Food plot seed to plant in august: what actually works

Last updated 2026-07-26

what is a food plot, exactly

A food plot is a planted patch of forage on hunting land meant to feed deer and other wildlife through part or all of the year, and to concentrate deer activity somewhere a hunter can watch or hunt it. That's it. No mystery. Most plots run somewhere between a quarter acre and a few acres, though plenty of guys plant smaller kill plots tucked into timber and bigger destination fields for late-season food. The USDA's National Agroforestry Center and state wildlife agencies both treat food plots as a form of wildlife habitat management, distinct from row-crop agriculture, because the goal is deer nutrition and hunting opportunity, not yield per acre for sale ^[1]. A plot can be annual (replanted every year, like brassicas or cereal grains) or perennial (clover, chicory, alfalfa) that you maintain for 3 to 5 years before it needs renovation. August plantings are almost always annuals, because perennials go in spring or very early fall in most of the country. If you're new to this and want a structured starting point rather than piecing it together from forum posts, our food plot whitetail guide walks through the basics of plot types and how to pick one for your ground.

when to plant food plots for deer, by zone

Upper Midwest / Northeast	mid-Sept to early Oct	late July to mid-Aug	mid-Aug to early Sept
Transition zone / Mid-South	mid-Oct to early Nov	mid-Aug to mid-Sept	late Aug to mid-Sept
Deep South / Coastal Plain	late Nov or later	Sept to early Oct	Sept to Oct	These are starting points, not gospel. Local soil moisture matters more than the calendar in a dry August. Planting brassica seed into bone-dry dirt just wastes seed and money, so if you're in a drought, it's often smarter to wait for a rain forecast even if it pushes you past the ideal window by a week or two.

There's no single August planting date that works from Georgia to Minnesota. What matters is counting backward from your area's average first hard frost, because most fall annuals need 60 to 90 days of growing season before deer season and before a killing freeze locks things down. Roughly speaking: the Upper Midwest and Northeast (zones with first frost around mid-September to early October) should plant brassicas and cereal grains from late July through mid-August. The transition zone and mid-South (first frost mid-October to early November) has more room, planting anywhere from mid-August through mid-September. The Deep South and southern Coastal Plain (first frost late November or later) can wait until September or even October for a lot of these same species. Your state land-grant university extension office publishes frost date tables and regional planting calendars specific to your county, and that's a better source than any generic national chart, including this one. Purdue's Forestry and Natural Resources extension, for example, publishes food plot planting guidance that lays out brassica and cereal grain windows by soil temperature and frost risk ^[2]. Here's the general framework: | Region | Typical first frost | Brassica/turnip planting window | Cereal grain (oats/wheat/rye) window |

when to plant turnips for deer

Turnips go in the ground 80 to 90 days before your area's first hard frost, which for most of the whitetail range lands somewhere between late July and mid-August. Turnips need that long runway to bulb out and build the sugar content that makes them attractive once cold weather hits. Here's the part a lot of first-timers get wrong: deer often ignore turnip plots for the first month or six weeks after planting. Turnip greens are edible right away, but deer usually don't hammer the plot hard until after a few frosts convert starches to sugars in the bulb and leaves, which is why turnip plots are a late-season play, not an early-season one. Seeding rate for turnips alone typically runs 4 to 6 pounds per acre, planted a quarter inch to a half inch deep into a firm, weed-free seedbed. Broadcasting onto a prepared bed and lightly dragging or cultipacking works fine. You don't need to bury turnip seed deep. Too deep and it won't emerge. Most commercial food plot blends mix turnips with radishes, rape, and sometimes a cereal grain, because a straight monoculture of turnips can get hammered too early and leave nothing for late season if deer discover the greens before the bulbs mature. If you want a deeper breakdown of blend options, the deer food plot seed guide covers common mixes and how to read a bag label.

