Darron Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 I went down yesterday to work on my plots again. The first pic is my brassica plot this year. I know many of you wait until the last of this month to plant brassicas. I talked to a local farmer in Central Ohio (which isn't far from me) and he said farmers are planting turnips as soon as they straw wheat which is right now. He said I could plant my brassicas anywhere between July 4-July 20 and have plenty of forage for winter. This is what they do to maximize forage for their livestock. If it's good enough for cows, it's probably good enough for deer, so I went ahead and planted my brassicas yesterday in this plot (1st plot pic) since I was down on business. Hopefully he didn't tell me wrong. The brassica plot I tilled in early JuneWaited until July 2 and sprayedPlanted July 7 (broadcasted seed approx 5 pounds and dragged with fence to cover seed)The next forecasted rain isn't until Saturday, so I don't look for much germination until then which will actually be like a July 10/11 planting. The last pic is of my new plot on my new property. The area was probably 5-6' tall in weeds. I sprayed twice and tilled. Actually both plots are on the east and west side of a sanctuary/bedding area approx 300yrd apart. I have some left over brassica seed so I plant on putting that in as well as winter rye around the first two weeks of August.My last plot (not pictured) I will have in oats on the other end of the property. Due to the canopy (it's a gasline) after about mid-Oct the plot gets smothered in leaves. I typically only hunt that plot the first 3-4 weeks of bow season and then it is done when leaves start dropping. I put in my oat plot a little earlier since I know I won't be hunting over it but just a few weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 Looks like those will make for some pretty good plots. Soil looks a little loose in those pics did you firm up the soil before planting? Brassicas in my experience germinates incredibly fast. Hope the early planting works out for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darron Posted July 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 (edited) I do not have a cultipacker to firm the soil so the answer is no. I use my buddies tiller and as you can see, after it turns the soil the back of the tiller helps to level it. After I plant, I run over it with a drag harrow, but with the teeth up so it's not burrying them too deep. I have yet to have a problem with plant not growing due to loose soil. As far as the early planting...........we'll see. Farmers are doing it around here for their livestock for winter grazing. Here's what a local farmer e-mailed me: "We are baling straw now (7/5). The wheat is a little early this year, but turnips could be planted anytime between now and the next 10-14 days.)" "Rye grows pretty fast. I'd lean more towards the first week (August), but I think it should work out for you. I've seen farmers near here that are broadcasting rye seed by airplane over corn fields in early August. By corn harvest the rye is 2-3 inches high and will be 6" by frost. It make excellent winter forage for beef cows." Edited July 8, 2009 by Darron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 I don't have a cultipacker or roller either. You can firm the soil by running over with a tractor or 4 wheeler, or even use a drag to firm it up some. Rye grain is a good choice for fall plantings, yes it does grow very fast and grows just about anywhere. Have had great success with wintergrazer rye from pennington. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PotashRLS Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 Looks like a nice plot. However going over a tiny brassica seed with any drag/disc/harrow is probably going to give too much cover to a large portion of your seed. Hopefully they are not too deep. Usually seed to soil contact is all that is needed. You can actually get away with not covering them at all and letting a rain take them in (if a good rain is forcasted). You could even take another 2-3 lbs of seed and lightly go over it again just in case. Your future rain should take care of the rest. Just a thought. I hope it works out for ya. Keep us updated. I am curious how it turns out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darron Posted July 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 Looks like a nice plot. However going over a tiny brassica seed with any drag/disc/harrow is probably going to give too much cover to a large portion of your seed. Hopefully they are not too deep. Usually seed to soil contact is all that is needed. You can actually get away with not covering them at all and letting a rain take them in (if a good rain is forcasted). You could even take another 2-3 lbs of seed and lightly go over it again just in case. Your future rain should take care of the rest. Just a thought. I hope it works out for ya. Keep us updated. I am curious how it turns out. The harrow I have has two sides. One side has "teeth" and the other side is simply like going over it with a heavy fence. Everybody talked about coverage, which is what I did. I think it will be fine. It's not like I covered it with 3-4" of dirt. Plus the ground was somewhat hard anyway, so I don't think they got that much coverage. I believe they said to cover brassica seed around 1/4" from my reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strut10 Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 I believe they said to cover brassica seed around 1/4" from my reading. That should be good........wouldn't cover a hair deeper, though. I did a 1/2 acre plot and 100 yards of powerline with a mix with brassicas. I tilled then watched the radar. Spun the seed on immediately before a rain (leading up to several days of rain) and didn't cover at all. Germination was super quick and both plots are looking sweet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darron Posted July 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 (edited) That should be good........wouldn't cover a hair deeper, though. I did a 1/2 acre plot and 100 yards of powerline with a mix with brassicas. I tilled then watched the radar. Spun the seed on immediately before a rain (leading up to several days of rain) and didn't cover at all. Germination was super quick and both plots are looking sweet. I was going to do that, but the next rain insn't until Saturday, so I was worried the turkeys and other birds would come in and eat my seed out, which is why I drug it with the flat side of the drag. I am hoping the seed is ok. I'll go down sometime next week and look at it. If I don't see any germination I'll rebroadcast. I found this info on line. http://www.hfrr.ksu.edu/DesktopModules/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentID=1819 Says you can plant brassicas up to 1/2" deep with no effect on them. I think I am fine. Edited July 9, 2009 by Darron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdoc Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 Darron---looks good. You should have some good hunting spots! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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