Its not too early to start thinking about what seed to buy for spring planting. Frost seeding time will be upon us soon and it will be time to overseed out clover plots. This article will explore what deer food plot seed to have on hand to plant this spring, both early and later when the soil starts to warm up. Also, I will explain how to purchase seed and make your own mix without wasting money.
I was in the local Tractor Supply last fall and noticed a guy looking over the fancy bags of seeds they had on display. He had one in each hand comparing the two. I struck up a conversation with him and he recognized me from my youtube channel. He had good results with one of the seed mixes and was looking for more or maybe find something better. I agreed that these bags of seed would be a good choice for a small area and in a handy package. But, I pointed out that the cost per acre to plant is ridiculous using these mixes and there are seeds and coatings in there that are not that useful as forage for deer and drive the per pound cost up even more.
Buying seed this way can be very confusing because of all the hype on the bag. Naturally, the seller wants to sell a product so they make the bag real pretty and make outlandish claims. But, its important to realize that the most important part of the bag is the seed label required by law which lists the seeds, their origin, inert matter and live seed ratios. Take a good look at this label to see what you are paying for. How much live seed, inert matter, useless cheap seeds that don’t provide much forage, weed seed are in the bag and the date it was grown. You may think “what the heck am I buying here.”
Why buy seed this way when you could get specifically what you need, higher quality, that will work for you, for half the cost.
Lets talk about what species go in these mixes and why.
Often, the store brand will have some type of fast greenup plant like rye grass or oats that are cheap filler material that provide a nice looking green cover that makes a happy customer. Often, these plants are short-lived and provide some forage for a short time. There may be some other more expensive seeds in the mix but may not be successful because of site and soil conditions
What to avoid
Avoid outdated seed with low germination rates, lots of weight in inert matter and lots of rye grain or grass. Also avoid plants that are not proven to grow well on your site.
Make Your Own Food Plot Mixes
Buy an Ag cover crop mix, plant it and see what grows well, then make your own out of what grew well. As cover crop and no till farming become more mainstream most Ag seed producers are putting together cover crop mixes with 7 or so different plants. Buy these mixes locally as they will have plants that will be sure to grow in your climate.
Take note of what grows well and what the deer like. Then make your own mix by buying these plants individually.
When you make a list of what did well on your food plot, taking note of what the deer liked the best, you can order the seeds in individual bags, then mix them using a scale, buckets and a large bin. For large quantities, you can rent a small cement mixer and mix the seed in that.
How to Mix Your Food Plot Seeds
The way to mix is to take the full planting rate as if you were planting the seed by itself, then divide the maximum rate by the number of species. I usually tweak this up or down depending on what the deer are putting the most pressure on.
My go-to species for spring are: cowpeas, sunflowers, hybrid rape, sweet clover, crimson clover, tillage radish, soybeans and spring oats.
In the fall I like the brassicas again, wheat, winter peas, oats. Deer will relish the oats and brassicas and the wheat and peas will last all winter. These can be drilled or broadcast ahead of rain into fields that have been chewed down by deer. Your summer planting should be pretty well eaten up by late august and your can plant the fall blend then.
Your mixes can be custom blended by the dealer and stored in a cool dry place until you are ready to plant. Hard seed like clovers and brassicas can be stored over winter this way and remain viable.
Here is a video about spring food plots we made for the TV show Wild Bout Huntin: https://youtu.be/4BvyQCuNAxM?list=PLNEwxPKBDflJ07hrvCMzln0F6s9W7uOTk