when to plant oats for deer

Oats go in 60 to 75 days before the first killing frost, generally August through early September depending on zone, and they're one of the most forgiving cereal grains for a food plot because they germinate fast and tolerate a wider soil pH range than clover or alfalfa. Oats are an annual, meaning they die out over winter in most of the country (they're not as winter-hardy as wheat or cereal rye). That makes them a great early-to-mid fall attractant, since oats put on lush, tender green growth within 2 to 3 weeks of planting and deer often hit a fresh oat plot hard before brassicas even emerge. Seeding rate for oats alone runs 2 to 3 bushels per acre (roughly 64 to 96 pounds, since a bushel of oats weighs about 32 pounds), drilled at 1 to 1.5 inches deep, or broadcast a bit heavier if you can't drill. Oats pair well in a blend with turnips or with a legume like clover, giving deer both fast green groceries in September and something durable heading into winter. If your region has a longer frost-free window, cereal rye or winter wheat might outlast oats and stay green further into winter, since both are considerably more cold-tolerant. But for a pure August planting aimed at early fall attraction, oats are hard to beat on speed alone.

do deer eat sorghum

Yes, deer eat grain sorghum (milo), both the standing grain heads and the young foliage, though it's used more as a late-season energy source and screening cover than as a primary attractant. Sorghum isn't typically an August planting in most of the whitetail range because it's a warm-season crop planted in late spring to early summer (May through June in most zones), similar to corn. Where sorghum fits an August conversation is in the Deep South and parts of Texas, where a longer growing season allows a later planting window that can still mature before frost. If you already have standing sorghum from an early summer planting, August is often when you're managing it (spraying, monitoring for aphids or headworms) rather than planting it fresh. Deer will browse sorghum leaves through the growing season and then hit the mature grain heads hard in fall and winter, especially once other food sources thin out. It's a solid standing-crop option for cold-climate late season, but it's not an August-seeding annual for most of the country the way oats or turnips are.

do deer eat clover, and do deer like clover

Yes, deer eat clover readily, and it's consistently one of the most preferred food plot forages across whitetail range, but August is a rough month to establish new clover in most of the country and it's usually not the best plan. Clover is a perennial or biennial planted primarily in early spring or very early fall (roughly 6 to 8 weeks before frost, similar timing to alfalfa), not deep summer. An August clover planting can work in northern-tier states with cooler August soil temps and enough remaining growing season, but in the transition zone and South, August heat and dry soil often kill young clover seedlings before they establish a root system. If you're set on clover this year, the safer play in most zones is waiting until early September for a proper frost-seeding style planting, or doing it the following spring. If you already have an established clover plot, August is instead maintenance season: mowing to knock back weed competition and encourage fresh regrowth, and possibly a light nitrogen or potash application based on your soil test results. For readers weighing clover against annual grains for a specific piece of ground, the species and strategy comparisons on this site break down perennial versus annual tradeoffs in more depth.

what should i actually plant in august, by scenario

The honest answer depends on your frost date, your soil moisture right now, and what you're trying to accomplish (early season attraction versus late season food). Here's how I'd think through it. If you're in the Upper Midwest or Northeast and want a fall attractant plot, plant oats or an oats-brassica blend in late July to mid-August. You'll have green groceries by early September, right as bow season opens in a lot of these states. If you're planting for late season (post-gun-season food when deer need calories to survive winter), lean brassica-heavy: turnips, radishes, sugar beets. Get them in by mid-August in the North, early September in the transition zone, so they have the 80 to 90 days to bulb up before hard frost triggers the sugar conversion that makes them attractive. If you're in the Deep South, you likely have more runway. September plantings of the same species often work fine, and jumping the gun in August risks planting into heat and drought stress with nothing to show for it. If you've got a soil test back and haven't limed or fertilized yet, do that before you plant anything, not after. Broadcasting lime the same day you seed doesn't help this year's crop; ag lime needs months to react with soil and shift pH, something most extension soil-testing labs note directly in their result interpretations ^[3]. Your soil test lab's recommendations are the actual authority on how much lime and fertilizer your specific field needs. A generic article can tell you the categories; it can't tell you your field's pH or phosphorus level.

