Bulk/Pure Seed for Custom Mixes

We were tired of the price and weeds that we were getting from bag mixes, so the other year we decided to start buying pure seed to make our own food plot mixes. Since then our plots have had a huge reduction in weeds and buying the pure seed has been cheaper for us than the bag mixes. We really like to do clover mixes with rape for early season and a radish, rape combo for later season. We do mix some peas in with both combos. Anyone else make custom blends?

The last few years I’ve gotten away from blended fields. I don’t do the common small plots that most guys do. Since I have a much larger parcel that is split between forestry and at at my farm, my “plots” are much larger.

I love clover for the lanes between fields. White clover has a much less overall height compared to reds, so less cutting and maintenance. Bees love it and the deer now it for me.

The best crop I have for deer in early winter has been a 4 acre plot of beans and oats. We do a very late planting and let that stand for winter. Deer and turkey use it heavily in November and December

Thanks for the info we are always looking for ideas to try and incorporate into our plots

Where do you get your seed?

Snap wrote:

Where do you get your seed?

We got all the seed for this mix from Hancock Seed Farm. We order online in the spring. We don’t think prices are bad and free shipping.

Randy Wieland wrote:

The last few years I’ve gotten away from blended fields. I don’t do the common small plots that most guys do. Since I have a much larger parcel that is split between forestry and at at my farm, my “plots” are much larger.

I love clover for the lanes between fields. White clover has a much less overall height compared to reds, so less cutting and maintenance. Bees love it and the deer now it for me.

The best crop I have for deer in early winter has been a 4 acre plot of beans and oats. We do a very late planting and let that stand for winter. Deer and turkey use it heavily in November and December

When you say “late”, how late?

Have pushed planting oats, wheat and rye into late August with great results, but never had the guts to go into September, north of a hwy 2 a ways in St Louis County.

basseyes wrote:

…never had the guts to go into September, north of a hwy 2 a ways in St Louis County

Too few heat units to make grain actually grow that far north after September 1. Keep in mind that on September 1, you have the same amount of sunlight that you did on April 15. Grain will sprout and grow, but growth is so slow that on the average year you just don’t get the height and unless you’re planting large fields, the deer will mow down the short growth on small plots in a matter of days.

I’m trying to get rye to 6-8 inches tall and even that is a struggle in the Hinckley area when planting in mid-August on the average year. In an exceptional year with good rain and hot September days, it’s pretty easily done, but I’m playing toward the average year and that requires an early August planting for grain.

Weeds rarely come in any significant quantity from seed unless you’re buying low-quality blends or bin-run crap. Minimizing weeds in the plots is a result of proper plot prep, planting the right crop at the right time, and understanding and applying the right chemicals at the right time.

Grouse

basseyes wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Randy Wieland wrote:</div>
The last few years I’ve gotten away from blended fields. I don’t do the common small plots that most guys do. Since I have a much larger parcel that is split between forestry and at at my farm, my “plots” are much larger.

I love clover for the lanes between fields. White clover has a much less overall height compared to reds, so less cutting and maintenance. Bees love it and the deer now it for me.

The best crop I have for deer in early winter has been a 4 acre plot of beans and oats. We do a very late planting and let that stand for winter. Deer and turkey use it heavily in November and December

When you say “late”, how late?

I like by the 4th of July. Seems like if we go any later we have poor development. I like tall and full

Randy Wieland wrote:

I like by the 4th of July. Seems like if we go any later we have poor development. I like tall and full

Totally agree, anything with soybeans should be in no later than July 4.

For summer planting of soybeans one big thing to be aware of is that young soybean plants are HIGHLY sensitive to running out of moisture. They will die very quickly if they dry out!

I had several customers that got caught by that early to mid-June dry spell we had in MN, WI, and MI this year. They had June-planted soybeans in the plots and the small plants just burned up before the rain returned to these areas in late June and early July. The worst thing that can happen is to get a soybean to germinate and then run out of water when it’s 2-6 inches tall, they just don’t have the root system to sustain themselves.

With the past 10 years being exceptionally wet, a lot of food plotters (me included!) have gotten used to being able to plant whatever, whenever, and not worrying about rain because it’s been there in buckets the past 10 years. Well, as they say, past performance is no guarantee of future results…

Watch forecasts carefully and summer plant only with good soil moisture levels AND strong chances of rain in the near term forecast if at all possible. Especially important with sensitive legumes.

Grouse