Big and Beasty food plot planting dates by zone

Last updated 2026-07-26

What is a food plot, and why does planting date matter so much?

A food plot is a planted patch of forage, grain, or browse on hunting land, built to feed deer and other wildlife and to give hunters a place to watch and pattern animals. Plots range from quarter-acre kill plots tucked in timber to five-acre destination fields planted in corn, beans, brassicas, or clover. Planting date is the single biggest variable a food plot grower controls. Get it wrong and you get a thin stand, a frost-killed brassica plot, or clover that never gets established before winter. Get it right and a fall blend like a Big and Beasty style mix (usually some combination of forage sorghum, clover, brassicas such as turnips or radish, and a cereal grain like oats or wheat) hits peak palatability right as deer season opens. The short version: warm-season components (sorghum, some clovers) need soil in the 60s Fahrenheit and no frost risk. Cool-season components (brassicas, oats, clover) actually want to be planted in late summer so they mature into fall, when cooling temperatures make them sweeter and more attractive. That's the tension a mixed blend has to navigate, and it's why the planting window for these blends is narrower than for a single-species plot.

When should you plant food plots for deer?

North (Zone 3-4)	MN, WI, ME, northern MI	Late July to late August
Upper Midwest / Mid-South (Zone 5-6)	IA, IL, IN, OH, PA, southern MI	Mid-August to mid-September
Transition zone (Zone 6-7)	MO, KY, VA, NC piedmont	Late August to late September
Deep South (Zone 7-8)	AL, GA, southern SC, TX Hill Country	Mid-September to mid-October	These windows aren't gospel. They're built around average frost dates pulled from NOAA climate normals and land-grant extension planting guides, and any given year can run two or three weeks early or late. [2] Local cooperative extension offices publish frost date tables by county, and that's a better source than a national chart if you have one available. [3] Soil moisture matters as much as the calendar. Planting brassica and clover seed into dry dust and hoping for rain is the number one reason fall plots fail. If a real rain isn't in the forecast within about a week, it often pays to wait, even if that pushes you past your target date.

Timing splits into two seasons: spring/summer plantings for warm-season annuals and perennials (clover, chicory, soybeans, corn), and late-summer plantings for fall blends and brassicas. For a Big and Beasty type mix with brassicas, sorghum, and grains, you're generally aiming for a late-summer window, 60 to 90 days ahead of your area's average first frost. ^[1] USDA hardiness zones are built around minimum winter temperatures, not planting windows, but extension services use average first and last frost dates to build practical planting calendars. As a rough guide: | Region | Example states | Fall blend planting window |

When to plant turnips for deer

Turnips are cool-season brassicas and go in the ground 60 to 90 days before your first expected hard frost, which lines up almost exactly with the fall blend window above. In the Midwest that's typically late July through mid-August; in the transition zone and South, late August into September. ^[1] Turnips need that long runway because deer often ignore the tops early and don't hit the bulbs hard until after a few frosts convert starches to sugars. Plots planted too late never get grazed hard before season ends. Seeding depth is shallow, about a quarter inch, and turnip seed is tiny, so a cultipacker or light drag after broadcasting helps a lot with germination. Turnips also want a fairly fertile, well-drained soil; a soil test is the only real way to know if you need lime or extra phosphorus and potassium before planting, and your soil test lab's recommendation should be treated as the final word over any general blend instructions on a bag.

When to plant oats for deer

Oats are planted in the same late-summer window as brassicas and clover, generally 45 to 60 days before your first killing frost so they get several weeks of growth before cold really shuts things down. In much of the Midwest that's late August into early September; in the upper South, September into early October. ^[1] Oats are a fast, cheap, attractive fall annual on their own, and they're one of the most common cereal grain components in blended bags because they germinate quickly (often within 5 to 10 days in warm, moist soil) and give deer something green to eat within a couple weeks of planting. They don't overwinter reliably in cold climates the way winter wheat or rye does, so oats in far northern plots are really a fall-only forage, not a spring one. A lot of hunters also plant oats in early spring as a quick cover/nurse crop. For hunting-season attraction though, the late-summer planting is what matters.

Do deer eat sorghum?

Yes. Deer readily eat forage sorghum and grain sorghum (milo), both the leaves and the grain heads, and sorghum is a common warm-season component in fall blend bags because it's drought-tolerant and produces a lot of standing biomass that also doubles as screening cover. ^[4] Sorghum is planted like corn, in late spring to early summer once soil temps are reliably above 60°F, not in the late-summer window used for brassicas and oats. In a blended bag like Big and Beasty, the sorghum is usually meant to be part of an earlier planting or a longer-season plot rather than a true August seeding. Check the specific product's instructions, because blends vary in what they assume about your planting date. Sorghum's real value on a lot of properties is standing grain that holds through winter and pulls deer (and turkeys, and doves) after other food sources thin out. It's not usually the plant deer hit first in a mixed plot, but it becomes more important as fall progresses and softer forages get grazed down or frozen off.

