Next week I will try to get them in, but there is still plenty of time for planting.
Yes, I’m getting a few calls from guys asking if it’s “too late” to plant either Eagle Forage Soybeans or spring clover.
I suspect this is the influence of the largely southern-based hunting TV and media. We’re not a-way-down-south here, boys.
The bottom line is it’s NOT too late for ANY spring planted food plot crop in MN, WI, and the other northern states. Plus, we’re not farmers. Our livelihood does not hinge on eeking out an extra week or two of growing time. We’re just growing stuff for deer to eat so as long as it grows enough, they’ll eat it.
For example, in most of the state of MN, we are either just clear or not yet clear of the average 10 year last frost date! That means especially in the northern half of MN and WI, you are only JUST safe to plant frost sensitive plants like soybeans by 1-2 weeks in most places.
Now the SPECIFIC last frost date varies wildly by area and it can vary by a week within a 20-mile radius depending on terrain, so always consult local data and your forecast when planting frost-sensitive plants.
Clover is NOT frost sensitive and can be planted when you can turn dirt in the spring. You will hear a lot of advice not to spring plant clover, but most of this is, again, a southern bias. If you spring plant clover in the south in many places, it will burn up due to heat and lack of water before it gets a chance to establish.
We here in the northern tier states don’t (for the most part) have that problem. On average, we get plenty of moisture (!), and we don’t get the kind of heat that would kill young clover until at least July. At that point, spring planted clover will usually be mature enough to handle the heat. And in most cases, it has to be a combination of heat and drought in order to kill clover, so as long as the rain keeps coming, we are generally OK in most of MN on decent soil. Obviously if you’re planting on a hillside in light soil, you’ll have problems, but in general, we don’t have the same issues as the southerners when it comes to spring planting clover.
Now there are other reasons to fall plant clover, weed reduction being one good one. But overall, this bias against spring planting of clover is largely a southern thing and down there it’s for good reason. It’s different up here in the north.
Grouse