what are deer's favorite foods

Deer preference isn't fixed. It shifts by season, region, and what else is available on the landscape, but research consistently points to a short list of high-preference categories: soft mast (acorns, apples, persimmons), legumes (clover, soybeans, cowpeas), and brassica bulbs/greens after frost. Acorns, when available, often beat any planted food plot species outright. Deer are opportunistic browsers, and studies on whitetail diet composition show acorns can make up a large share of fall diet in years with a good mast crop, sometimes displacing food plot use almost entirely during peak acorn drop. That's a real limitation of food plots: in a bumper acorn year, your beautifully planted brassica field might sit untouched until acorns run out. Among planted options, soybeans and clover generally test highest in crude protein and get hit hardest during the growing season, while brassicas and cereal grains take over as fall progresses and browse quality elsewhere drops. There's no universal single "best" species. It's really a portfolio question: something for early season, something for the frost-driven late season, and awareness that a good acorn year will change deer behavior no matter what you planted. Our food plot seed and deer food plots guides go deeper on matching specific species to specific hunting goals if you want to build out a full-season plan rather than a single August planting.

do deer like honey

There's no real evidence deer seek out honey as a food source, and it's not a food plot or attractant question with much research behind it, probably because honey isn't something deer encounter naturally in the woods in any meaningful quantity. Deer are herbivores built to browse and graze plant material; their digestive system (a four-chambered rumen) is built around fermenting fibrous plant matter, not concentrated sugars from an animal-produced substance. Some commercial deer attractant products include sugar, molasses, or other sweeteners, and deer will investigate sweet smells out of curiosity or because sugar itself is palatable to most mammals in small amounts. But that's different from honey being a natural or preferred whitetail food. If you've seen anecdotal claims about deer and honey, they're likely tied to molasses-based mineral or attractant products rather than actual honeycomb or raw honey. One practical note that matters more than the honey question itself: using any bait or attractant, sweetened or otherwise, to hunt over is regulated differently state by state. Some states ban baiting outright, some restrict it seasonally or by distance from a stand, and definitions of what counts as "bait" vary. Check your state wildlife agency's current baiting and feeding regulations before using any attractant product, planted or otherwise, near a stand you intend to hunt.

how do i build a planting calendar for my specific ground

Start with your first frost date, work backward by species, then adjust for what your soil test actually says instead of guessing. That's the whole method, but a lot of guys skip step one and just plant on a date that worked for a buddy three states away. Your county extension office (part of the land-grant university system in every state) publishes local frost date averages and, in most states, a specific food plot or wildlife forage planting calendar. Look for extension publications built specifically around deer forage timing, not generic garden vegetable timing. Once you know your window, pull your soil test results and confirm pH and base fertility before you buy seed. Brassicas and clover both want pH in the 6.0 to 7.0 range for best nutrient uptake, and a soil test from a university or state ag lab will tell you exactly how much lime you need in tons per acre to get there, something a bag of seed's label can't tell you ^[3]. This is genuinely the part where a lot of plots underperform, not species choice. Guys buy an expensive blend, skip the soil test, and plant into a pH of 5.2, where phosphorus and other nutrients are locked up and unavailable no matter how much fertilizer goes down. If you want a structured plan built around your specific frost dates, soil test numbers, and acreage rather than piecing together generic advice, that's exactly what our $99 one-time Custom Food Plot Plan is built to do. It's not agronomy consulting or a guarantee of deer activity. It's a planting plan tailored to your inputs, built from the same extension-level data referenced throughout this article.

equipment and seedbed prep for an august planting

August plantings usually mean prepping into whatever's left of a spring planting or fallow ground, and the biggest mistake is broadcasting good seed onto a bad seedbed. Seed-to-soil contact matters more than the brand of seed in the bag. For small plots (under an acre), a basic setup works: mow or spray existing vegetation, disc or till lightly, broadcast seed at the right rate, then cultipack or drag to firm the seedbed. Brassica seed is tiny and needs to be shallow, a quarter inch or less, so a heavy drag can bury it too deep. Cereal grains like oats are more forgiving and can be drilled an inch or more deep. For bigger acreage, a no-till drill saves a lot of headache, especially if you're planting into standing stubble from an earlier crop or a sprayed-out cover. No-till drilling also holds moisture better in a dry August than a fully tilled, exposed seedbed, which matters a lot given how often August plantings get short on rain in parts of the country. Whatever equipment you're running, timing the planting to a rain forecast beats timing it to a calendar date. Seed sitting in dry dirt for two or three weeks waiting on rain doesn't just delay germination, it can rot or get eaten by birds and rodents before it ever sprouts.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best food plot seed to plant in August?

