How to Prepare Food Plots
Planting a food plot leads to many benefits for both humans and animals. You're contributing to the environment and, in turn, attracting more animals either for hunting or just for viewing. Ideally, your food plot provides benefits all year long. A good food plot requires the consideration of many factors, including what to plant, where to plant and what animals you want to attract. To plant a successful food plot, you should follow some basic steps.
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Instructions
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Sampling the Soil
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Test the soil in the area you plan to plant your food plot. Your food plot won't grow well if the soil doesn't have proper nutrients.
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Walk in a zigzag around the area where you'll plant the food plot.
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Dig up soil samples from different areas. You'll get the most accurate soil results from taking random samples.
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Dig about six to eight inches down in the soil to get samples.
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Place the soil samples in your plastic bucket, and mix them well.
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Send or drop off the soil sample at your local County Extension Office. You can get a soil sample kit from the office before or just put your sample in a sealed plastic bag.
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You should receive the results from your soil sample in about two weeks. The soil report tells you how much lime and fertilizer you should add to the soil depending on your levels and what you want to plant.
Preparing the Soil
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Select an area that receives at least 50 percent sunlight.
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Consider the animals you want to attract. Different crops work best with different animals.
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Check a zone map to see what crops grow well in your area and the best time to plant the crops you choose. You can view a zone map at this website: http://www.wildlifeseeds.com/info/usazonemap.html.
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Plow and smooth the soil. You can attach a plow to a large truck or a smaller plow to an all-terrain vehicle (ATV).
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Spread the seed across the area either by hand or with a seed spreader. Don't put the seeds any more than a 1/4 inch under the dirt.
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Tips & Warnings
Make sure your food plot is at least 1,000 square feet.
Don't add more lime and fertilizer than necessary. This could affect the crop negatively.
