When to plant winter food plots by zone and species

Last updated 2026-07-26

when should you plant winter food plots for deer

Zone 3-4 (northern MN, WI, upper MI)	Sept 15-25	mid-July to early Aug	mid-Aug to early Sept
Zone 5 (southern WI, IA, PA, NY)	Oct 1-10	late July to mid-Aug	late Aug to mid-Sept
Zone 6 (southern OH, KY, VA)	Oct 15-25	early-mid Aug	early-mid Sept
Zone 7 (TN, NC, AR)	Oct 25-Nov 5	mid-late Aug	mid-Sept to early Oct
Zone 8 (GA, AL, LA, TX)	Nov 10-20	late Aug to mid-Sept	late Sept to mid-Oct	These are averages, not guarantees. Pull your own county's first and last frost data from NOAA's climate normals before you lock in a date [2]. If you want a plan built around your actual zip code and soil test instead of a generic zone chart, that's exactly what a food plot whitetail plan does.

The short answer: plant winter food plots roughly 60 to 90 days before your area's average first frost date, which lines up with late July through September for most of the whitetail range. Brassicas like turnips and radishes need the longest runway because they build a bulb or root before the top growth matters, so they go in first. Cereal grains like oats, wheat, and rye go in later because they tolerate frost and even grow through mild winters in the south. The real driver isn't the date on a calendar, it's soil temperature and day length. Brassicas germinate best when soil temps are in the 45 to 85 degree range, and they need 90 to 120 days of growing season before they get killed back hard by cold ^[1]. Cereal grains germinate down to about 40 degrees soil temp and can be planted right up until 4 to 6 weeks before ground freeze in most zones. Here's a rough national breakdown by hardiness zone, using average first frost dates as the anchor: | Zone | Approx. first frost | Brassica/turnip planting window | Cereal grain (oats/wheat) window |

when to plant food plots for deer overall (spring vs fall)

Food plot timing splits into two seasons: spring plots (clover, chicory, soybeans, alfalfa) go in April through June depending on zone, and fall/winter plots (brassicas, cereal grains, some clover blends) go in July through October. If you're only planting one plot type for hunting season, you want the fall window. Spring plantings need soil temps consistently above 50 degrees and a killing frost behind you. In the Midwest that's usually late April to mid-May. In the deep south you can go as early as March. Perennial clover especially benefits from a spring frost-seeding or a clean May planting because it has all summer to establish a root system before winter stress hits it. Fall plantings are what most hunters mean by winter food plots. These are timed to hit peak tonnage and palatability right as hunting season opens and stay attractive through the late season when deer need the calories most. USDA NRCS notes that food plot success is tied closely to matching planting date with regional frost-free period length for the species chosen ^[3], which is a fancy way of saying: know your last realistic planting date and count backward from there.

what is a food plot

A food plot is a planted area, usually a half acre to several acres, established specifically to grow forage that attracts and feeds deer or other wildlife on land you own, lease, or manage. It's not the same as a farm field or a garden, even though the agronomy overlaps a lot. Food plots serve two different jobs depending on how you design them. A hunting plot (sometimes called a kill plot) is small, tucked near travel corridors, and designed to draw a shot opportunity. A nutrition or destination plot is bigger, often planted in clover, brassicas, or beans, and exists to put weight on deer and does raising fawns, not necessarily to be hunted directly. Most state wildlife agencies regulate food plots differently than they regulate bait piles or feeders. In many states a growing food plot is legal to hunt over even during firearm season, while a pile of corn or a mineral station is not, because the plot is rooted vegetation, not an artificial feed source. Rules vary a lot by state though. Michigan, for example, defines baiting specifically around placed feed and treats standing crops and food plots differently under its baiting regulations ^[4]. Always check your own state wildlife agency's current baiting and feeding rules before you plant or hunt near a plot, because definitions and distances from stands change year to year.