Do deer eat clover, and do deer like clover?

Yes to both. Clover, especially white clover varieties like Ladino and red clover, is one of the most consistently preferred forages in whitetail food plot research, and it's a staple in blended and standalone plot mixes across the country. ^[1] Clover is a perennial, so unlike brassicas and oats it isn't a one-shot fall planting. It's typically seeded in early spring (as soil temps warm into the 50s) or in late summer alongside a fall blend, and once established, a good clover stand can produce for 3 to 5 years with proper mowing and fertility maintenance. Mississippi State University Extension notes that clover plots can provide productive forage for several years when maintained well. ^[1] Clover's advantage in a fall blend is that it's palatable spring through fall and gives deer something green even in years when brassicas or grains underperform because of drought or a late planting. The downside is it needs decent soil pH, generally 6.0 to 6.5, to really thrive, and a soil test is the only honest way to know if lime is needed before you spend money on seed. ^[5]

What are deer's favorite foods?

There's no single universal answer because preference shifts by region, season, and what's locally available, but research and extension data consistently point to a short list: acorns (especially white oak group), soybeans, clover, and other legumes rank at or near the top almost everywhere deer have been studied. ^[6] Acorns are often the single most preferred natural food where white oaks are present, because they're calorie-dense and deer will travel to hit a good mast year hard, sometimes walking past standing food plots to get to them. Soybeans and clover are the standout planted forages, both high in protein and palatability during the growing season. In fall and winter, brassicas (turnips, radish, rape) and standing grain (corn, sorghum) become more important as acorns get scarce and cold weather increases the appeal of high-carbohydrate foods. This is exactly why fall blends mix a legume or brassica for early-season attraction with a grain component for late-season energy. No single plant covers the whole season well on its own.

Do deer like honey (and does it belong in a food plot)?

Deer aren't known to seek out honey in the wild in any meaningful, documented way, and honey isn't a food plot planting or attractant supported by wildlife research. This question usually comes from confusion with commercial deer attractant products that use sugar, molasses, or artificial sweet scents, not real honey, and marketed under names that sound similar to "honey hole" style branding. If you're trying to add sweetness or scent appeal to a plot, mineral and sugar-based attractants are a different category from food plot seed entirely, and their effectiveness is debated even among people who sell them. There's no peer-reviewed extension data showing honey or honey-based products change deer visitation to a plot. One more thing worth flagging here: many states regulate or outright ban baiting and supplemental feeding, and the rules differ for what counts as a "food plot" (a planted, rooted crop) versus "bait" (piled or spread feed, minerals, or scent products). Some states, including Michigan, tie baiting restrictions to CWD management areas. ^[7] Check your state wildlife agency's current regulations before using any attractant product, because a legal food plot in one state can cross into an illegal baiting violation in another if you add loose feed or mineral on top of it.

How do I build a planting calendar for my specific property?

Start with your average first frost date, which your state climatologist or county extension office publishes, then count backward. Brassicas and turnips: 60-90 days before frost. Oats and cereal grains: 45-60 days before frost. Clover: early spring or late summer, tied to soil temps in the 50s-60s rather than frost dates. Sorghum: late spring to early summer, after soil hits 60°F and frost risk has passed. ^{[1] [2]} A soil test is the other half of the equation and it's not optional if you want a plot that actually performs. Extension labs (usually through your state's land-grant university) will test pH, phosphorus, potassium, and organic matter for somewhere in the range of $10 to $20 per sample, and the report tells you exactly how much lime and fertilizer to add, which matters more to yield than which brand of seed you buy. ^[5] Your soil test lab's recommendation is the final authority on lime and fertilizer rates for your ground. Any blend's bag instructions or a general plan are starting points, not a substitute for your actual results. If you want a shortcut to putting all of this together (species selection for your zone, seeding rates, and a planting window based on your frost dates and soil test), a $99 one-time Custom Food Plot Plan turns your soil test and property details into a specific written plan instead of you cross-referencing five different extension PDFs. It's general guidance built from real agronomy data, not a site-specific agronomist visit, but it saves the guesswork on timing and rates. For picking the actual seed and blend to match your plan, deer food plot seed and food plot seed break down species options in more depth, and deer food plots covers plot layout and size.

What can go wrong with fall blend timing, and how do you fix it?

