When to plant fall food plots in Tennessee

Last updated 2026-07-26

When should you plant fall food plots in Tennessee?

Tennessee's fall planting window runs from mid-August through mid-October, and where you land in that window depends on what you're planting and which part of the state you hunt. Brassicas and turnips need the most lead time and should go in the ground first, from mid-August to early September. Cereal grains like oats and wheat, along with clover and clover-grain mixes, can wait until late August through mid-October. Tennessee spans three grand divisions with real climate differences. That's why the window is so wide. Earlier dates fit East Tennessee's higher elevations, and later dates work fine on West Tennessee's warmer, lower ground. Cooperative Extension agronomy guidance for cool-season forages across the mid-South generally frames late summer through early fall as the establishment window for small grains and clover-type legumes, with cooler upland sites planted earlier than warmer lowland sites ^[1]. If you only remember one rule, make it this one: count backward from your average first frost date. Most food plot species need 60 to 90 days of growth before a hard freeze locks things up, so find your local frost date and work backward from there rather than planting off a generic calendar.

When should you plant deer food plots in Tennessee, by region?

East TN (mountains, upper valleys)	Aug 1-25	Aug 25-Oct 5	Aug 15-Oct 1
Middle TN	Aug 10-Sep 5	Sep 1-Oct 10	Aug 20-Oct 10
West TN	Aug 15-Sep 10	Sep 5-Oct 15	Aug 25-Oct 15	These ranges aren't gospel from a single source. They're a synthesis built from typical cool-season forage timing in the mid-South and typical first-frost dates across the state, which run from late September in the higher elevations of East Tennessee to late October or even early November in the bootheel counties of West Tennessee. If you're on a ridge or in a mountain valley in East Tennessee, plant on the early side of these ranges. If you're on bottomland in West Tennessee, you've got more room to wait, and honestly waiting a bit can help you dodge a late-summer dry spell. One thing that trips people up: a warm fall doesn't mean you get more time. Deer browsing pressure on a small plot ramps up fast once acorns and other natural forage start to decline in October, so a plot that's still in the seedling stage when that pressure hits can get grazed to the dirt before it ever produces tonnage.

Tennessee breaks cleanly into three planting zones that roughly follow the state's grand divisions, and elevation matters as much as latitude. Here's how the windows generally shake out for the most common fall species. | Region | Brassicas/turnips | Oats/wheat | Clover |

When should you plant turnips for deer in Tennessee?

Turnips need to go in the ground earlier than almost anything else in your fall plot rotation, ideally by mid-August in Middle and West Tennessee and by late August in East Tennessee's cooler pockets. That's because turnips need time to build a bulb before cold weather, and the plant's most attractive stage to deer, the sweetened leaves and roots after a few frosts, only happens if the plant matured first. Turnips (and other brassicas like radishes and canola-type forage rape) convert starches to sugars after frost exposure, which is why deer often ignore a turnip plot in September and hammer it in December. Extension forage guidance for brassica-type crops generally recommends planting 60 to 90 days before you expect them to be grazed heavily, which for most of Tennessee means an August planting date. Miss that window and plant in September instead, and you'll likely get smaller bulbs and less tonnage, though the plot will still produce edible leaf matter. Seeding rate matters too. Most turnip and brassica blends call for 4 to 6 pounds per acre broadcast, and they need firm, shallow seed-to-soil contact, not deep burial. A cultipacker or light drag after broadcasting works better than trying to drill these tiny seeds.

When should you plant oats for deer in Tennessee?

Plant oats for deer in Tennessee between late August and mid-October, with most of the state landing comfortably in a September window. Oats germinate fast, usually within 7 to 10 days given decent moisture, and they're one of the more forgiving cool-season grains for a plotter who's watching the weather rather than a strict calendar. Oats aren't winter-hardy in most of Tennessee the way wheat or triticale can be. If you're planting a plot you want to hold deer into January and February, pair oats with wheat or cereal rye, or lean on wheat alone in colder pockets of East Tennessee. Oats generally winterkill once temperatures drop into the mid-teens without snow cover, which is a well-documented limitation of the species in small grain forage variety work across the region ^[2]. That's a real consideration if you hunt the higher ridges of the Cumberland Plateau or the Smokies foothills, where wheat or a wheat-oat blend is the safer bet for late-season attraction. A straight oat plot at 2 to 3 bushels per acre (roughly 96 to 144 pounds) drilled a half inch to an inch deep gives you fast, heavy green growth that deer often hit within a few weeks of emergence. That quick payoff is part of why oats are such a popular standalone plot for guys who want something up and growing before opening day of archery season.

