It hasn’t exactly been a long Winter, but Winters always seem long when you’re waiting for hunting season to roll around. Our pals at Clever J Farms in southern Ohio have certainly been restless this season, and they decided to take advantage of a recent run of warm weather to do some frost seeding.
Seeding during cold weather might not seem like common sense, but the concept goes a long way to ensuring that your forage plots come up green and delicious for deer later in the year. The idea is that cold soil naturally cracks, and the seeds you sow will fall in.
Clever J uses a nice range of products, all offered by Hancock Seed, for their frost seeding:
- Hancock’s Killer Clover Mix
- Regal Graze Ladino Clover Seed
- Medium Red Clover Seed
- Alfalfa Food Plot Seed
As you can see, Clover is a popular option for forage frost seeding! There are a few good reasons for this. One, Clover makes for great forage (especially our Killer Clover Mix). Secondly, Clover is an amazing cover crop option. It supplies Nitrogen to the soil, and its taproot repairs compacted soils...meaning less tilling needed from you later when you plant new forage.
Watch the video below, and then check out three highlights that are great for those debating whether frost seeding is a good option for them, as well as first-time frost seeders.
I) It can’t be stated enough: Planting cover crops has an incredible impact on future growth potential for your food plots. And, as Clever J mentions, Clover is just about at the top of the list for cover crop options. He notes that Brassicas (such as Hancock’s Deer Greens Mixture) grow back especially strong “on top of” clover.
2) When you’re preparing to frost seed, make sure that the previous crop doesn’t cover the soil too densely. After all, if the seeds can’t get to the soil because of thatch, or other shielding, they won’t grow. This might mean mowing short during the Fall.
3) You’ll need a spreader, and be sure to heed Clever J’s advice on using them! The size of seeds varies from species to species. Make sure you set your spreader accordingly, if dispersing small seeds such as Clover.
