is it time to plant turnips yet. I'd like to plant about 2 acres around hamilton

Not until September when you plant the regular Fall Plot.

Have you had good success with turnips attracting the deer?

It should work just fine.

i don't think the deer will eat them until the first frost...but after that they will eat the heck out of them

The deer at our place completely devoured the leaves of the turnips before november, but didn't touch the turnip bulbs until after the first frost.

X2

Deer love them, leaves not the bulbs. I plant them in extra over all my small grains.

????????

Tye thats some great photos, I have never seen any of that activity in our fields. I have seen sheep and cattle do that, just never any deer. Thanks for the info, going to have check little harder this year.

They really hit the bulbs in January. I have seen a lot of deer paw them out of the ground and eat the entire plant. It funny when they get a bulb that is a little big for their mouth.

I turn in on those fields in December and do a heavy rotational grazing, I think that explains a lot. Good luck to you. Great looking fields !

Awe geez..........turnips are easy to plant too.

My grand-dad used to open a package of seeds and throw them on top of prepared ground........I think everyone of them sprouted!!!


Tbar

Very True! Do not plant with your other seeds. Turnips or Rape don't require the same planting depth as Oats,Wheat Rye etc.

We plant them using the clover bins on the seed drill but you can plant them by broadcasting them by a hand spreader. I think you plant them at 1 lb./acre

Disagree Tye, been planting it all together for many many years. We broadcast the hare in. Have the best stands a man could ever want. I plant about 1300 acres every year this way.

Walker, are your fields the consistency of play sand?Our fields end up being 6-7" deep after plowing with an offset disk. In my area, you can plant them too deep in the sandy areas. Not much of a problem in our clay river bottom though.


Glad it works for you though Walker.How do you get an even spread when the turnip seeds are a 1/5th the side of an Oat seed,Austrian Winter Pea etc. 100lbs of winter mix seed combined with 1 lb of pin head sized seed/ acre? How do you get it mixed so that the turnips aren't spread on the first 1/3-1/2 acre. Do you buy it premixed? Or mix it in a 3 point spreader?

But I'm not a farmer by any means. Just going by what most seed companies suggest.
http://www.mbsseed.com/cool_plants.htm
http://www.turnerseed.com/site/preparations.htm

These are links to help people that are new to planting food plots

what kind of turnips do yall usually plant?

We plant purple top turnips in combination with a fall blend. I even mix iron and clay cow peas to have an early attractant. But the peas won't last long. Essex rape is also a good plant to add that becomes palatable later in the season

I chisel everything the first week in July. Our soil is mixed between red clay to sandy loam. Here in Oct. I will run a tandem or offset depending on what the conditions depend on. I have to keep my cost low as possible so at this point I am ready to seed. I do not have any blow sand soil per say, so I see your point on that. It swallows everything. I only graze my fields and then bale in the spring depending on the market. When I seed I either put fertilizer out before I disc, or I put it out with the seed. I buy all my seeds from turners seed company. I get a fall grazing mix then add the turnips in at the ranch in my own mixer. Then I broadcast them through a big old 3 point that we made in the shop out of a sand spreader. I understand that this system would not work in blow sand. I have some customers that have really sandy soil, I do not put turnips in their mixes. We just use wheat, barley, oats, and rye on those sandy soils. I put the seed out with the fertilizer after discing then lightly drag a 2 3/8 pipe over it to cover. Those are some nice turnips. Good Discussion.

Yes it is a good discussion for sure. I had to learn the hard way on what works and doesn't. By discussing food plots etc. It might save someone time and money that doesn't plant plots every year. I will have Turners make my blends this year. Does J still work out there?

Nice discussion guys. I planted purple tops and madrid clover for about 6 yrs in the 90's. I used a JD grain drill and set it to barely touch the ground and then drug a brillion cultipacker behind it. I planted 20# of Madrid and 6# of Purple Tops and had grazing from the time it was up until Feb or March on Turnips and then the clover kicked in and held over till July. The clover helped with the Nitrogen and I did fertilize some extra. Was strictly for deer. Jay and Dorsey were great guys to deal with at Turner back then. I also would put about 1# or less of Purple Tops in my spin feeders so that as it threw corn it planted some Turnips also.

I just call on the phone, I think I have talked to someone different every time I have ordered, but great place to deal with. I know all about learning the hard way. I have made plenty of mistakes trying to push the limits on things. Yall have a good night !

Walker, they call that experience...you get it from fixing things that are broken or we broke...so I have lots of experience then I guess.

I usually plant my oats/winter peas etc firt then broadcast over the top with turnips. Helped me to bag this guy a couple yrs back on Jan. 1 when they were nice and sweet.

Congrats Dove Buster. Nice looking Buck and Field full of protein.