When should you plant clover for a fall food plot in Tennessee?

Clover for a fall-established plot in Tennessee should go in the ground between mid-August and mid-October, giving the seedlings enough of the growing season left to root in before winter dormancy. Fall is actually the preferred clover planting season for a lot of Tennessee land managers, because weed pressure is lower than in spring and the plants get a full spring flush the following year without ever competing against a first-year stand of crabgrass. A seeding window of roughly September 1 through October 15 is standard guidance for fall establishment of white and red clover across much of the mid-South, adjusted earlier in cooler, higher-elevation counties ^[3]. Clover needs a firm seedbed and shallow planting depth, no more than a quarter inch, and it benefits enormously from a lime and phosphorus correction based on an actual soil test rather than a guess. Clover is sensitive to soil pH in a way that oats and brassicas aren't. Most clover species want a pH between 6.0 and 6.5. If you're building a plot you want to hold deer for years, more than one season, clover mixed with a small amount of chicory is probably the most cost-effective perennial option in Tennessee. Just know that a fall-seeded clover plot won't hit full production until the following spring; it's a long-game plot, not an instant-gratification one.

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

Yes, deer eat clover readily and it's one of the most consistently preferred forages in whitetail diet studies across the Southeast. Clover is high in crude protein, typically 20 to 30 percent depending on species and growth stage, and deer will graze it through most of the growing season when it's actively growing. Field research on whitetail food plot forage selection has repeatedly ranked clover among the top preferred plantings, competitive with soybeans and cowpeas during the growing season. That said, clover's growth slows or stops during Tennessee's hot, dry August stretches and during hard winter cold, so it's not a year-round attractant on its own. Most experienced plotters pair a perennial clover base with a fall annual like oats, wheat, or brassicas planted into or alongside it, so there's always something green and palatable no matter the month. One honest caveat: clover preference varies by what else is available. In years with a heavy acorn drop, deer may largely ignore a clover plot in favor of white oak acorns, then come back hard to the clover once the acorns run out in December or January.

Do deer eat sorghum, and is it worth planting?

Deer do eat sorghum, primarily the grain heads and, to a lesser extent, the leaves, but it's generally considered a secondary food plot species rather than a primary attractant compared to soybeans, clover, or brassicas. Sorghum is more commonly planted for its cover value (it grows tall and thick, giving deer a place to feel secure while feeding) and for its seed heads, which mature in fall and can hold birds and deer into winter. If you're planting sorghum specifically for deer, grain sorghum varieties bred for wildlife food plots are the better choice over forage sorghum, since the grain heads are what deer target. It's a warm-season crop, though, planted in late spring, not part of a fall planting conversation the way turnips or oats are. Some Tennessee land managers use sorghum as a screening border around a fall brassica or clover plot, giving deer a comfortable travel corridor into the plot without being fully exposed. Don't expect sorghum to outperform a well-managed clover or soybean plot for deer attraction. It's a supporting player, useful for cover and late-season grain, not a headliner.

Do deer like honey, and does it belong in a food plot conversation?

Deer aren't drawn to honey the way they're drawn to natural browse and forage crops, and there's no real research or wildlife agency guidance treating honey as a deer attractant. Deer are herbivores built to process plant material through a rumen; they don't seek out honey the way, say, a bear would raid a hive for it. Some hunters have asked about honey because certain commercial deer attractant sprays and mineral products include sugar-based or molasses-based ingredients, which deer can be drawn to for the carbohydrate content, particularly in late summer and early fall. But that's a different thing from honey itself. It's also worth checking Tennessee's baiting rules before using any sweetened attractant near a hunting site. Tennessee Code Annotated 70-4-401 gives the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission authority to regulate methods of take, and TWRA's proclamation-based baiting restrictions prohibit hunting big game over bait, generally defined to include salt, minerals, grain, fruit, or other feed placed to attract game for hunting purposes ^[4]. A food plot itself isn't baiting under Tennessee law because it's a standing crop, but a pile of sweetened feed or a mineral lick used to draw deer into gun range is a different legal category entirely. Skip the honey question for food plot planning purposes. It's not a real deer food, and mixing sweetened attractants with hunting can create a legal problem depending on how and where you use it.

What is a food plot, exactly?

