'Early' winter

[dennishoddy]

Some roundup in a backpack or hand sprayer a hand seeder and a rake will put in a lot. Seed to soil contact is really all you need. A section of cattle panel and a chain and some concrete blocks behind an atv or pickup works also. Elbow grease and a strong back will get it done. Broadcast some wheat and use a riding mower to mow it short you’ll be amazed at what that will do. I’ve put hundreds of acres of fescue in like that except with a bushhog. Equipment is nice but not required. I’d rather try and get a below average plot than wish I would have. I know archery season opens soon but it’s still not too late to try. Might not benefit for archery season but might by rifle season. If nothing else it’ll be something for the deer in the late winter- spring. Food plots are truly a year round thing.


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Some roundup in a backpack or hand sprayer a hand seeder and a rake will put in a lot. Seed to soil contact is really all you need. A section of cattle panel and a chain and some concrete blocks behind an atv or pickup works also. Elbow grease and a strong back will get it done. Broadcast some wheat and use a riding mower to mow it short you’ll be amazed at what that will do. I’ve put hundreds of acres of fescue in like that except with a bushhog. Equipment is nice but not required. I’d rather try and get a below average plot than wish I would have. I know archery season opens soon but it’s still not too late to try. Might not benefit for archery season but might by rifle season. If nothing else it’ll be something for the deer in the late winter- spring. Food plots are truly a year round thing.



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Exactly. Getting the seed to ground and having moisture is key. I still have an old wire box spring in the barn I'd give to someone that is great for pulling over small seeds like clover, turnips, etc.
I used and posted pics on OSA in the past of putting in a food plot with a 1985 Honda ATC three wheeler with a 4' section of spring tooth to break the soil up, and using a fertilizer spreader like one would do their lawn with to spread the seed, and then running over it again with the spring tooth to cover the seed.

 

[MacFromOK]

It actually doesn't take as much effort as most folks think, especially for small seeds, and even less for those that can be purchased scarified (clover/etc.).

We tend to forget that plants have reseeded themselves for millennia without human interference assistance.

 

[dennishoddy]

It actually doesn't take as much effort as most folks think, especially for small seeds, and even less for those that can be purchased scarified (clover/etc.).

We tend to forget that plants have reseeded themselves for millennia without human interference assistance.

This is true, but it takes years for a small plot of clover to grow to an acre. We are like the millennials and need instant gratification in our food plots.

 

[7stw]

Exactly. Getting the seed to ground and having moisture is key. I still have an old wire box spring in the barn I'd give to someone that is great for pulling over small seeds like clover, turnips, etc.
I used and posted pics on OSA in the past of putting in a food plot with a 1985 Honda ATC three wheeler with a 4' section of spring tooth to break the soil up, and using a fertilizer spreader like one would do their lawn with to spread the seed, and then running over it again with the spring tooth to cover the seed.

Our big drill was in the shop this fall. We put in about 600 acres of wheat pasture in a similar fashion. Used the coop fertilizer buggy to fertilize then broadcast the seed and used a 40 foot harrow to drag the seed. We got an awesome stand doing it like that. Actually got faster germination than our neighbor that air drilled his. Less crusting as well. I did a couple of small hard to get to plots exactly like Dennis described. They look good as well. I sprayed them with glycophosphate (round up) first then a week later drug them an used a walk behind Scotts fertilizer/seeder and drug them agin. They look good we have equipment but that was the best solution for a couple of smaller plots I wanted to put in that are hard to get too. My situation is different than a lot of people because it’s part of my job to put them in.


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[dennishoddy]

When I get to the big food plots, the tractors, disks and drills come into play. Small 1 acre plots are done quicker with improvised methods than the big equipment. Takes longer to swap out implements than it takes to put in a small plot.