when to plant turnips for deer

Plant turnips for deer 80 to 100 days before your first hard frost, which lands in late July to mid-August across most of the whitetail range, and no later than early September even in the deep south. Turnips need that runway to bulb out before cold weather because the bulb, more than the leaf, is what makes them a late-season deer magnet. Turnips germinate fastest with soil temps between 50 and 85 degrees and want at least a quarter inch of rain within a week of planting to get going ^[1]. Deer generally ignore turnip tops until after a few frosts convert starches to sugars, which is why turnips planted too late never get the chance to sweeten up before season ends. Seeding rate for pure turnips is usually 4 to 6 pounds per acre broadcast into a firm, shallow (quarter inch) seedbed. Most hunters blend turnips with radishes and cereal grain rather than planting a pure stand, because a monoculture bulb crop can get wiped out fast by a hungry herd in a small plot, especially on properties running high deer density.

when to plant oats for deer

Plant oats for deer 6 to 10 weeks before your area's first hard frost, generally late August through mid-September in the northern half of the country and into early October in the south. Oats are one of the most forgiving food plot grains because they germinate fast (often within 5 to 7 days in warm soil) and deer hit them almost as soon as they're a few inches tall. Oats aren't very winter-hardy compared to wheat or rye. A hard freeze in the low 20s will usually kill oats back for good, which is fine in the north where you want fall attraction, but means oats alone won't carry a plot through a hard winter the way winter wheat or cereal rye will. If you want green forage surviving into January and February, blend oats with wheat or rye so something's still standing after the oats die. Seeding rate for oats runs 2 to 3 bushels (about 64 to 96 pounds) per acre drilled, or up to 110 pounds broadcast, according to most land-grant extension recommendations for forage oats. Oats also do double duty as a nurse crop for clover, protecting young clover seedlings from browse pressure and weed competition in the first month after planting.

do deer eat sorghum

Yes, deer eat sorghum, particularly the grain heads once they mature, but it's a minor food plot player compared to brassicas, clover, or cereal grains. Sorghum (grain sorghum, also called milo) is more commonly planted as a screening crop or a late-season standing grain source than as a primary attractant. Deer will browse young sorghum shoots some, but they're much more interested in the seed heads once they dry down in fall, similar to how they hit standing corn. Sorghum is drought-tolerant and cheap, which is why it shows up in dryland food plot mixes in the plains and southern states more than in the whitetail-dense Midwest or Northeast. If you're picking between sorghum and something else for a winter plot, sorghum is a warm-season crop planted in late spring (after soil hits 60-65 degrees), not a fall planting, so it doesn't fit the "winter food plot" planting window at all. Think of it as a summer/fall standing grain option, not a winter forage.

do deer eat clover, and do deer like clover

Yes, deer eat clover heavily, and most wildlife biologists rank it among the top few food plot forages by both preference and nutritional value. Clover regrows fast after grazing, which means a single stand keeps feeding deer for months instead of getting mowed down once like a brassica. Clover runs 25 to 30 percent crude protein in vegetative growth, according to university forage testing summaries, which puts it well above most cereal grains for building antler mass and milk production in does ^[5]. That protein content, combined with clover's tolerance for repeated grazing, is why clover is the backbone of most spring/summer nutrition plots and why a lot of hunters keep a clover stand going year-round rather than treating it as a single-season planting. Clover is a poor fit as a true "winter" plot on its own in the north, though, because it goes semi-dormant once temps drop into the 30s and snow covers it. In zones 6 and south, clover often stays green and grazeable through winter. In zones 3 to 5, pair clover with a brassica or cereal grain planting nearby so deer have something to eat once the clover shuts down. If clover is your main species, check out deer food plot seed options built specifically for perennial stands.

