Best clover for a fall food plot (and how to plant it)

Last updated 2026-07-26

What actually makes a clover "best" for a fall plot?

There's no single best clover for every property. The right answer depends on your soil pH, how much sun the plot gets, whether you're planting a standalone fall plot or overseeding into an existing perennial stand, and how long you want the plot to last. Ladino white clover (a large-leaf white clover type) and medium red clover are the two varieties that show up in almost every serious food plot mix, and for good reason. Both are perennial or biennial legumes that fix their own nitrogen, both handle mowing and grazing pressure, and both come back the following spring if you manage them right. The University of Tennessee Extension lists ladino white clover and red clover among its top perennial forage recommendations for wildlife food plots, noting both establish well from late summer through early fall seeding ^[1]. If you're planting a true fall-only annual plot, clover isn't actually your best tool. That's a job for brassicas or cereal grains. Clover shines when you want a plot that feeds deer in fall, survives winter, and comes back green in spring without replanting. Keep that distinction in mind before you buy seed. For a broader rundown on species selection across the whole season, the food plot whitetail guide breaks down where clover fits against other plot types.

Ladino white clover vs. red clover: which wins for fall planting?

Stand life	3-5 years	2-3 years
Grazing tolerance	Excellent (spreads via stolons)	Good, slower recovery
Shade tolerance	Better	Poor to fair
Drought/heat tolerance	Fair	Better
Ideal soil pH	6.0-6.5	6.0-7.0
Seeding rate (pure stand)	4-8 lbs/acre	8-12 lbs/acre	Seeding rates above come from standard land-grant extension recommendations for legume forage seedings; Penn State Extension lists similar rates for clover-based wildlife plantings and stresses that rate should scale up with poor seedbed prep or broadcast (versus drilled) seeding. Many experienced plotters just run both in the same mix. A blend gives you red clover's faster establishment and drought buffer in year one, with ladino carrying the stand into years two and three as the red clover fades out.

Ladino white clover is the workhorse pick for most fall plots because it tolerates close, repeated grazing (deer bite it down to almost nothing and it keeps growing back from stolons), it handles partial shade better than red clover, and it's genuinely perennial in most whitetail range, often persisting 3-5 years with good management. Medium red clover grows more upright, produces more total forage tonnage per acre in a single cutting, and tolerates lower soil fertility and drier conditions better than ladino. Its downside is that it's shorter-lived, typically 2-3 years, and it doesn't recover from heavy grazing as fast because it lacks the spreading stolon structure ladino has. | Trait | Ladino white clover | Medium red clover |

Do deer like clover?

Yes, deer like clover, and it's one of the most consistently preferred forages in whitetail research. Clover is high in crude protein (often 20-30% on a dry matter basis in vegetative growth stages) and highly digestible, which matters most in spring and summer when does are lactating and bucks are growing antlers. That said, clover's palatability actually drops relative to other options once a hard frost hits in fall. Deer preference studies and extension observations consistently show that once brassicas like turnips and radishes sweeten up after frost (their starches convert to sugars), deer will often shift heavily toward those over clover for a few weeks. Clover doesn't disappear from the diet, it just gets outcompeted temporarily by the frost-sweetened brassicas. This is why a lot of the best fall plot plans pair clover (for season-long, multi-year draw) with a fall annual like brassicas or cereal grains for that late-season frost-driven spike. If you're weighing clover against other species for your specific setup, the deer food plot seed breakdown covers how different species stack up on protein and palatability.

When should you plant clover for a fall plot?

Plant clover 6-8 weeks before your area's average first hard frost, which gives seedlings enough time to establish a root system before winter dormancy. In most of the whitetail range that lands somewhere between mid-August and mid-September, though the exact window shifts hard by latitude and elevation. The Mississippi State University Extension deer program recommends fall clover seeding be completed by early-to-mid September in most of the Southeast to allow establishment before cooler temperatures slow growth ^[2]. Farther north, in states like Wisconsin or Minnesota, you'd want to be in the ground by late August at the latest, because clover seedlings need active growing degree days to get root systems established before frost shuts things down. A rough regional frame: - Deep South (zones 8-9): late August through mid-September

• Mid-South / transition zone (zones 6-7): mid-August through early September
• North (zones 3-5): early August through late August These are seeding windows, not guarantees. Always check your local extension office's frost date data before locking in a date, since a single early cold snap can wreck a late-planted stand. If you're planting clover as a fall-overseed into an existing thin stand rather than a fresh plot, you actually have more flexibility, since established root systems from prior plantings help buffer against a slightly late seeding.

