Ben,

White clovers and brassicas are about as shade tolerant as any food plot crops I’ve grown.  No forage crops grow well in standing water.  White clovers seem to handle moist soils as good as any of the standard forage crops.  White clovers are also relatively shade tolerant.  I’ve grown great stands of white clover in narrow logging roads with a closed canopy, etc.

Likewise, the big leaves of a brassicas plant intercept a lot of sun and I’ve grown great brassicas crops in areas with less than 50% sunlight.

Unless your site dries up soon, I’d be preparing for planting during August.  This means having the available soil nutrients analyzed, buying fertilizer and seed, and preparing the site ahead of time.  At minimum, I like to plant at least 45 days ahead of the first expected frost or 20 days before I plan to hunt.

Don’t forget that planting soybeans during August can create incredible hunting opportunities. Young soybeans plants are as palatable, and attract deer, during the first of archery season as well as any plant I’ve tried.  The first frost will kill them, but until then plots with young soybeans growing usually are the best hunting locations in the neighborhood!  These soybeans don’t need to be roundup ready as weed competition isn’t usually a concern during the fall if the plot is weed free when planted.  Hence, I usually can find non-roundup ready soybeans at a good price during the fall.  It’s fine to plant them with other crops as they will be consumed by deer or killed by the first frost, so they are not competition for more cold hardy crops.

Growing Deer together,

Grant