Best seeds for food plots: what to plant and when

Last updated 2026-07-25

What is a food plot, exactly?

A food plot is a planted patch of forage, usually a half acre to five acres, put in specifically to feed and hold deer on a property. It's not the same as a farm field, even though the equipment overlaps. The goal is nutrition and attraction, not yield per bushel. Most plots fall into two categories: perennials that come back for two to five years (clover, chicory, alfalfa) and annuals you replant every year (oats, brassicas, soybeans, corn). A lot of hunters run both, a perennial plot for spring and summer protein and an annual plot timed to peak right before season. State wildlife agencies generally treat food plots as legal habitat management, separate from baiting, but the line matters. Standing or planted crops in the ground are legal in nearly every state. Piling corn, minerals, or processed feed on the ground is regulated or banned in many states as baiting. Check your state wildlife agency's baiting and feeding regulations before you plant anything you intend to hunt over. The rules genuinely vary by state and sometimes by county. If you want a plan built around your acreage, soil test, and region instead of guessing at a bag label, that's the whole reason we built the Custom Food Plot Plan at PlotSeason. It's a $99 one-time plan, not a subscription, and it's general regional guidance. Your soil test lab is still the final word on lime and fertilizer rates for your dirt specifically.

What are deer's favorite foods, really?

Deer are ruminants that chase protein and digestibility, not flavor in any way humans would recognize. University of Georgia and Mississippi State research consistently shows whitetails favor forbs and legumes with 20 percent or higher crude protein when available, then shift to woody browse, acorns, and agricultural crops as the seasons change ^[1]. In spring and summer, that means clover, soybeans, and alfalfa top the list because does are lactating and bucks are growing antlers, both processes that demand protein. In fall, energy becomes the priority again as deer build fat reserves, so acorns, corn, and standing soybeans get hit hard. In late season, especially in the Midwest and North, brassicas and turnips become attractive specifically because cold weather converts starches to sugars in the leaves and bulbs, making them noticeably sweeter and more palatable after a hard frost ^[2]. So "favorite food" is really a moving target tied to nutritional need and what's actually on the landscape competing for attention. A plot that gets hammered in October might sit untouched in July if there's a soybean field next door.

Do deer like clover, and is it worth planting?

Yes. Clover is probably the most planted food plot seed in North America and for good reason. White clover (Ladino types) and red clover both test consistently in the 25 to 30 percent crude protein range during active growth, according to university forage extension data, which rivals or beats most commercial cattle feed ^[3]. Clover's real advantage is duration. A properly limed, fertilized clover stand can produce from April through the first hard frost, and a good perennial mix will last three to five years before you need to reseed, according to university extension guidance on wildlife forage establishment. That's a lot of forage for one planting and one seed cost. The catch is soil pH. Clover struggles below pH 6.0, and a lot of first-time plotters skip the lime and wonder why their clover thins out by year two. Get a soil test before you plant, not after. If your test comes back at pH 5.5, you're not getting a real clover stand until you correct that, full stop. Clover is a low input, high return play, but it is slow to establish (60 to 90 days to a full stand) and it won't stand up well to constant flooding or heavy shade. Match it to open, well-drained ground.

Do deer eat sorghum?

Yes, deer eat grain sorghum (milo), both the standing seed heads and the leaves, and it's a legitimate food plot and cover crop, particularly in the Southeast and parts of the Midwest where it tolerates heat and drought better than corn. USDA NRCS's plant guide lists grain sorghum as a wildlife food source used in food plot and conservation plantings, especially valued for its drought tolerance on marginal soils ^[4]. The practical case for sorghum in a plot is less about deer preference and more about structure. It grows tall, holds up through fall and into winter, and gives standing cover alongside food, which matters a lot on properties without much cover otherwise. Deer will browse the leaves earlier in the season and hit the grain heads once they mature and other food sources thin out. Sorghum isn't usually anyone's top pick as a stand-alone deer attractant compared to soybeans or corn. It's more common as a component in a multi-species blend, or as a screening and cover crop planted along plot edges where you want visual break without losing tonnage.

When to plant oats for deer, and are they worth it?

