tractorshopper
Veteran Member
I've helped quite a few others with various sized food plots over the last couple years. This weekend I decided to put in a small one of my own. Sorry, did not stop to take pics, due to rush with rain coming today, but I have a spot in my back yard kind of on a terrace that overlooks the back of my house. I didn't measure it, but it's probably about 30' at the widest point then narrows as it goes back in kind of a triangular way about another 30-40' back.
First, I mowed down all the weeds in the area. Did this on the spur of the moment or would have sprayed this a few weeks ago first. Then I tilled it a few times with my 5' reverse Landpride tiller on my Kubota L3800. Between tillings, I put down 100 lbs of lime to turn in. I picked out as much grass/weed clumps as I could. Then I spread the deer plot mixed seeds and raked in twice by hand. The area is too small to use my chain harrow. After raking in, I spread about another 25 lbs of quick-lime on top. I also very sparsely hand scattered some 17-17-17. Later, when the plants come up some, I'll sling some more fertilizer out there.
I also planted one strip area exclusively in Sugar Beets. This is not a normal crop around here at all. The place I grew up in Michigan had a Sugar factory, so I'm very familiar with these beets and hunters up there use them to bait regularly. The thing here is that they are not a normal crop, and I'm about certain I'm planting them way too late, but having seen them at the feed and seed store for the first time ever, I had to try. I'll probably put some more out next spring. I bought a 1 lb bag and hardly used much at all. I really just put them in as something to remind me of my old home and what it was known for. Don't know if the beets will mature or not this time around or if the deer will be attracted to the leaves or not either, or if they only like the mature beets. At harvest time in Michigan, you can grab literally tons of these off the side of the roads leading from the fields to the factory as they fall off the trucks.
I chose this spot because I routinely see deer tracks funneling through this area and hopefully, I'll see them stop and feed in the future. Will take pics maybe tomorrow after the rain is gone and post if TBN will let me post them. I've had problems the last few weeks.
First, I mowed down all the weeds in the area. Did this on the spur of the moment or would have sprayed this a few weeks ago first. Then I tilled it a few times with my 5' reverse Landpride tiller on my Kubota L3800. Between tillings, I put down 100 lbs of lime to turn in. I picked out as much grass/weed clumps as I could. Then I spread the deer plot mixed seeds and raked in twice by hand. The area is too small to use my chain harrow. After raking in, I spread about another 25 lbs of quick-lime on top. I also very sparsely hand scattered some 17-17-17. Later, when the plants come up some, I'll sling some more fertilizer out there.
I also planted one strip area exclusively in Sugar Beets. This is not a normal crop around here at all. The place I grew up in Michigan had a Sugar factory, so I'm very familiar with these beets and hunters up there use them to bait regularly. The thing here is that they are not a normal crop, and I'm about certain I'm planting them way too late, but having seen them at the feed and seed store for the first time ever, I had to try. I'll probably put some more out next spring. I bought a 1 lb bag and hardly used much at all. I really just put them in as something to remind me of my old home and what it was known for. Don't know if the beets will mature or not this time around or if the deer will be attracted to the leaves or not either, or if they only like the mature beets. At harvest time in Michigan, you can grab literally tons of these off the side of the roads leading from the fields to the factory as they fall off the trucks.
I chose this spot because I routinely see deer tracks funneling through this area and hopefully, I'll see them stop and feed in the future. Will take pics maybe tomorrow after the rain is gone and post if TBN will let me post them. I've had problems the last few weeks.