A food plot is a planted area of land, usually somewhere between a quarter acre and several acres, established specifically to provide supplemental forage for deer and other wildlife rather than for human harvest or livestock grazing. Unlike a farm field, a food plot's whole purpose is attraction and nutrition for game animals, and its size, shape, and location get chosen with deer movement and hunting access in mind as much as agronomy. Food plots generally fall into two categories: annual plots, replanted each year with fast-growing crops like brassicas, oats, or soybeans, and perennial plots, established less often with longer-lived species like clover or alfalfa that can produce for three to five years with proper maintenance. Most serious plot programs run both types together, using perennials as a stable base and annuals to fill seasonal gaps or target specific hunting windows. The basics of a good food plot come down to the same things that make any planted crop succeed: a soil test to know your starting pH and nutrient levels, correct species selection for your soil and shade conditions, proper seedbed prep, and timing that lines up with your local frost dates and growing season. If you want help translating a soil test into an actual planting plan for your specific ground, that's exactly what a Custom Food Plot Plan is built to do, for a flat $99 one-time fee. It's general planning guidance built around your inputs, not a substitute for what your soil test lab tells you about lime and fertilizer rates.

What are deer's favorite foods, and how should that shape your plot mix?

Deer preference research consistently points to a short list of favorites: soybeans and cowpeas during the growing season, clover nearly year-round when it's actively growing, acorns (especially white oak) in fall, and brassicas and cereal grains once cold weather sweetens them up or knocks back other options. Nothing on that list is a surprise to anyone who's watched a plot camera through a season, but the order of preference shifts by month. A study-backed way to think about it: deer prioritize protein and energy availability relative to what's naturally on the landscape. In summer, when natural browse is abundant but often lower in protein, a soybean or clover plot pulls hard because it offers concentrated protein deer can't easily find elsewhere. In late fall and winter, when natural forage quality craters, brassicas, turnips, and standing grain plots become disproportionately attractive because they're some of the only high-energy, high-carbohydrate food left standing. The general management principle wildlife biologists use is matching plot species to the seasonal nutritional gap rather than just planting whatever's popular. That's the real argument for planting more than one species. A single clover field is great in spring and early fall but goes dormant-ish in the coldest months; pairing it with a fall brassica or cereal grain plot gives deer something to hit through the exact stretch when clover alone falls short.

How does elevation and frost date change your Tennessee planting date?

Elevation is probably the single most underused piece of information in Tennessee food plot planning, because two properties 40 miles apart can have first-frost dates two to three weeks apart if one sits in a mountain valley and the other sits on the Highland Rim. Cold air settles into low mountain valleys and hollows in East Tennessee, so a ridge-top plot might frost later than a valley-bottom plot right next to it. As a general rule, expect first frost around late September to early October in the higher elevations of East Tennessee (Cumberland Plateau, Smokies foothills, upper valleys), mid-to-late October across most of Middle Tennessee, and late October into early November in the western part of the state along the Mississippi River bottoms. These are broad patterns, not site-specific guarantees, so check a frost date tool from NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information or your county extension office for numbers closer to your actual property ^[5]. Once you know your frost date, work backward: brassicas need 60 to 90 days before hard frost to bulb up properly, cereal grains need 30 to 45 days to establish solid root systems before hard freezes stop growth, and clover needs 45 to 60 days of fall growth to root in well enough to survive winter and green up strong the following spring.

How do you prep and plant a Tennessee fall food plot step by step?

Start with a soil test 60 to 90 days before your planting date, since that's the only way to know your actual lime and fertilizer needs rather than guessing. Most Tennessee soils run acidic. Lime takes months to fully react in the soil, so a test done the week before planting is often too late to fix pH before your seed goes in. Once you've got test results back, here's the general sequence: 1. Kill existing vegetation with glyphosate 2 to 3 weeks before planting, or till it under if you're working ground. 2. Apply lime according to your soil test recommendation; this can happen any time before planting since it takes months to work in. 3. Broadcast or drill seed at the recommended rate and depth for your chosen species. 4. Apply starter fertilizer based on your soil test, not a generic bag rate. 5. Cultipack or drag lightly to firm seed-to-soil contact, especially for small seeds like clover and brassicas. Equipment matters less than timing and soil correction. A guy with a hand broadcaster, a soil test, and the right planting date will out-produce a guy with a $40,000 tractor and no soil test almost every time. If you want a specific planting calendar and seed mix built around your actual soil numbers and property, that's what a Custom Food Plot Plan is for, a one-time $99 build that turns your test results into a real plan instead of a guess.