Oats are a fall staple because deer readily eat the leaves through early to mid growth, and they establish fast, often showing green in 5 to 7 days under good moisture. Plant oats in late summer to early fall, generally 60 to 90 days before your first hard frost, so the plant has time to grow before frost stops it. Exact windows vary hard by latitude. In the Upper Midwest and Northern states, that's typically mid-August through early September. In the transition zone (Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia), it's September into early October. In the Deep South, growers can plant into October or even November because frost comes late. Your local land-grant extension office publishes exact regional planting calendars, and it's worth pulling yours up before you buy seed, because a two-week miss on timing in the North can mean the difference between a lush plot and a frozen-out failure. Oats are cheap, usually the least expensive seed per acre of any common plot option, and deer generally prefer the tender young leaves over more mature growth. The downside: oats are an annual, they die back completely after a hard freeze, and they don't provide summer forage at all. Most hunters plant oats mixed with brassicas or clover rather than alone, so the plot has staying power into winter after the oats brown out.

When to plant turnips for deer, and do deer actually eat them?

Plant turnips 80 to 100 days before your area's first expected hard frost, which for most of the whitetail range lands somewhere between late July and early September depending on latitude. Turnips need that lead time to bulb out before cold weather hits. Deer absolutely eat turnips, but the timing of when they eat them surprises a lot of first-time planters. Early in the plot's life, deer mostly ignore the bulbs and browse the leaves lightly. It's after the first hard frost, when cold converts starches in the plant to sugars, that deer preference for turnips spikes hard, and it's common to see plots barely touched in October get hammered down to bare dirt by late December ^[2]. This pattern is well documented in Mississippi State University Extension's forage guidance, which notes brassicas becoming markedly more attractive after frost due to that starch-to-sugar conversion ^[2]. That late-season timing makes turnips one of the best late-season attractant plants available, especially in Northern and transition zone states where deer are under real cold stress by December and January. It's also exactly why turnips are a poor stand-alone choice if you're hunting early season; plant them alongside oats, winter peas, or a cereal grain so there's something worth eating before the frost switch flips. One real limitation: turnip bulbs sit above or partly below ground and can get locked out by heavy snow cover in the far North. If your area gets consistent deep snow by December, don't count on turnip bulbs carrying deer through February.

When to plant food plots for deer, by region

Deep South (LA, MS, AL, FL, GA coastal)	March to April	September to November
Transition zone (TN, KY, VA, NC, AR)	April to May	Late August to mid-October
Upper Midwest / Northern states (MN, WI, MI, ME, upstate NY)	May to early June	Mid-August to early September
Mountain West / high elevation	Late May to June	Late July to mid-August	Spring plots (clover, soybeans, alfalfa) go in after your last frost date, once soil temps are consistently above 50 degrees F for germination. Fall plots need to go in early enough that the plant reaches a useful growth stage before your first hard frost, which is why Northern planters are in the ground by late August while Southern planters still have until October. A soil test 60 days ahead of planting, not the week of, gives you time to apply lime if your pH needs correcting, since lime takes months to fully react in the soil according to most university extension liming guidance.

Timing is the single most common mistake in food plot planning, more than seed choice or even soil pH. Plant a fall annual too early in a hot, dry August and it can burn out before it ever helps hunting season. Plant it too late and it never bulks up before frost. Here's a general framework, though your local NRCS field office or state extension calendar should be the final word for your county specifically: | Region | Spring/summer plot window | Fall plot window |

What's the best seed choice for a first-time plotter with one plot?

If you can only plant one plot and want it to work across the most months, a clover and chicory perennial mix is the safest bet in most of the whitetail range. It's forgiving, comes back for years, and covers spring through fall in one planting. If you're specifically building around gun or bow season and want maximum draw right before and during the hunt, a fall annual blend of oats, winter peas, and a brassica (like turnips or radish) gives you early palatability from the oats and peas, plus the frost-sweetened late season pull from the brassica bulbs. Corn and soybeans are the highest-tonnage options and deer clearly love both, but they take more acreage, more fertility, and more equipment to do right (a real planter, not a hand spreader, for soybeans especially). They make more sense on larger properties, 3 acres and up per plot, where you can afford the input cost and the deer pressure from other wildlife (raccoons, turkeys, hogs) eating into your yield. See our breakdowns on food plot seed selection and deer food plot seed blends if you're comparing specific brands and mixes rather than raw species.