For most zones, oats or an oats-brassica blend (turnips, radishes) are the best August plantings. Oats germinate fast for early fall attraction, and brassicas need the 80 to 90 day runway before frost to bulb up for late season. The right mix depends on your frost date and whether you want early or late season food.

When should I plant food plots for deer?

Plant annual fall plots 60 to 90 days before your area's average first hard frost, generally late July to mid-August in the North, mid-August to September in the transition zone, and September to October in the Deep South. Check your state land-grant extension office for exact local frost date averages.

Do deer eat sorghum?

Yes, deer eat grain sorghum's leaves during the growing season and the mature grain heads in fall and winter. It's a warm-season crop typically planted May through July, not an August planting, and works best as a late-season standing food source in colder climates.

Do deer eat clover, and do deer like clover?

Yes, clover is one of deer's most preferred forages. But it's a perennial best planted in early spring or very early fall, not deep August, since summer heat and dry soil often kill new clover seedlings before roots establish.

When should I plant turnips for deer?

Plant turnips 80 to 90 days before your first hard frost, typically late July through mid-August in most whitetail range. Deer often ignore the plot for a month or more until a few frosts convert starches to sugars, making turnips primarily a late-season food source.

When should I plant oats for deer?

Plant oats 60 to 75 days before first frost, generally August through early September. Oats germinate within 2 to 3 weeks and are one of the fastest, most forgiving cereal grains for early fall food plot attraction, though they're not as winter-hardy as wheat or cereal rye.

What is a food plot?

A food plot is a planted area of forage, ranging from a quarter acre to several acres, established on hunting land to feed deer and concentrate their activity for observation or hunting. Plots can be annual (replanted yearly) or perennial (maintained 3 to 5 years before renovation).

What are deer's favorite foods?

Acorns and other soft mast often top the list when available, sometimes pulling deer away from food plots entirely during a good mast year. Among planted forages, legumes like clover and soybeans and frost-sweetened brassicas rank highest in both preference and crude protein content.

Do deer like honey?

There's no real evidence deer seek out honey specifically; it's not a natural part of their diet or a studied food plot attractant. Anecdotal reports are likely confusing honey with molasses-based mineral or attractant products, which do contain sugars deer find palatable in small amounts.

Can I plant clover in August instead of spring or fall?

It's risky in most of the country because summer heat and dry soil often kill young clover before it roots in. Northern states with cooler August soil temps have better odds, but the safer standard windows are early spring or 6 to 8 weeks before first frost in early fall.

How deep should I plant brassica seed like turnips in August?

Plant turnip and other brassica seed a quarter inch to a half inch deep into a firm, weed-free seedbed. These seeds are tiny and won't emerge from deeper plantings, so a light cultipack or drag after broadcasting works better than tilling them in.

Is it too late to plant a food plot in August?

No, for most of the country August is prime time for oats, cereal grain blends, and brassicas like turnips, since these species only need 60 to 90 days before frost. It can be too late for clover establishment in warmer zones, where spring or early September is safer.

Should I fertilize before or after planting in August?

Apply lime and fertilizer based on your soil test results before or at planting, not after. Lime especially needs months to react with soil and adjust pH, so if you haven't tested and limed yet, get that done as early in the process as possible rather than waiting.

Sources

1. USDA National Agroforestry Center, Working Trees for Wildlife: Food plots and planted forage areas are treated as a wildlife habitat management practice distinct from commercial row-crop agriculture.
2. Purdue University Forestry and Natural Resources Extension, food plot planting guidance: Midwest food plot species have specific planting windows tied to soil temperature and regional frost risk.
3. Mississippi State University Extension, White-tailed Deer Food Habits and Nutrition publication P2434: Brassica forages become more palatable after frost exposure, and the Deep South has a longer, later planting window for fall annuals.
4. University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture Extension, PB1769 Establishing and Managing Wildlife Food Plots: Clover consistently ranks among the highest-preference, highest-protein forages available to whitetail deer.
5. University of Missouri Extension, Soil Test Interpretations and Recommendations (publication G9101): Agricultural lime needs months to react with soil and shift pH, so it should be applied well ahead of planting, not at planting.