RedAllison
Well-Known Member
Who else is starting their fall plots? The corn plots I planted in June are SUPERB! The corns 10-12ft tall & READY. Today I began what will be about a 2 week process. I mowed all my fall plots, several "Sendero" style areas opened up along trails & woods road + my "4.5 mile swamp road" that winds thru the bottom/swamp & connects everything. I'll disc the plots later this week, then disc them again early next week & then broadcast the seed & fertilizer later next week.
6 plots will be planted in a simple mixture of wheat & oats. These plots are in the woods/bottom & range from 1/3-1 acre in size. They are subject to flooding/standing water during the wet season (typically Feb-May) so I likely will never spend the time & $ planting anything other than the wheat/oat mixture in them. I've tried to get turnips & kale to grow in them for the last 2yrs but they never would come up. So I asked my neighbor (a farmer & mgr for a farm seed/chemical co.) about it & said it was more than likely because of soil acidity down in the bottom. Since its all hardwoods & spends months underwater the soil has a high content of tanic acid. I likewise have 1 "duck field" in the bottom that I'll mow that is appx 5 acres & 2-3 other areas that will be mowed that total about 2.5 acres. These will be "natural/native plots" that won't be fertilized or planted. Mother Nature grows quite a selection of "wildlife buffets" if you mow & occasionally disc it to encourage seed activation.
Nextyear I'll double the size of my corn plots up on the bluff & I'll likely try to establish some clover plots as well as other mowing & plantings up there for spring/summer wildlife use. My pastures up top are about 85 acres. In addition to the 2 corn plots I have appx 5-7 acres in lanes mowed thru the wild grasses. This "edge" is heavily utilized by ALL wildlife & I'm likewise considering planting some brassica varieties in some of these lanes. (My bushog is 7ft wide & I usually mow these lanes "2 wide" for essentially a 15ft lane. Let the sunlight hit the ground & you'll be amazed what will come from it!)
On another note, the corn farmers around me harvested their corn last week! :beer: that means EVERY afternoon for the next couple of weeks will find me driving & slipping around watching & "taking inventory" of the bucks in the area as they hit the open cornfields late in the afternoons. It was quite dark when I left the farm tonight but in a neighboring cut cornfield I saw a buck that "just might be worthy of more inspection under brighter light. So I plan on looking for him again tomorrow. I'll post pics as I can get them. :wink
Sept-early Dec is my FAVORITE time of year!!! :at the bar
RA
6 plots will be planted in a simple mixture of wheat & oats. These plots are in the woods/bottom & range from 1/3-1 acre in size. They are subject to flooding/standing water during the wet season (typically Feb-May) so I likely will never spend the time & $ planting anything other than the wheat/oat mixture in them. I've tried to get turnips & kale to grow in them for the last 2yrs but they never would come up. So I asked my neighbor (a farmer & mgr for a farm seed/chemical co.) about it & said it was more than likely because of soil acidity down in the bottom. Since its all hardwoods & spends months underwater the soil has a high content of tanic acid. I likewise have 1 "duck field" in the bottom that I'll mow that is appx 5 acres & 2-3 other areas that will be mowed that total about 2.5 acres. These will be "natural/native plots" that won't be fertilized or planted. Mother Nature grows quite a selection of "wildlife buffets" if you mow & occasionally disc it to encourage seed activation.
Nextyear I'll double the size of my corn plots up on the bluff & I'll likely try to establish some clover plots as well as other mowing & plantings up there for spring/summer wildlife use. My pastures up top are about 85 acres. In addition to the 2 corn plots I have appx 5-7 acres in lanes mowed thru the wild grasses. This "edge" is heavily utilized by ALL wildlife & I'm likewise considering planting some brassica varieties in some of these lanes. (My bushog is 7ft wide & I usually mow these lanes "2 wide" for essentially a 15ft lane. Let the sunlight hit the ground & you'll be amazed what will come from it!)
On another note, the corn farmers around me harvested their corn last week! :beer: that means EVERY afternoon for the next couple of weeks will find me driving & slipping around watching & "taking inventory" of the bucks in the area as they hit the open cornfields late in the afternoons. It was quite dark when I left the farm tonight but in a neighboring cut cornfield I saw a buck that "just might be worthy of more inspection under brighter light. So I plan on looking for him again tomorrow. I'll post pics as I can get them. :wink
Sept-early Dec is my FAVORITE time of year!!! :at the bar
RA
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