Food Plots and Wildlife Planting
Planting to hold deer on a property rather than keep them off it. Mast trees, forage, and the wildlife plantings that turned out to be mistakes.
What to plant, and how much ground it needs
Sorted by the acreage each crop realistically needs rather than alphabetically, because that is the constraint most people are actually working against. Everything at the top of these tables will survive on a small opening. Everything at the bottom gets eaten to bare dirt before it establishes unless you have real ground to give it.
Cool season
Planted late summer into autumn, feeding through autumn and winter. This is where most food plot effort goes, because it lines up with hunting season.
| Crop | Broadcast rate | Min plot | When to plant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cereal RyeSecale cereale | 100–120 lb | 0.25 ac | Late summer to mid autumn |
| Crimson CloverTrifolium incarnatum | 15–20 lb | 0.25 ac | Late summer to early autumn |
| Forage ChicoryCichorium intybus | 3–5 lb | 0.25 ac | Late summer, or spring |
| Ladino White CloverTrifolium repens | 5–8 lb | 0.25 ac | Late summer, or early spring once soil is workable |
| Forage OatsAvena sativa | 80–100 lb | 0.5 ac | Late summer for autumn grazing |
| Forage RadishRaphanus sativus | 8–10 lb | 1 ac | Mid to late summer, 60 to 80 days before first frost |
| Purple Top TurnipBrassica rapa | 5–8 lb | 1 ac | Mid to late summer, 60 to 90 days before first frost |
Warm season
Planted after last frost, feeding through summer. Easy to skip and the one most worth not skipping: antler growth and lactation both happen in July, not October.
| Crop | Broadcast rate | Min plot | When to plant |
|---|---|---|---|
| BuckwheatFagopyrum esculentum | 50–60 lb | 0.25 ac | Late spring through midsummer, after last frost |
| Iron Clay CowpeasVigna unguiculata | 50–80 lb | 1 ac | Late spring into early summer, once soil is warm |
| Forage SoybeansGlycine max | 50–70 lb | 2 ac | Late spring into early summer, after last frost |
Rates are broadcast figures per acre. Drilling runs roughly a third lower. These are starting points compiled from extension guidance and have not yet been re-checked against a second source per crop, so treat them as indicative rather than prescriptive.