Frequently asked questions

When is the best time to plant fall food plots in Tennessee?

Most of Tennessee falls in a mid-August through mid-October window. Brassicas and turnips need the earliest start, mid-August to early September, while oats, wheat, and clover can go in from late August through mid-October. East Tennessee's higher elevations plant on the early end of these ranges; West Tennessee's lower, warmer ground can wait longer.

When should I plant turnips for deer in Tennessee?

Plant turnips by mid-August in Middle and West Tennessee, and by late August in cooler East Tennessee elevations. Turnips need 60 to 90 days to bulb up before frost, and their leaves and roots get sweeter and more attractive to deer after a few frosts hit them.

When should I plant oats for deer in Tennessee?

Oats can go in from late August through mid-October across Tennessee, with most of the state landing in a September window. Oats germinate in about 7 to 10 days but aren't very winter-hardy, so pair them with wheat if you want a plot that holds up into January and February.

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

Yes, clover is one of the most consistently preferred deer forages in the Southeast, running 20 to 30 percent crude protein. Deer graze it heavily through the growing season, though growth slows in hot, dry August stretches and during hard winter cold, so it works best paired with a fall annual.

Do deer eat sorghum?

Deer eat sorghum grain heads and some leaf material, but it's a secondary food plot species compared to soybeans, clover, or brassicas. Sorghum is more often planted for cover and screening, giving deer a secure travel corridor, than as a primary fall attractant.

Do deer like honey?

No, deer aren't naturally drawn to honey; they're herbivores that process plant forage, not sugar sources like a bear would seek. Some attractant products use sugar or molasses, which can draw deer, but that's different from honey and using sweetened attractants near a hunting site can run into Tennessee's baiting regulations.

What is a food plot?

A food plot is a planted area, typically a quarter acre to several acres, established specifically to feed deer or other wildlife rather than for human harvest. Plots split into annuals (replanted yearly, like oats or brassicas) and perennials (like clover, lasting three to five years with maintenance).

What are deer's favorite foods?

Deer preference research points to soybeans and cowpeas in summer, clover nearly year-round when actively growing, white oak acorns in fall, and brassicas or cereal grains once cold weather sweetens them. Preference shifts by season based on what's naturally available and what nutritional gap needs filling.

How far ahead of first frost should I plant a fall food plot in Tennessee?

Aim for 60 to 90 days before your local first hard frost for brassicas and turnips, 45 to 60 days for clover, and 30 to 45 days for cereal grains like oats and wheat. Tennessee frost dates range from late September in high East Tennessee elevations to early November in West Tennessee.

Can I plant clover and oats together in a fall plot in Tennessee?

Yes, and it's a common combination. Clover establishes slowly but provides a perennial base, while oats germinate fast and give quick tonnage the first fall. Plant them together in the same late-August to mid-October window, and the clover will carry the plot in following years after the oats winterkill or get grazed out.

Does elevation really change my planting date in Tennessee?

Yes, significantly. Cold air settles in East Tennessee's mountain valleys, so a plot on a ridge might frost two to three weeks later than a valley-bottom plot nearby. Always check a frost date tool for your specific location rather than relying on a statewide average.

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

You should get one, and ideally 60 to 90 days before planting since lime takes months to fully correct soil pH. Most Tennessee soils run acidic, and pH correction is the biggest yield factor most food plot managers overlook.

Sources

1. University of Tennessee Extension, PB 1768: Forage Establishment: Cool-season forages and small grains in the mid-South are generally established in late summer through early fall, with cooler upland sites planted earlier than warmer lowland sites
2. Oklahoma State University Extension, Small Grain Forage for Fall and Winter Grazing: Oats provide strong fall forage tonnage but are more prone to winterkill in hard freezes without snow cover than wheat or rye
3. University of Tennessee Extension, W 322: Establishing Clover in Tennessee Pastures: Fall seeding of white and red clover in the mid-South region is typically done from early September through mid-October, adjusted earlier at higher, cooler elevations
4. Tennessee Code Annotated Title 70, Chapter 4, Part 4, Section 70-4-401: Tennessee law gives the Fish and Wildlife Commission authority to regulate methods of take, including restrictions on hunting over bait
5. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Freeze/Frost Occurrence Data: First frost dates vary by weeks across Tennessee depending on elevation and local topography, from late September in high East Tennessee to early November in West Tennessee