The most common mistake is planting too early into hot, dry August soil hoping to "get ahead of it," which often means brassica and clover seed sits ungerminated or germinates weak and gets cooked by continued heat. The fix is planting to the rain forecast, not the calendar; if you're inside your target window and a real rain is 5-7 days out, wait for it. The second most common mistake is planting too late, especially in northern zones, so brassicas never bulb up and oats get killed by frost before putting on real growth. If you're past your target window by more than 2-3 weeks, consider dropping the brassica component for that season and leaning on a straight cereal grain (oats, wheat, or rye), which tolerates a later, more compressed planting much better. Uneven stands are usually a seed-to-soil contact problem, not a timing problem. Broadcasting brassica or clover seed onto rough, cloddy dirt without a cultipacker or drag pass afterward leaves seed sitting on top where it dries out. A simple cultipacker pass or even dragging a chain-link section behind an ATV after broadcast seeding measurably improves germination rates on small plots. For readers building out a new plot from scratch, food plot whitetail and deer for food cover site selection and layout basics that affect how well any planting date advice actually plays out on the ground.

Frequently asked questions

Do deer eat sorghum in food plots?

Yes, deer eat both the leaves and grain heads of forage and grain sorghum, and it's a common warm-season component in fall blend bags because it's drought-tolerant and provides standing food and cover into winter. It's planted in late spring to early summer, not the late-summer window used for brassicas.

Do deer eat clover, and do deer actually like it?

Yes. White and red clover rank among the most preferred whitetail forages in extension and wildlife research, and clover plots stay palatable spring through fall. A well-maintained clover stand can produce for 3 to 5 years, according to Mississippi State University Extension.

When should I plant food plots for deer?

It depends on the species. Fall blends with brassicas plant 60-90 days before first frost (late July to mid-September for most of the Midwest). Clover and perennials plant in early spring or late summer. Warm-season plants like sorghum and soybeans wait until soil hits 60°F in late spring.

When is the best time to plant turnips for deer?

Plant turnips 60 to 90 days before your area's average first killing frost, generally late July through mid-August in the Midwest and late August through September in the transition zone and South. Turnips need frost exposure afterward to sweeten the bulbs and tops for deer.

When should I plant oats for a fall deer plot?

Plant oats 45 to 60 days before your first expected killing frost, typically late August to early September in much of the Midwest and into early October in the South. Oats germinate fast, often within 5 to 10 days in warm, moist soil, but don't reliably overwinter in cold climates.

What exactly is a food plot?

A food plot is a planted area on hunting or wildlife land, seeded with forage crops, grains, or legumes to feed deer and other game and to concentrate animal activity for observation or hunting. Plots range from small quarter-acre kill plots to multi-acre destination fields.

What is the number one favorite food for deer?

There's no single universal favorite, but acorns (especially white oak group), soybeans, and clover consistently rank at the top across wildlife research. Preference shifts seasonally: legumes and clover dominate spring through fall, while acorns, brassicas, and standing grain matter more in late fall and winter.

Do deer like honey or honey-based attractants?

No documented wildlife research supports honey as a deer attractant, and it isn't a food plot seed or planting. Confusion often comes from sugar or molasses-based commercial attractant products marketed with sweet-sounding names, which are a different product category from planted food plot seed.

Can I plant a Big and Beasty style blend in one pass in late summer?

Mostly yes for the brassica, clover, and grain components, since those share a late-summer window. Sorghum in the same bag is typically meant for an earlier, warm-season planting, so check the specific product's instructions since blends assume different planting schedules for their warm-season components.

How do I know my area's frost dates for planting food plots?

Your county cooperative extension office (part of your state's land-grant university) publishes average first and last frost date tables, often more precise than national charts. NOAA also maintains regional climate normal data that extension offices use to build these local planting calendars.

Do I need a soil test before planting a fall food plot blend?

Yes, it's the single best money you'll spend on a plot. A soil test, usually $10 to $20 through your state extension lab, tells you exact lime and fertilizer needs; without it you're guessing, and low pH alone can cut yield significantly regardless of what seed you plant.

Is it legal to use food plots and attractants together?

It depends entirely on your state. Planted food plots are legal almost everywhere, but piled bait, mineral, and some attractant products are restricted or banned in many states, especially in CWD management zones. Always check your state wildlife agency's current regulations before combining plots with any attractant.

Sources

1. Mississippi State University Extension Publication 2111, Establishing and Managing Wildlife Food Plots: Fall blend planting windows relative to first frost dates and cool-season species timing
2. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals: Regional average first frost date data used to build planting calendars
3. University of Missouri Extension, Freeze/Frost Occurrence Data (G4966): County-level frost date tables used for local planting timing
4. USDA NRCS Plant Guide, Sorghum bicolor: Sorghum use as forage and wildlife food, planting and growth characteristics
5. University of Tennessee Extension, Soil Sampling for Wildlife Food Plots (PB 1740): Soil pH targets and soil test cost range for food plot fertility planning
6. USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis research on white-tailed deer mast use: Acorns as a preferred, calorie-dense whitetail deer food where white oaks are present
7. Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Deer Baiting and Feeding Order: State-specific baiting and feeding restrictions tied to CWD management areas