Plant it and they will come.
Last month I began work on the first food plot. I relocated one of my stands and the feeder to a location were I wanted to plant soybeans. It is now four weeks later and I have soybean plants from 4 to 12 inches tall. This last week I went back up and continued where I left off. In 5 days I was able to plant 3 other food plot
Plot no.1, 4 weeks after planting. Had to reseed the empty spots. 
Plot no. 2
View of plot 2 from the stand
Plot 3
View of plot 3 from the stand. 
Plot 3 before. By far this was the most challenging. This plot is on the side of a mound of pine tree cuttings. I had to remove a dead pine tree, a bunch of vines and the area was very overgrown. I would say the mound has been there for at lease 14 yrs.
Breaking ground at plot no. 4.
Plot 4 from the stand.
I found this patch of plants in the area of plot 4. It appears the deer like this stuff. If you look closely, you can see all the tips of the plants eaton. Looks as if someone ran a mower over them.
I have one more area that I would like to plant. I'm thinking of planting Red Top Turnips. By the way, has anyone tried planting black beans as a deer food plot? I can't find any info on the net about this. They grow very similar to soybeans.
Hey Ario,
Looks like you're having a great time getting ready for the upcoming season!
Your comment about the deer eating the tops of certain weeds just goes to show that weed patches are an important thing in a deer's life. The problem with most weed patches is they tend to be mature by hunting season and aren't as enticing as they are in the spring and early summer. But they do provide cover if they have a little height.
I don't see why black beans wouldn't work, they are a legume just like blackeyed peas, zippers, soybeans, etc.. they all attract deer. The Iron and Clay variety of peas seem to be a good plant for a food plot. They tend to run or make vines in the vegetative state before they put on the actual peas. Used to be planted as a hay crop now mostly as deer feed. My biggest problem with peas or soybeans over the years has been that unless it is a large food plot, the deer never let them mature. I've had several plots wiped out over night, especially when planting a plot that was used the previous season. Seems like the deer remember and expect you to provide a nice salad bar for them. For food plots and gardens, Iluv2hunt, here on FOHAF, recommended a product called Milorganite. Spread around the perimeter of a pea patch or food plot, it does a good job of repelling deer and allowing the crop to mature and then be used to hunt over.
I'm not familiar with red top turnips but purple tops are pretty common around here. They are a cool season crop and would need to probably planted later in the year to produce enough roots to attract deer.
Your pictures look like you have a great place to hunt. Let me suggest you keep posting your food plots progress through the season. Hopefully you'll have a great season. All my food plots have been successful, whether I kill a deer or not. Success is even experiencing a crop failure or an overnight foray that devastates the plot, this is how we learn.
Keep us posted!
Treefarmer
Hey treefarmer, thanks for the input. I have heard of Milorganite but, I have to keep the cost as low as possible. So I am trying the cheap mans method, "Irish Spring". I have cut bars of Irish Spring and have surrounded the plots with it. I am going to try the black beans somewhere on my lease and as for the turnips, your wright they are purple top turnips. What time of year should I plant them?
Good work, sir. I enjoy the work and prep as much as I do hunting. It's a reward to get pics or kill a deer in plots that you made.
If I were you, I would invest what money I could on lime. I have learned over the years that lime is very important, and quite honestly the key to a great plot. Without doing a soil analysis, I can pretty much almost guarantee you that your soil is acidic. I would apply it at a rate of 2 tons per acre. Don;t let that number scare you, though...if you were to measure out your plots to the exact measurements, you may only need a few bags. And it's pretty cheap. Rural King or TSC usually have it on sale for $2.99-$3.50. The bags make it easy and convenient for small plots like we have. I can't stress enough to get lime down and tilled in. Remember to do it sooner than later as it takes a few months for the PH of the soil to change
As far a peas of any kind go....small pea plots are almost a waste of time. A couple deer can wipe out a small plot of peas in one night. Last year I had the bright idea of planting peas on Labor day for bow plots. When I walked in the woods on opening morning daylight came to show me bare dirt plots. They had eaten every pea to the ground
You are on the right track. Good work and keep it up!
Thanks iluv2hunt, I did apply lime on all the plots. I use up three 50 lb. bags between all the plots. I also applied 10-10-10 fertilizer. I probably could have used a fertilizer with less nitrogen.
