I think I'm done with turnips

[lovemylegacy]

Its some stuff called BuckBuster. You can order it online. I drive to Sulfur La to get it. They also have a Spring blend if I remember right.

If you want some when it comes time to plant for the Fall, just let me know and I will get you a bag or 3. The Regular cost $30 sumptin, Premium is around $40. 50# bags.

[Razrbk89]

I just can't get the deer to eat them. Even on cold years like last year. Not worth the hassle.

In my experience, it’s got to be cold enough for the ground to freeze for a few days before they really get into them. 20s-10s at night with highs in the mid 30s or lower will soften them up.

My deer really start hitting them after we have conditions like that, typically late November-early December. They’re almost gone, now. No telling how much tonnage they produce for me.

[gingib]

I agree. WOn't plant them again

[MQ32Shooter]

Man, my deer love turnips. But, I've been planting them for 10 years and they're used to them. Also put out Daikon radishes this year too. Deer seemed to like them also.

[lovemylegacy]

I agree. WOn't plant them again

Don't be so quick to dump them. Lots of people use them. If you planted a Collared Green or Mustard Green then naturally they would not eat those as much since they are bitter.

Daikon Radishes, Sugar Beets, Rapeseed greens all are excellent choices. The Rapeseed is sweet, I have tasted them. The deer keep them ate down in all my plots, this year they completely eliminated them.

So don't be so quick to give up on them.

[JeffK]

Rape is a pain in the but to me. This year I planted only oats so I could spray and kill the volunteer crop of Rape that keeps coming up every year. Deer will hammer it if it gets cold enough, but don't touch it much before then. Meanwhile it chokes out everything else including the oats.

[lovemylegacy]

[QUOTE=JeffK;13994817]Rape is a pain in the but to me. This year I planted only oats so I could spray and kill the volunteer crop of Rape that keeps coming up every year. Deer will hammer it if it gets cold enough, but don't touch it much before then. Meanwhile it chokes out everything else including the oats.[/QUOTE

Wow! I have never seen mine over 6" tall. Deer start eating it as soon as it sprouts. All I have in my plots now is Winter Wheat and some clover. Rapeseed has been gone since Nov.

[jshouse]

i had a good stand of mixed turnips/sugarbeets come up a few years ago and was excited to see them all dug up and eaten and it never happened. i know they are beneficial so we will always throw some in the mix though. oats have been our best option for winter plots, they always keep them mowed down.

[JeffK]

[quote=lovemylegacy;13995785]

Rape is a pain in the but to me. This year I planted only oats so I could spray and kill the volunteer crop of Rape that keeps coming up every year. Deer will hammer it if it gets cold enough, but don't touch it much before then. Meanwhile it chokes out everything else including the oats.[/QUOTE

Wow! I have never seen mine over 6" tall. Deer start eating it as soon as it sprouts. All I have in my plots now is Winter Wheat and some clover. Rapeseed has been gone since Nov.

Had to google to make sure it was actually rape just now. Big dark green leaves and blooms yellow. Its been in the plot for close to 10 years, so deer have had a chance to get accustomed to it. It always gets 2 to 3' tall and only once I remember deer all of sudden strip it down during a cold spell.

[elgato]

[quote=JeffK;14007436]

Had to google to make sure it was actually rape just now. Big dark green leaves and blooms yellow. Its been in the plot for close to 10 years, so deer have had a chance to get accustomed to it. It always gets 2 to 3' tall and only once I remember deer all of sudden strip it down during a cold spell.

Seems odd to me that rape would continue to reseed for years. There is a weed that looks very similar to a brassica called garlic mustard. It fits the description , is hard to get rid of, and is flowering on my farm right now. Vigorous reseeder. Deer will occasionally browse it a little.

[Johnny44]

Use a different type. Some Brassicas are bitter. Try radishes, sugar beets or some type of tuberless brassica such as Rape. They are sweet and very tasty, ask me how I know.

They usually take a few freezes to change to sweet

[GoneSouth]

What are the benefits?

As they grow beneath the soil, they bust up/expand the soil allowing rain and nutrients to soak in rather than run off. They provide a source of green food in the dead of winter, and what isn’t eaten both below and above ground will turn to excellent organic matter as it docomposes.

Everyone who is truly in the deer management game needs to pay close attention to what Elgato has going on.

The best deer eat the best crops, the best crops grow in the best soil. If you want the absolute most potential out of your deer, it has to start in the soil!
Or you can just feed 6 figures worth of double down and call it a day

[JeffK]

[quote=elgato;14007519]

Seems odd to me that rape would continue to reseed for years. There is a weed that looks very similar to a brassica called garlic mustard. It fits the description , is hard to get rid of, and is flowering on my farm right now. Vigorous reseeder. Deer will occasionally browse it a little.

Thanks elgato. Your probably right. Big dark leaves and flowering on stems that shoot up this time of year. And yes vigorous reseeder. My dad threw out a fall mix one year which I’m guessing how it was introduced.

[Graysonhogs]

Sooner or later the big bucks will turnip!

That's punny

[elgato]

[quote=JeffK;14009309]

Thanks elgato. Your probably right. Big dark leaves and flowering on stems that shoot up this time of year. And yes vigorous reseeder. My dad threw out a fall mix one year which I’m guessing how it was introduced.

Here's a pic of what I'm calling garlic mustard. Blooms are either yellow, white or purple. Vigorous reseeder. Invasive. Looks much like a brassica