Food Plots | Choosing the best for you
The secret to attracting and holding deer to your property or hunting spot lies within proper nutritional food sources. These can also act as bedding areas in many cases. Many hunters don't know where to begin. Farm and Home Supply is your one stop shop to trusted brands and seed blends to help manage your property to its greatest potential. Use this guide to learn more about proper seeds for growing a quality food plot and harboring healthy deer where you hunt.
Where to plant your plot
Resist the temptation to plant your seeds in a convenient spot for you. The planting isn't about you, its about attracting deer to a spot to eat it, and feel safe sticking around. Look for abandoned logging roads in the woods, waterways on the back edges of agricultural fields with timber creating inside corners, and clear spots in the heart of the woods. Don't make the mistake of crowding a bedding spot, however. The ruckus you'll raise in planting, maintaining, and checking on the food plot will stir them out of their safe haven and cause them to move. Travel patterns and hunting spots will change because of their unwillingness to put up with human interference near their safe hideaway. Having cover very near to the plot will help a lot. With that said, the plot is no good if you can't approach it. An ideal spot has cover, water sourcs, and plentiful exit routes for the deer. Is this a "hunting plot" or a "nutritional support plot"? The majority of plots play both roles, but a hunting designated plot has other criteria to account for, such as access to the area, when the seed blend will mature, as well as competing food sources at the time of maturation.
When should I plant
Primarily talking about warm season plantings here (plant in summer, enjoy in fall). Florida is not Minnesota, and New York is not Texas. Geography, weather, seed maturation rate, and hunting season start times dictate a lot of when you should plant your plot. Deer in the northern United States eat different food sources at different times than deer in the south. Matching their nutritional needs to the times they need/crave them will ensure your success. Each bag will have specifi instructions on when you should plant based on your zone and the type of seed. Talk to other hunters in your area, and find out what seed blends have worked well for them, and when they planted the plots. Weed growth, precipitation, and heat all have parts to play in deciding the exact timing. Typically, most of the United States is safe in planting many seed blends from late July through early September in order to provide the nutrition during late antler growth time, and for plots designed to hunt over in season.. Roughly 5-8 weeks of opportunity during late summer for you to get in to your spot, work the soil, and plant your blend. If you plant before this period, you risk the deer overgrazing the plot before it can mature, and leave you with nothing to hunt over during the hunting season.
What brands do I trust
Speaking of premixed seed blends here, there are many quality made and engineered plot mixes available today. Farm & Home Supply carries the best brands and blends for anyone in the U.S. Do you have equipment or seeding the mix? If no, fear not, many of the best blends are no till designs. You simply need a rake to get your plot down. Other blends are designed for tractor or ATV/UTV pulling specifically designed equipment like cultipackers or seeders. Brands like Evolved Habitats, Tecomate, Mossy Oak Biologic, Antler King, and Whitetail Institute are always at the top of the list for consumer trust. These companies put time and money into research and production of the best seed blends. These are the brands you can find at Farm & Home Supply: