Food Plot Crops for the Late Season
Filed under: Ask Grant
I don’t really know what I should plant for a good late season food plot. I have some of the same problems you have with lots of rocks and this summer we haven’t got much rain, but hopefully that changes for us. My grandfather owns land in western New York which is where I plant my food plots and hunt. What do you think I would have the best luck planting for late season hunting? We get lots of snow here because of the Great Lakes. Thanks for the help!
Cliff
Cliff,
I do a lot of work throughout New York. In fact, I was working just north of White Plains earlier this month. It’s tough to beat a combination of wheat and forage brassicas for a late season crop at that latitude. Two keys to success for establishing great food plots in your area is to make sure they are planted a minimum of 45 days before the average first frost date (60 days is better if there is adequate soil moisture available).
Second is to make sure the plots are appropriately fertilized. This can only be accomplished by collecting a soil sample and submitting it to a quality soil lab for analyses. Make sure you tell the lab what you are planting and that you want a maximum yield (this is very important to the success of the plot). Sadly, many soil labs treat soil samples from food plots very generically and give the customer a generic recommendation. It’s critical that the lab recommends a fertilizer rate specific for the crops to be planted and to allow a maximum yield. Crops established in this manner are more productive and more attractive to deer than crops that are established with a generic fertilizer recommendation.
Growing Deer together,
Grant
