what is a low maintenance crop?

[LeviD1]

So I bought 30 acres earlier this year and think it would be fun to have a roughly 3 acre food plot for the deer.I Love watching deer all year long and also think it would be beneficial for hunting season. So I am wondering if anyone can suggest a low maintenance crop that deer enjoy to eat. It would not get any supplemental irrigation only what it rains. I would like something that all I need to do is plow, plant, and if needed I can cut it even monthly. Just dont have water at the property.

Thanks for your help,
Levi

[splitshot]

contact the county or state in terms of agriculture they might be helpful.  is that what they get paid for?   mike w

[dr.derek]

where at?

[Ridgeratt]

Hit Spokane Seed , Buy a couple of sacks of cover crop. Peas and lentils

Or just buy a bag of oats!

[LeviD1]

where at?

Oh sorry it is out elk chattaroy area.

[KFhunter]

Frist, what type of soil?  rocky hard dry?  Sandy loam in a pine tree forest?

I'd do a soil sample, test the PH.  If it's in a pine forest you might need to do some amendments.


http://sccd.org/soilscience.html

[JimmyHoffa]

blackberries?

[oldleclercrd]

Clover. It'll last a few years. High in protein. Deer and turkey love it.

[oldleclercrd]

This was clover near that same area, bought at Big R. Just used a rake.

[KFhunter]

clover is awesome,  but I'd focus on a year around food plot with clover as part of the mix. 

triticale will pull in birds and give cover, oats will pull in everything including bear, corn...cover and feed

also radish is excellent,  other tuber crops help break up the soil and leaves nutrition in the ground for any critters that can access it.  Lot's of protein for horn in radish...

pea's will add tons of nitrogen and improve soil, it's a legume so it has bacteria that makes nitrogen.


You could really have fun with this 

[Ridgeratt]

Just realize its a roll of the dice as well!!
Everything can be sprouted and growing and the weather turns HOT and kills it all.

Thats why its called farming!!

[lokidog]

clover is awesome,  but I'd focus on a year around food plot with clover as part of the mix. 

triticale will pull in birds and give cover, oats will pull in everything including bear, corn...cover and feed

also radish is excellent,  other tuber crops help break up the soil and leaves nutrition in the ground for any critters that can access it.  Lot's of protein for horn in radish...

pea's will add tons of nitrogen and improve soil, it's a legume so it has bacteria that makes nitrogen.


You could really have fun with this 

It will only make nitrogen if there are enough nitrogen fixing bacteria present.  The best way to ensure this is to buy already inocculated seed or buy innoculant and coat the seeds before planting.

I'm doing the same thing, but here on the westside, and I have water available.  I have planted one small area with a winter cover crop that has rye (not the grass), peas, vetch and some other things.  When it thaws, I will be over seeding this area with a bunch of left-over garden seeds from years past.

Another part I will be planting crimson clover, and behind the house, where I want to have my archery range and shooting area, I will be planting white clover as it is supposed to be more traffic resistant.

I also plan on running a water line out to this area and putting a small pool type thing in to provide a year-round water source for the critters.  I don't have as much area as you do though.

Take pics, before and after, and let us know how it goes.

[oldleclercrd]

You may have to research it but I'm pretty sure clover doesn't require nitrogen when fertilizing... or very little. So your fertilizer bag should say 0-10-10 (10 is just an example).

[GBoyd]

I haven't used it for wildlife plots, but I love white clover as a longer-term cover crop. It's easy to establish and more drought tolerant than most other options in this area. To establish, I broadcast seed over land and disc it in. No need to plow or till down to bare dirt, just rough up whatever vegetation is there. When it sprouts, I overspray with a 1% application of glysophate. Clover is resistant, but the chemical kills competition from grasses and other weeds.

This system works great for me.

If I'm not in a hurry, I'll skip the seed. Using just the glysophate about three times a year with mowing, eventually the clover colonizes and creates and almost pure stand.

[Jingles]

throw in some turnips and parsnips with clover and it should be good to go