Do deer like honey, and does that matter for food plots?

No, deer don't have any real preference for honey or sweeteners in the way that gets marketed on some mineral and attractant products. Deer are drawn to salt, minerals (particularly during antler growth and lactation), and high-protein forage, not sugar for its own sake. Some commercial attractant sprays include sweet scents or molasses-based additives to draw deer to a specific spot, and deer will investigate and sometimes lick them, but there's no research showing deer seek out sweetness the way, say, bears go after honeycomb for the honey and larvae. What does look like a sugar preference (the late-season brassica pull mentioned above) is actually a starch-to-sugar conversion happening inside the plant itself in response to cold, not deer selecting for sweetness as a taste. It's a metabolic quirk of the plant, not a preference deer are hunting for directly. If you're buying a mineral or attractant product, know that many states restrict or ban the use of minerals and scent attractants for hunting purposes, separate from food plot rules. Check your state wildlife agency's regulations specifically on baiting, feeding, and mineral use before using any product where you plan to hunt.

What equipment do you actually need to plant these seeds?

For clover, oats, and brassicas, you can get a workable plot with a hand or tow-behind spreader, a disc or tiller to break ground, a cultipacker or drag to firm the seed bed, and a way to spray or hand-pull weeds before planting. None of that has to be expensive; a used ATV disc and a broadcast spreader will run a few hundred dollars total secondhand in most regions. Soybeans and corn are a different animal. Both really want a real planter for even seed depth and spacing, since broadcasting corn or beans by hand gives spotty, inconsistent stands and wastes a lot of seed. If you're not ready to rent or own a planter, stick to broadcast-friendly seeds (clover, oats, brassicas, winter peas) until your acreage and budget justify the upgrade. A soil test kit or a mail-in test through your state land-grant university's extension soil lab (most run $10 to $20 per sample) is the cheapest, highest-return purchase you'll make before buying any seed at all. Skipping the soil test and going straight to seed is the single most common way food plot budgets get wasted.

How much does a food plot planting actually cost per acre?

Costs vary hard by seed type, region, and whether you're buying lime and fertilizer fresh or already have soil in decent shape. As a rough range pulled from typical per-acre seed costs and university extension budget worksheets: clover seed runs roughly $20 to $50 per acre depending on variety and coverage rate, oats and cereal grains run cheaper, often $15 to $30 per acre, and brassica blends land in a similar $20 to $40 per acre range. Corn and soybeans cost considerably more per acre once you include seed treatment and the higher seeding rates, often $60 to $150 or more per acre depending on variety and whether it's a food-plot-specific blend or ag-grade seed. Lime is usually the biggest hidden cost. If your soil test comes back needing 2 tons per acre of ag lime to correct pH, that alone can cost more than the seed, depending on local delivery and spreading rates. This is exactly why the soil test comes first: you don't want to find out you needed lime after you've already bought seed.

Should you plant a single species or a blend?

Blends generally outperform single-species plots for one simple reason: they spread risk and stagger the growth stages deer prefer. A clover-only plot is excellent but only does one thing well. A plot with clover, chicory, and a cereal grain gives you spring and summer legume protein plus a fall grain component without replanting. For annual fall plots, a three-way blend of a brassica (turnip or radish), a cereal grain (oats or wheat), and a legume (winter pea or crimson clover) is about as reliable a formula as exists in food plot planning, and it's the backbone of most commercial fall blend bags for a reason. Each species fails differently under different weather, so a dry August that hurts your brassica germination might still let the cereal grain establish fine. Single-species plots make more sense when you have a specific tactical reason, like a pure standing corn plot you want left alone as a late-season sanctuary food source, or a pure clover plot you're managing as a long-term perennial base. See our guides on food plot whitetail strategy and deer food plots planning for more on matching plot type to your specific property goals. If you want help figuring out which combination actually fits your soil test, your region, and your acreage instead of guessing off a bag label at the farm store, the Custom Food Plot Plan at PlotSeason runs $99 one-time and gives you a written plan built around your specific numbers, not a generic regional average.

