TNhobbyfarmer said:
I agree Kossetx. Those seed companies, Biologic, Pennington etc. do a great job of marketing, but IMHO it's the same stuff you buy at the co-op or local feed store for about 1/3 the price.
Shhhh!!
It's supposed to be a secret!
Actually, even at the feed mill you have to be on your toes. I was buying medium red clover and they initially quoted me something like $3.95 a pound! I said, that's nuts, I need a 50# sack. Oh, a 50# sack is $89.
Buck oats at the hunting store is like 8-9 bucks for a 40 pound sack and 4 bucks for a 2 bu sack that weighs 75# or so.
Rob,
Oats and wheat look like a long stem grass while growing. Around here, they most often look like small short round stems as the deer nip them down pretty hard. I planted 2 1/2 acres of wheat/oats/red clover and only got clover. The stinking deer just murdered the wheat and oats.
You may want to plant some drought tolerant species like little blue stem, big blue stem switchgrass, indian grass, chicory, lespedezia, and some of the sweet clovers (white and yellow blossom). It's so much easier to plant the correct species than it is to water... Look for a perennial or biennial species that is deep rooted. The deeper the better. Blue stem has 8-10' deep roots.
On the margins plant some wild flowers / prairie flowers in spaces that get morning shade and other spaces that get afternoon shade. (I just like to have flowers near food plots.) You can also plant spices around your stand locations.
If you want to water, plant some fruit trees, grape vines and berry bushes. You may need to put them in cages for the first couple years to ensure that they don't get eaten.
I would also recommend putting out 5' round 4' high chicken wire cages in the food plots. Then you can compare what is being grown but protected VS what is making it. Often people buy the stuff that the critters DON'T like because it's all they see left after the critters have eaten the stuff they do like.
jb
