Food Plot Planting 101: A Beginner's Guide to Planting Your First Food Plot
Share
Every year, I get asked the same question:
"How do I plant a food plot?"
The good news is you don't need thousands of dollars worth of equipment to grow a successful food plot.
Whether you're planting with a no-till drill, a tractor, or simply broadcasting seed with a spreader, the fundamentals are the same.
Here's where I'd start.
Step 1: Decide What Your Goal Is
Before buying seed, decide what you're trying to accomplish.
Are you looking to maximize your chances of success this hunting season? Do you want a long-term food source? Or do you want both?
Annual food plots complete their life cycle in one growing season and are replanted each year. They typically produce tremendous amounts of forage and attraction. Make sure you are using the right type of plants for the season you are planting in.
Examples include:
- Carbon Load - Fall planted
- NitroBoost - Spring/Summer
- Brassicas - Fall
- Cereal grains - Fall
- Annual clovers - Spring/Fall
Perennial food plots return year after year and are an excellent option for lower-maintenance locations. They are often most successful with a Fall establishment, but I have had success with frost seeding, Spring planting, and fall planting of perennials.
Examples include:
- Clover
- Alfalfa
- Chicory
Many successful properties have both. Annuals provide maximum attraction and forage production, while perennials provide a dependable food source once established.
Step 2: Choose the Right Seed
Once you've decided on your goal, choose a seed blend that fits your objectives.
At Vitalize, we're believers in diverse seed blends rather than monocultures. Different species establish at different rates, tolerate different weather conditions, mature at different times, and provide forage throughout more of the year.
Simply put, diversity increases your chances of success, especially when Mother Nature doesn't cooperate.
Step 3: Pick the Right Location
Food plots need sunlight.
While some species tolerate partial shade better than others, most food plot blends perform best with at least six hours of direct sunlight each day.
The more sunlight your plot receives, the greater its production potential.
Step 4: Take a Soil Test
If you've read any of our previous blogs, this probably won't surprise you.
A soil test is the foundation of every successful food plot.
It tells you what your soil needs before you spend money on fertilizer or soil amendments.
Guessing is almost always more expensive than testing.
Step 5: Decide How You Want to Plant
There isn't one "right" way to plant a food plot.
The best method is the one that fits your equipment, budget, and property.
Throw and Mow
Broadcast your seed into an existing stand of vegetation, then mow that vegetation over the seed.
The mowed residue helps conserve moisture, protect the soil, improve seed-to-soil contact, and reduce erosion.
Spray and Throw
Spray the existing vegetation with a non-residual herbicide, such as glyphosate, then broadcast your seed directly into the dying vegetation.
One of the biggest misconceptions is that you have to wait weeks after spraying glyphosate before planting. Glyphosate has no soil residual activity, so it can be sprayed the same day you seed without affecting germination.
Just be sure you're using a non-residual herbicide. Some herbicides remain active in the soil and can prevent your new seed from germinating.
No-Till Drill
A no-till drill is one of the best ways to establish a food plot.
It places seed at a consistent depth while maintaining soil structure, conserving moisture, and minimizing soil disturbance.
Before planting, make sure the drill is properly calibrated. An improperly calibrated drill can easily over- or under-seed a field.
Conservation Tillage
Conservation tillage is simply using enough tillage to create a seedbed while minimizing unnecessary soil disturbance.
Unlike full-width conventional tillage, conservation tillage aims to leave some crop residue on the soil surface to help reduce erosion, improve water infiltration, and conserve soil moisture.
If you choose this approach, prepare a smooth seedbed, broadcast or drill your seed, then cultipack or roll it to improve seed-to-soil contact.
One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is planting seed too deep, especially small seeds like clovers, brassicas, chicory, and alfalfa.
When in doubt, plant shallower than deeper.
Step 6: Watch the Weather
Rain is one of the biggest factors affecting germination.
Whenever possible, plant just ahead of a forecasted rain.
A timely rain often means faster germination and more uniform establishment.
Step 7: Increase Seeding Rates When Broadcasting
Broadcasting is generally less efficient than planting with a no-till drill.
Some seed remains on the soil surface, birds eat some, and not every seed achieves ideal seed-to-soil contact.
For that reason, it's usually beneficial to slightly increase your seeding rate when broadcasting rather than drilling.
Step 8: Install an Exclusion Cage
As soon as you finish planting, install an exclusion cage.
It's one of the easiest ways to determine whether a poor-looking food plot is actually struggling or simply being heavily browsed.
An exclusion cage can help determine whether you need to:
- Increase your seeding rate.
- Increase your food plot acreage.
- Increase doe harvest.
- Improve habitat around your food plots.
- Or all of the above
The information you gain this season can help you make better decisions next season.
Final Thoughts
Food plotting doesn't have to be complicated.
Decide on your goal, choose a diverse seed blend, plant in a sunny location, take a soil test, pick a planting method that fits your equipment, plant ahead of rain, and use an exclusion cage to evaluate your results.
Follow those steps, and you'll avoid many of the common mistakes that frustrate food plotters.