When to plant food plots for deer overall (more than clover)

Food plot timing splits into two broad windows: spring/summer plots for annual warm-season forages (soybeans, cowpeas, corn) and late-summer/fall plots for cool-season perennials and annuals (clover, brassicas, cereal grains). Most hunters planting for fall hunting season are working in that second window. The general rule extension agronomists use: plant so the crop has time to establish before the first killing frost, and back-calculate from your local average frost date. The USDA NRCS plant fact sheets and state extension frost-date tables are the standard references for this, and your local county extension office can pull exact 10-year average frost dates for your specific zip code. For a full month-by-month breakdown across regions, see the site's [seasonal-calendars hub], and for species-specific advice check deer food plots which covers how to sequence plantings across a whole property.

When to plant turnips for deer

Turnips should go in the ground 60-90 days before your first expected hard frost, which usually lines up close to clover's planting window but skews slightly earlier in some regions because turnips need more total days to bulb out. Turnip tubers need that frost to trigger the starch-to-sugar conversion that makes them attractive to deer, and the greens themselves become more palatable after a frost too. If you plant too late, you get leafy growth but small or absent bulbs, and deer will hit the tops but ignore the roots. Oklahoma State University Extension and similar land-grant programs recommend brassica plantings, including turnips, be seeded 60-90 days before the first killing frost date for the area, with shallow seeding depth (a quarter inch or less) because turnip seed is tiny ^[3]. Many hunters plant turnips in the same plot as clover, either as a fall nurse crop in year one or blended permanently, since the turnip greens and bulbs give a strong early-to-mid fall draw while the clover underneath establishes for years two and beyond.

When to plant oats for deer

Oats should be planted 6-8 weeks before your first fall frost, generally the same window as clover, making them a natural companion crop. Oats germinate fast (often visible within a week in warm soil) and provide quick green cover and forage while slower-establishing clover or brassicas get going underneath. Oats are a cool-season annual grain, not a perennial, so they won't survive a hard winter in most of the whitetail range, they're a one-season play. Deer hit young oat shoots hard in fall, and oats are commonly used as a nurse crop mixed with clover, since the oats germinate and grow fast enough to suppress weeds while the clover seedlings get established underneath. University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension recommends oats for fall wildlife plantings be seeded from late August through mid-September in most of the state, at 2-3 bushels per acre when drilled ^[4]. If you're broadcasting into an existing clover stand rather than drilling into bare ground, cut that rate and make sure to get decent seed-to-soil contact with a light disking or cultipacking pass.

Do deer eat sorghum?

Yes, deer eat sorghum, particularly grain sorghum heads and young sorghum shoots, but it's a warm-season crop, not a fall-planted one, and it's more commonly used as a standing grain source for winter than as a fall attraction plot. Sorghum is planted in late spring to early summer (after soil temps hit 60-65°F) and matures through late summer into fall, at which point the grain heads stand through much of the winter and provide a slow-release food source, similar to how standing corn works. It's drought-tolerant compared to corn, which makes it a common choice in drier regions or on marginal soils. Sorghum isn't typically a first-choice deer food in preference studies, though; deer will eat it, especially the grain, but it usually ranks behind soybeans, corn, and clover in direct preference comparisons. It's more valuable as a winter carbohydrate source standing in the field than as an active fall draw crop.

Do deer like honey (locust)?

