Anyone started......

[Goose]

Planning on trying some more brassicas this spring and beans again for sure.

 
Deerdown, what kind of brssica's are you going to plant in the spring? Don't know if you are aware or not but there are 2 types of brassica's. Long season and short season, normally around here in WI we use them as a fall attractant(short season) these short season brassica's are also nice for weed control because of their fast growing nature.

[deerdown]

Goose ... I actually am not familiar with the 2 types of brassicas you mentioned .. sounds interesting.  I've only had experience with Whitetail Institutes formula.  I am open to some suggestions of seed types for short and long as you mentioned as I have not purchased any seeds as of yet.  I was going to try and utilize a leftover bag of Shot Plot which has 2 types of New Zealand Brassicas in it and looking to purchase some other type to supplement.  What do plant?

[Goose]

The shot plot you mention should be planted in the fall, around here we will be planting the same thing at the end of July. I wouldn't plant long season brassica's, I don't think that it would be worth the trouble when you can just plant them in the fall. One thing about the brassica's is that when you get the first hard frost the sugar content in them goes up making them more attractive and thats when the deer normally hammer them.
You said you had a acre of beans, did they wipe out the field or did it survive?
Around here unless you have 3 acre's or more it's hard to get soybeans established.
If you can get beans planted and they come up without the deer wiping them out along with shot plot I think you'll do well.
Don't know what you all are aware of but beans should be planted in the spring at about 1" and you should but some inoculate on the seed before planting so that they can fix their own nitrogen.
Shot plot I would plant in the end of July and no deeper than 1/4".

[deerdown]

The beans actuallly made it into pod production.  The deer densities up here are not terribly high.  Not sure if it was that or if it was first time for the plot or the fact that agricultural bean planting is non-existent around here??  They hardly ate the bean plants when they were growing but got into them in the late season after they dried out.  I wonder if it will be a different story this time around?
 
You've got me thinking about late season planting of brassicas though.  My only reservation is from observation of my buddy's late planting results.  Deer loved them and mowed them down but he didn't get to hunt over them cause they had them gone B4 bow season opened up.  What would you do in prep for a late plant of brassica?  Till area and plant clover for nitrogen and then disk in come time to plant or just leave it alone?

[msbadger]

here I go beating that ole drum again....I'd  lime ..fertalize lightly and plant buckwheat ...then in the fall lime again ....fertalize and in early sept or late Aug. overseed with turnips.......Now I say lime because I know here I'd need it..... and turnips need it more than buckwheat and it takes TIME for it to work....the deer will mow the buckwheat down BUT it at least here...BW regrows...it will be thin enough in the fall to allow agood over seed and the deer will still hit the buck wheat more than the turnips until the frost kills the BW and sweetens the turnips...BW it excellant for deer because it helps in bone and rack growth ...great for young fawns... and the buck.....good for your soil and surpresses weeds...

[Goose]

Deerdown, I could be wrong but I'm thinking that once those deer figure out what those beans are they are gonna hammer them.
 
Thats the problem with brassica's especially in smaller plots. What you mentioned would be great, plant red clover and then disc it in for green manure then plant your brassica's. Should work well because the brassica's will use the N.
Planting cereal rye would work as well, it's very easy to establish and is better at suppressing weeds then wheat or oats.
Sounds like you got a pretty good understanding of it all....

[msbadger]

Deerdown ....this is a pic of last falls buck wheat(planted in spring)...over seeded in rape seed....I did same in other plots with same result using turnips...
 
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[deerdown]

Buckwheat sounds like a good plan as well.  I am definately going to be applying some lime this spring along with fertilizer.  I had limited time and funds last year but things are looking a little better for this year.  You guys might have me convinced on trying some late season planting ...  that's a nice looking picture msbadger!  When you say overseed with rape are you just broadcasting over the wheat and letting the rain do the rest, or disking it up a bit?  Here are a couple of pics later in the season from last years plants.

[Demoderby4]

Buckhunter21

Thanks for the description! No problems understanding what ya meant [;)] Great pics as well MsB and deerdown, i hope mine look at least a little like those this year [:D]

[buckhunter21]

ORIGINAL: deerdown

Buckwheat sounds like a good plan as well.  I am definately going to be applying some lime this spring along with fertilizer.  I had limited time and funds last year but things are looking a little better for this year.  You guys might have me convinced on trying some late season planting ...  that's a nice looking picture msbadger!  When you say overseed with rape are you just broadcasting over the wheat and letting the rain do the rest, or disking it up a bit?  Here are a couple of pics later in the season from last years plants.

 
Are the first few pictures there Biologic Maximum?  That's what it looks like...I planted some of that last year.  How bout that last pic, what is that (besides the corn of course!)?