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Need help on what to plant and when

K

Keef

Member
I'm new to this site but really like what I see. I wondered if you could offer some advice to one of your southern neighbors.

It's 120 acres in N. Missouri about 15 miles from Iowa.

Field 1 and 3 (each is about 1/4 acre)had clover this year and I'll leave them alone.

Field 2 about 3-4 acres. Hilltop, sandy well drained.

Field 4 and 5 (maybe 6 acres total) were just plowed. None of these fields have been farmed in years. Hilltop, sandy well drained. Would like to block neighbor's view of south side of fields.

Field 6 same as 4 and 5.

Field 7 (1/2 acre) was planted in clover but will redo it. It is a bottom and gets moisture.

I will do soil tests this spring. Lime will have to be added for sure.

It will be mostly bowhunted. I just bought a tractor and disc so I can do the work myself..

I want to mix the fields and have some annuals and others in perennials. Also I would like to do warm and cold weather plots.

If someone will tell me how to post pictures I will post an aerial of the farm.

I would appreciate your thoughts on how you would plan the layout. Many thanks for any input.
 
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In those hidden areas I think whatever you plant they are going to hammer pretty well.

Alfalfa does very well on lighter snady loam soils and might be an option especially if you have a nearby farmer that might harvest it for hay.

Forage soybeans would do well also.

Brassicas don't like very dry soils so you might have to test some in a small plot before investing in a larger area. They also require plenty of nitrogen especially on lighter soils.

All of the cereal grains will do well (rye,wheat and oats) and I would like to see you start a rotation of grains, beans and clover/alflafa in your plots.

Add some Austrian Winter Peas to your fall grain plots perhaps.

What you plant where most likely won't matter in those fields except that larger fields might bemore conducive to growing/harvesting alfalfa.

You could plant buckwheat in very late spring as a temporary cover crop on tilled fields that you wish to plant this fall. Just disc it down and replant your fall plots. Buckwheat will help hold down weeds and build up the organic matter in your light soils.
 
Welcome to the site..... You will learn a lot from here if you just keep asking those questions.

Great info for anyone. Thanks for asking the question!
 
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