It’s time to plant and manage summer food plots! Here is a quick guide to all the useful information available on the NDA website to help you decide what to plant, and how to plant it.
Editor’s Note: This page is updated regularly as new summer food plot content is added to the NDA website.
Species Options
Let’s begin with profiles of several species you should consider for use in summer food plots. These profiles are shorter versions of profiles from the pages of Quality Whitetails magazine, the publication for NDA members.
American Jointvetch: Heavy forage producer that can take the pressure
Alyceclover: Not a clover, but easier to plant
Buckwheat: Easy summer forage and soil builder
Corn: Fall attraction, winter energy
Grain Sorghum: Poor man’s corn that produces quality screening cover
Lablab: Viny legume that can take browsing punishment
Soybeans: King of summer forages
Sugar Beets: A warm-season crop for cold-climate regions
Don’t forget that food plotters in the northern United States can grow some “cool-season” crops in summer with a spring planting. They include clover, chicory, oats and alfalfa. These species won’t survive hot summers of the Deep South when established in spring but will do just fine in the North.
Seed Blends and Planting Tips
Now let’s look at some blending and planting techniques you’ll find especially useful in spring and summer.
VIDEO: The Benefits of Grain Sorghum in Summer Blends
Try These Warm-Season Food Plot Mixes
Planting Corn at the Right Time
Tips for Mixing Corn and Soybeans in the Same Food Plots
Can Milorganite Repel Deer From Summer Legume Food Plots?
Green Fields: 10 Ways to Grow Low-Impact Plots
Tips for Using ATV Disk Harrows
Locate Your Best Food Plot Soil with this Free Online Data
Video: How Your Food Plot Soil Gets Tested and Why It’s Important
Winning the Weed War
More than any other season, summer food plots will face weed invasions. Here are some resources that will help in this battle.
5 Herbicides Every Deer Steward Should Know
How to Calibrate a Food Plot Sprayer
Avoiding Glyphosate Resistance
Photo Gallery: Identifying the Most Wicked Warm-Season Weeds
Summer Food Plot Hunting Strategy
Many summer food plots can also be useful in predicting early-fall buck movements, giving you an advantage in early archery seasons. Here’s a look at GPS research into summer and early fall buck movement patterns.
GPS Reveals Early-Season Buck Movements
Overcoming the Three Biggest Obstacles to Early-Season Hunting Success
Good luck with your summer food plots!