If the question is about honey locust trees (a common food plot and habitat question, not honey the substance) yes, deer readily eat the sugar-rich seed pods that drop from honey locust trees in fall, and many food plotters intentionally leave or plant honey locust as a mast-producing edge tree. Honey locust pods are high in sugar content and drop through fall into early winter, giving a natural supplemental food source that requires zero planting or maintenance once a tree is established. They're not a food plot crop in the traditional tilled-and-seeded sense, but they're worth knowing about if you're managing habitat edges around a plot. If the question actually means honey (the bee product), there's no meaningful research or practical relevance to deer diets there, deer aren't documented to seek out honey in the wild, and it's not used in food plot planning.

What is a food plot, exactly?

A food plot is a planted area of forage, grain, or legume crops on hunting land, established specifically to attract, hold, and provide nutrition for deer and other wildlife, usually ranging from a quarter-acre kill plot tucked near a stand to multi-acre agricultural-style fields. Food plots serve two overlapping goals: nutrition (helping deer through stress periods like lactation, antler growth, and winter) and hunting access (concentrating deer activity in a predictable, huntable location). Some plots are designed purely for nutrition and left unhunted, others are small "kill plots" designed specifically for bow range visibility near a stand. State wildlife agencies generally regulate food plots differently than bait piles or mineral feeding stations, since a planted, rooted crop is treated as normal agriculture rather than an artificial feed source in most states. That said, rules vary significantly. Some states classify certain plot practices (like broadcasting seed over existing bait, or plots inside specific hunt units) differently, so check your state wildlife agency's regulations before planting near a season you plan to hunt. For example, Pennsylvania Game Commission guidance draws a distinction between food plots (legal) and bait/feeding (restricted in Chronic Wasting Disease Management Areas) ^[5]. For a full explainer on plot types and sizing, see food plot whitetail.

What are deer's favorite foods overall?

Deer preference shifts by season, but across most whitetail research, the consistent favorites are acorns (especially white oak family acorns, which are lower in tannins and more palatable than red oak acorns), soybeans, clover, and, in fall, frost-sweetened brassicas like turnips and radishes. A widely cited deer food preference ranking from Mississippi State University's deer research program places white oak acorns, soybeans, and clover at or near the top of fall/winter forage preference, with corn and most grasses ranking notably lower in direct choice tests. Acorns are unmanaged mast, not something you plant, but they matter enormously in years with a strong acorn crop, since deer will often bypass planted plots entirely in favor of a good acorn drop. This is one of the most frustrating realities of food plot management: your plot's performance in any given fall depends partly on how good the natural mast crop is that year, and that's completely outside your control. A thin acorn year usually means heavier plot pressure; a bumper acorn year can make even a great clover plot look quiet by comparison.

How to plant a fall clover plot step by step

Start with a soil test 60-90 days before planting, since clover is far more sensitive to soil pH than most annual crops, most legumes want pH between 6.0 and 6.5, and lime takes months to fully react with soil, so late applications don't help the current season much. Your soil test lab's recommendations are the actual authority on how much lime and fertilizer your specific plot needs; a general guide can't account for your soil's exact buffer pH and nutrient levels. Basic sequence for a fall clover planting: 1. Pull a soil sample and apply lime per your test results, ideally months ahead if possible. 2. Kill existing vegetation (glyphosate on a clean-till approach, or mow tight if no-till). 3. Broadcast or drill clover seed at 4-8 lbs/acre for ladino, 8-12 lbs/acre for red clover, no deeper than a quarter inch (clover seed is tiny and needs light, not deep burial). 4. Cultipack or lightly drag to ensure seed-to-soil contact. 5. Apply a starter fertilizer per your soil test (clover needs phosphorus and potassium but fixes its own nitrogen, so skip heavy N applications). 6. Consider a nurse crop of oats at a reduced rate to control weeds and give quick fall cover while clover establishes. For equipment and method specifics (drill vs. broadcast, cultipacker setup), the site's equipment-and-methods hub covers plot prep in more depth, and the deer food plot seed page walks through blending clover with companion species.