Frequently asked questions

Do deer eat sorghum?

Yes. Deer browse grain sorghum leaves early in the season and eat the mature grain heads later. It's most useful in hot, dry regions where it tolerates drought better than corn, and it's often used as a cover-and-food combo plant rather than a stand-alone attractant.

Do deer like clover?

Yes, clover is one of the most consistently preferred food plot plants, testing at 25 to 30 percent crude protein during active growth according to university forage analyses. It's a top choice for spring and summer nutrition and can last three to five years once established.

When should you plant food plots for deer?

Timing depends on region and plot type. Spring perennials (clover, alfalfa) go in after your last frost date. Fall annuals go in 60 to 100 days before your area's first hard frost, roughly mid-August in the Upper Midwest, September in the transition zone, and into October in the Deep South.

When should you plant oats for deer?

Plant oats 60 to 90 days before your first expected hard frost. That's mid-August to early September in Northern states, September into early October in the transition zone, and later into fall in the Deep South, since oats need time to establish before cold stops growth.

When should you plant turnips for deer?

Plant turnips 80 to 100 days before your area's first hard frost so the bulbs have time to size up. Deer preference spikes after the first hard frost, when cold converts starches in the leaves and bulbs to sugar, often turning an ignored plot into a heavily browsed one within weeks.

What is a food plot?

A food plot is a planted area, usually a half acre to several acres, established specifically to provide deer forage and hold deer on a property. It differs from a farm crop field in that the goal is nutrition, attraction, and habitat management rather than commercial yield.

What are deer's favorite foods?

There's no single favorite; deer chase whatever is highest in protein or energy for the season. Spring and summer favorites are clover, soybeans, and alfalfa. Fall favorites shift to acorns, corn, and standing soybeans. Late season favorites become frost-sweetened brassicas like turnips, once cold weather converts plant starches to sugar.

Do deer like honey?

No, there's no real evidence deer seek out sweetness the way some marketing implies. Deer are drawn to salt, minerals, and high-protein forage. The apparent late-season sugar preference for brassicas is actually a plant response to cold, not a taste preference deer are hunting for.

What's the best food plot seed for someone with only one small plot?

A clover and chicory perennial mix is generally the safest single choice, since it covers spring through fall in one planting and comes back for several years. If you're planting purely for hunting season timing, a fall blend of oats, winter peas, and a brassica gives broader coverage across early and late season.

How does soil pH affect which seed you should plant?

Clover and most legumes struggle below pH 6.0 and need lime to correct acidic soil before they'll establish well. Brassicas and cereal grains tolerate a slightly wider pH range but still perform best in the 6.0 to 7.0 range. A soil test before planting tells you exactly how much lime you need, and lime takes months to fully react, so test early.

Is it legal to plant a food plot and hunt over it?

In nearly every state, standing planted crops are legal to hunt over and are treated differently from baiting or feeding, which often means piling loose grain, minerals, or processed feed on the ground. Rules vary significantly by state, so check your state wildlife agency's specific baiting and feeding regulations before hunting over any plot or attractant.

How much lead time do you need before planting a food plot?

Get a soil test at least 60 days before your intended planting date. That gives lime time to start correcting pH, and gives you time to order the right seed for your soil and region instead of buying whatever's on the shelf at the last minute.

Sources

1. Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Baiting and Feeding Order summary, Michigan Natural Resources Commission Order 2.234: Baiting and feeding regulations for deer vary by state and standing food plots are generally treated separately from baiting
2. University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, Extension Bulletin B1391, food plots for white-tailed deer: Whitetail deer selectively browse forbs and legumes with high crude protein content, shifting diet by season
3. Mississippi State University Extension, Publication 2111, Food Plots for White-tailed Deer in the Southeast: Brassica forages become more palatable to deer after a hard frost due to starch-to-sugar conversion in the plant
4. Oklahoma State University Extension, PSS-2178, Interpreting Forage Quality Reports: White and red clover test in the 25 to 30 percent crude protein range during active growth
5. USDA NRCS Plant Guide, Grain Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor): Grain sorghum is used in wildlife food plot and conservation plantings and tolerates drought better than corn on marginal soils