/ATV, I need a bottle of Motrin and a cold beer or two... Also thinking of getting some new fruit in the ground this year but with the numbers of deer around here, you have to install a good defensive perimeter or the trees are decimated before they even had a chance. I'm thinking a few claymores this year! I am actually laying in wire around my brides grapes and raspberries this year. They were hit very hard last year so... Our garden has Kencove wire fence, really great stuff. Easy to install, and, it works well.

Are you in an area that has significant crop production surrounding your location? Here we live among old family farm land, no longer used for crop production, only hay for the dwindling beef cattle. The reason I ask, our food plots get hit hard as they are usually the only candy store for many acres.

Thank you for your sincere comments, it means a lot...

Be safe and be well.

MAGA/KAG

Hi Chaos,
Sorry to take so long to get back to this thread. Life happens.

The mower I'm using is an old Honda HR217. It is self propelled but thankfully only the slow speed works. I've got a few years on me as well so I definitely need mechanical advantages also. Running it so low to the ground is hard on the mower. I have to sharpen the blades every time I do it. I also change the oil and clean the air filter. It kicks up a lot of dust that low to the ground. But it leaves a nice shallow seed bed for seeds that don't need to be planted deep. I've got a couple of other field edges that are getting cheat grass. So starting next week, the glyphosate comes out. I'll do my usual pattern. Spray one week, spray again in two weeks, come back the next week and mow it super short. I'll plant more clover and maybe some chicory. The deer seem to really like it. This will be my first time trying to start one in the spring. Hope it goes well but I've got to keep that cheat grass from going to seed. These areas aren't very big but they are in along routes the deer routinely travel so it should be popular if I can get it to grow.

Regarding the fruit trees, I'm also nervous that the deer eat them up. I'm going to try two rows of fence around them. I need to find where I read it but supposedly deer are hesitant to jump two rows of fence that are close together. If they do jump it, I won't have fruit trees very long.

There really isn't much crop production near my ground. The ground in the immediate area is somewhat rocky and a little sandy so it's not the best for row crops. Most of it is woods and cattle pasture. I do have a feeder that I keep stocked with corn. The deer, turkey, raccoons, song birds, squirrels, etc love it. The deer and turkey have gotten big. I got two does and a young buck last season. (I would have let the buck walk but his antlers were funky so I decided to cull it from the gene pool. He is still delicious.) I'm anxious for turkey season. I can take two a year and I've done that for the last three years. They are absolutely delicious and my wife makes wonderful broth that then makes a lot of turkey and noodles. The game cameras are showing increased turkey count this year. I've got two separate flocks, each with eight birds hitting the feeder. One flock is a bunch of jakes. The other flock looks to be all hens. And the big toms rarely show up on the camera but they are there. Oh man, I am getting anxious for that.

Later.

Greg

 

[Chaos USMC]

Hello Greg,

Thanks for taking the time to provide feedback.

Turkeys... Just the opposite here in that numbers are very low. Few and far in between. Folks say because of the record rains this past year, many hens gave up their nests and left the eggs to fail. I think it will be a disappointing year or two until we get some numbers back, hopefully not much longer than that. We are not aloud to "feed" wildlife here on account of CWD, so food plots are the best alternative.

Getting ready to walk out the door to spray a plot so... Best of luck on the turkey season, do us proud.

Be safe and be well.

 

[turnkey4099]

Probably four people who read this post who know that Graham Hoeme is a Chisel Plow.

I was wondering about that.

As for working the ground for vegetables, he will want a rototiller so, bite the bullet now, and buy one. Round up the area in spring and follow with 24d all sommer to kill whatever broadleaf weeds come up. I grass resprounts, more round-up. Then tiller work next spring.

 

[Chaos USMC]

Thread pruned. Please continue original discussion.

Fairly new here but, am I right in thinking that MossRoad is actually a Moderator, saw something that may have been deemed "crossing the line", and "deleted" same?

Are "Epic Contributors" actually Moderators.

Just like to know who I am dealing with if and when.

Thanks.