what are deer's favorite foods, and do deer like honey

Deer's actual diet, according to wildlife agency forage studies, leans heavily on browse (woody plant tips and leaves), forbs (broadleaf weeds and legumes), acorns and other hard mast, and agricultural crops when available, roughly in that order of volume consumed across a year ^[6]. Within food plot species specifically, clover, soybeans, and brassicas consistently test as the most preferred by deer in cafeteria-style preference trials run by several university extension programs. Acorns deserve a special mention because they're often the single most important native food source in fall. White oak acorns are lower in tannins and more palatable than red oak acorns, and deer will often abandon a food plot entirely during a heavy acorn drop, which frustrates a lot of hunters who assumed their plot would pull deer regardless of what the woods were doing. As for honey: there's no real evidence deer specifically seek out honey, and it's not a food plot input or an attractant with any research behind it. What deer are drawn to are sweet, high-sugar substances broadly (which is part of why frosted brassicas and ripe fruit get hit hard), but pouring honey on the ground or a stump isn't a documented deer attractant, and in a lot of states, using any manufactured or placed substance to attract deer for hunting purposes crosses into baiting rules. Check your state wildlife agency's baiting definition before trying anything like that.

how do you time planting around your soil test

Your soil test result should shift your planting date by weeks, more than tell you how much lime to buy. If your test comes back with a pH below 6.0, most land-grant extension guidance recommends getting lime down 3 to 6 months before planting if you're using standard ag lime, because it takes that long to fully react and move pH ^[7]. That means a soil test pulled in June, showing you need lime, should push you to lime immediately and still plant your winter brassicas or cereal grain on the normal August/September schedule, accepting that you won't get the full pH benefit in year one. If you're using pelletized lime, reaction time is faster (some studies show partial effect within 4 to 8 weeks) but it still costs more per effective acre than bulk ag lime, so most hunters use pelletized lime only on tight timelines or hard-to-reach plots. Your soil test lab is the authority on exact lime and fertilizer rates for your specific field. A general article like this one can tell you the calendar window; it can't tell you whether your particular plot needs 1 ton or 3 tons of lime per acre, because that depends on your buffer pH and current base saturation, numbers only your test report has. If you want the planting calendar and species picks matched to your actual soil test and zip code instead of a generic zone map, that's what our $99 Custom Food Plot Plan does at /plot-plan-builder.

what equipment and seedbed prep affects your planting date

The method you're planting with can shift your ideal date by a week or two in either direction. A no-till drill lets you plant later than broadcast-and-drag because you're not relying on rain to wash seed into contact with soil, so drilled plots can go in closer to the frost deadline with more confidence. Broadcast seeding without a drill needs rain in the forecast within about 5 to 7 days of planting or germination rates drop hard, especially for small-seeded brassicas. If you're broadcasting into a prepared seedbed, plant a little earlier than the drill-user's date to build in a buffer for a dry spell. If you're drilling, you can afford to watch the weather and wait for a real rain event before pulling the trigger, even if it pushes you a week past your original target date. Equipment choice also affects which species make sense on a tight calendar. Winter rye and wheat tolerate a sloppy, late, broadcast-only planting far better than clover or brassicas do, which is part of why a lot of hunters running minimal equipment lean on cereal grains as their fallback winter plot when the season gets away from them.

how far in advance should you plant before hunting season opens

Plan on your winter plot needing 6 to 10 weeks of growth before it's producing real tonnage deer will commit to, and longer than that (10 to 14 weeks) if you want a brassica bulb crop at peak sweetness for late season. If your archery season opens the first week of October and you want a green, grazeable plot by opening day, count backward: cereal grains need about 6 weeks, brassica tops need about 8 weeks, and turnip/radish bulbs need the full 10 to 14 weeks. A common mistake is planting a "winter plot" too late to serve early season bow hunters, then being surprised it's barely ankle-high on opening weekend. If you're hunting early season over green forage, either plant earlier and accept some early browse pressure thinning the plot, or run a two-stage plot: an early plot (soybeans or a fast clover) for October, and a separate late plot (brassicas, cereal grain) timed for December-January attraction. For a full breakdown of plot types matched to hunting phases (early season, rut, late season), see deer food plots and domain food plot seed for species-specific blends built around each window.

Frequently asked questions

When should I plant winter food plots for deer?

Plant winter food plots 60 to 90 days before your area's average first frost date. That's late July to mid-August for brassicas and turnips in most zones, and late August through September for cereal grains like oats, wheat, and rye. Pull your county's frost date from NOAA climate normals to nail down your exact window.

