# Food Plotting Brassicas tips and help



## jignwalleye (Sep 6, 2009)

hey everyone, i just recently order'd some brassicas seed and Ph fertilizer from mossyoakbiologic. i was just wondering if anyone has food plotted this in ohio and what success or tips have u had  im pretty confident with the seed and advice would be well appreciated. thanks everyone


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## Darron (Oct 17, 2006)

I plant brassicas every year on my property in S. Ohio. I like to plant my brassicas around the middle of july so I get the most tonnage (food). Brassicas love a high nitrogen fertilizer, therefore, I like to put out 150-200pds per acre of 30-3-10 fert. Planting brassicas before July will cause them to mature and get unpalatable. Planting them too late (late aug) will not allow them enough time to grow. 

You can no till brassicas by simply bushhogging field, let it go for about a week and spraying with round up once the weeds start growing again. Once sprayed, simply broadcast seed. This method works well. 

If you disc or till, make sure you do not cover the seeds. In fact, what I do is till the ground, drag a harrow over it to firm it up, broadcast and walk away. Weeds usually are not a problem in a brassica patch because the plants grow so fast and shade out everything else.


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## Hoss5355 (Apr 9, 2004)

Depending on your location, give it time. First couple years it might be tough. Deer aren't used to that as a food source, and until they decide that it is one, it can be frustrating. No matter what you watch on TV or hear people say, there is no magic food source that will put a deer on your wall. Remember the reason you are putting it there. To nourish the animals. It is rewarding to see deer/animals in general, utilizing your plots. I have shot deer in food plots, but it seems that the big boys that I am after are always in the woods or transition areas. Keep that in mind when laying out your plots.


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## jignwalleye (Sep 6, 2009)

hey thanks guys, well see how it goes this year for sure, trying to bring more deer into my woods


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## Darron (Oct 17, 2006)

You can also get some extra Nitrogen by frost seeding red clover into your brassica plot in March. Let the clover grow until July and till it under green. The clover will fix some Nitrogen on its own and put it back into the soil for your next planting of brassicas. This is what I do and instead of the 150-200pds, I only put out maybe a 100pds and let the clover do the rest. I run a rotational system of brassicas and winter rye/red clover mix. I rotate every year letting my brassicas take advantage of the red clover. Here's my system:

Plant brassicas in July at about 7-10pds per acre

Plant winter rye (100pds)/oat (60-80pds)/field peas (20pds) red clover (7pds) mix in Mid Aug.


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## jignwalleye (Sep 6, 2009)

do the deer come in hard towards the start of the cold weather on the brassicas?? good success? think i will notice good results in community?


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## Darron (Oct 17, 2006)

jignwalleye said:


> do the deer come in hard towards the start of the cold weather on the brassicas?? good success? think i will notice good results in community?


The deer on my place didn't start hitting the plot until December. I started seeing some heavy use right around gun season. If the plot is small, they can wipe it out within a couple days, which is why I have a back up of winter rye.


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