Locating Your Plots for Best Growth
By Bob Coine

Locate your food plots wisely, and they will reward you with many years of service. I will briefly describe the requirements for success in locating your plots.

Legumes such as clover and alfalfa require some sunlight, but not necessarily full sun. If your location is within timber and receives a minimum of five hours of sunlight per day, you can expect a dandy plot with good soil prep and attention to fertility. Should you have in mind an open field location that receives full sun, it will also make a splendid choice.

For their attractiveness to deer and their nutritional value, clover and alfalfa are hard to beat!

Brassicas such as rape and turnips will require more sun—not necessarily full sunlight, but certainly more than the minimum needed for legumes. Look for areas that receive sunlight for at least half the day, and preferably more. As far as planting methods go, brassicas are probably the easiest of all plants to grow.

Compared to legumes, brassicas may be hit or miss in terms of their attractiveness to deer. In locales where deer do find them attractive, they are claimed by seed-sellers to be most attractive even after the first frosts have hit. Consider your local climate carefully before planting rape or turnips.

Chicory does best in sunny locations, but doesn’t require full sunlight. Chicory is heat- and drought-tolerant and can be mixed into a legume planting to cover the summer stress period for deer, when legumes are less attractive.

This is an excerpt from the Building Whitetail Paradise Food Plotters Field Journal, written by Bob Coine. The book may be purchased at www.Heartlandillinois.com