Do deer eat sorghum?

Yes, deer eat sorghum grain heads once mature, but it's a minor food plot species compared to clover or brassicas. Sorghum is planted as a warm-season crop in late spring, not as a winter food plot, and works better as a screening or standing-grain option than a primary attractant.

Do deer eat clover, and do deer like it?

Yes, clover is one of deer's most preferred food plot forages, running 25 to 30 percent crude protein in vegetative growth. It regrows after grazing so one planting feeds deer for months. It goes semi-dormant in cold northern winters though, so pair it with a brassica or cereal grain for true winter attraction.

When should I plant food plots for deer overall?

Split it into two windows: spring plots (clover, soybeans, alfalfa) go in April through June once soil hits 50 degrees and frost risk passes. Fall and winter plots (brassicas, cereal grains) go in late July through September, timed 60 to 90 days ahead of your first hard frost.

When should I plant turnips for deer?

Plant turnips 80 to 100 days before your first hard frost, generally late July to mid-August in most of the whitetail range. Turnips need that long runway to bulb before cold weather, and deer usually won't hit the tops hard until a few frosts sweeten them up.

When should I plant oats for deer?

Plant oats 6 to 10 weeks before your first hard frost, usually late August to mid-September in the north and into early October in southern states. Oats germinate fast but aren't winter-hardy, so blend with wheat or rye if you want green forage surviving into deep winter.

What is a food plot?

A food plot is a planted area, from a half acre to several acres, established to grow forage that attracts and feeds deer or other wildlife on managed land. Small "kill plots" are placed for shot opportunities, while larger nutrition plots (clover, beans, brassicas) exist mainly to feed the herd through the season.

What are deer's favorite foods?

Deer diets lean on browse, forbs, acorns and other hard mast, and crops, roughly in that order across a year. Among food plot species, clover, soybeans, and brassicas consistently test highest in university preference trials. Acorns, especially white oak, often pull deer away from plots entirely during a heavy drop.

Do deer like honey?

There's no research showing deer specifically seek out honey, and it isn't a documented food plot attractant. Deer are drawn to sugar broadly, which is partly why frosted brassicas get hit hard, but placing honey or any manufactured substance to attract deer can cross into your state's baiting rules, so check your state wildlife agency's definition first.

How late is too late to plant a winter food plot?

If you're inside 6 weeks of your area's first hard frost, you're too late for brassicas or bulb crops to mature properly. Cereal grains like wheat and rye are more forgiving and can still be planted up to about 4 weeks before ground freeze, though yield and tonnage drop the later you go.

Should I plant brassicas or cereal grains for a winter plot?

Plant both if you can. Brassicas (turnips, radishes) provide a high-sugar late-season bulb crop that peaks after frost, while cereal grains (oats, wheat, rye) germinate fast, tolerate cold, and often stay green through winter. A blend covers both early attraction and late-season nutrition better than either species alone.

Does my soil test change when I should plant?

It can. If your soil test shows low pH, get lime down 3 to 6 months before planting since standard ag lime takes that long to fully react. You'll usually still plant on your normal fall schedule, just accept a partial pH benefit in year one. Your soil test lab's specific lime and fertilizer rates are the authority, not a general planting calendar.

Sources

1. University of Tennessee Extension, Establishing Wildlife Food Plots: brassica germination temperature range and growing season needs
2. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate Normals: source for county-level first and last frost dates
3. USDA NRCS, Wildlife Habitat Management Food Plots guidance: food plot planting success ties to matching frost-free period length by region
4. Michigan DNR, Baiting and Feeding Regulations: baiting rules define placed feed distinctly from standing food plots
5. University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension, Clover for Wildlife Food Plots: clover crude protein content range in vegetative growth
6. Pennsylvania Game Commission, White-tailed Deer Biology and Management: deer diet composition across browse, forbs, mast, and crops
7. Purdue University Extension, Managing Soil pH for Crop Production: standard ag lime takes 3 to 6 months to fully react and raise pH