Clover maintenance: what keeps a fall-planted stand alive into spring

A fall-planted clover stand needs almost nothing over winter beyond making sure it wasn't planted too late to root in before hard frost. The real maintenance work starts the following spring and summer: mowing to control weed competition and stimulate fresh regrowth, and staying on top of pH and potassium levels with follow-up soil tests every 2-3 years. Mow clover plots to 4-6 inches whenever weeds start to outcompete it or whenever growth gets rank and stemmy, generally every 3-4 weeks during the growing season. Clover that's allowed to get shaded out by tall weeds thins fast, and once a stand thins below about 50% clover coverage, most experienced plotters just kill it and start over rather than trying to nurse it back. A well-maintained ladino clover plot on decent soil with regular liming can genuinely run 4-5 years before needing a full reset. That's the real economic case for clover over pure annual plots: higher upfront cost and effort, lower cost per year of use if you maintain it. If you'd rather have a soil-test-informed plan built around your specific plot size, region, and equipment instead of guessing at rates and timing, that's exactly the kind of thing a Custom Food Plot Plan is built for, a $99 one-time plan that turns your soil test results into a specific seed, lime, and fertilizer recommendation for your ground.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best clover for a fall food plot in most regions?

Ladino white clover is the most commonly recommended pick across land-grant extension guides for fall food plots, thanks to its grazing tolerance and multi-year stand life. Medium red clover is a strong second choice on poorer or drier soils. Many mixes blend both, since red clover establishes fast in year one while ladino carries the stand longer term.

Do deer eat sorghum?

Yes, deer eat grain sorghum, both the young shoots and the mature grain heads, though it's less preferred than corn, soybeans, or clover in most preference studies. Sorghum is a warm-season crop planted in late spring, and it's used mainly as a standing winter food source rather than a fall attraction plot.

Do deer eat clover?

Yes, deer readily eat clover, and it's one of their most consistently preferred forages due to high crude protein content (often 20-30% dry matter) and digestibility. Preference can drop temporarily in fall once frost-sweetened brassicas become available, but clover stays a reliable year-round food source in a plot rotation.

When should you plant food plots for deer?

Plant fall food plots 6-8 weeks before your area's average first hard frost date, generally mid-August through mid-September depending on latitude. Spring/summer plots for warm-season crops like soybeans go in after your last spring frost. Always check your county extension office's local frost date averages before locking a date.

Do deer like clover more than other food plot crops?

Deer show strong, consistent preference for clover across most of the growing season, especially spring and summer. In fall, frost-sweetened brassicas like turnips often temporarily outcompete clover in direct preference. Most experienced plotters plant both, using clover for season-long draw and brassicas for the late-season frost-triggered spike.

When should you plant oats for deer food plots?

Plant oats 6-8 weeks before your first fall frost, the same general window as clover, at 2-3 bushels per acre when drilled per University of Kentucky Extension guidance. Oats germinate fast and work well as a nurse crop planted alongside clover, since oats establish quickly while clover seedlings take root underneath.

When should you plant turnips for a deer food plot?

Plant turnips 60-90 days before your area's first expected hard frost. Turnips need that longer window to bulb out properly, and the frost itself triggers the starch-to-sugar conversion that makes both the greens and the roots more palatable to deer.

What is a food plot exactly?

A food plot is a planted area of forage, grain, or legume crops on hunting land established to attract and provide nutrition for deer, ranging from small kill plots near a stand to multi-acre fields. Plots serve both nutrition and hunting-access goals, and most states regulate them differently from bait or mineral feeding.

What are deer's favorite foods overall?

Across most research, white oak acorns rank as the top natural preference, with soybeans and clover close behind among planted crops. Frost-sweetened brassicas like turnips and radishes become highly preferred in late fall. Corn and most grasses generally rank lower in direct preference comparisons per Mississippi State University deer research.

Do deer like honey?

Deer aren't documented to seek out honey (the bee product) in the wild, so it has no real relevance to food plot planning. If the question means honey locust trees, yes, deer eagerly eat the sugar-rich seed pods that drop in fall, and the species is sometimes left standing as a natural supplemental food source near plots.

Should I plant ladino or red clover if I only have one shot at it?

If your plot gets partial shade or heavy repeated browsing pressure, choose ladino white clover. If your soil is poor, dry, or you want faster first-year establishment and don't mind replanting sooner, choose red clover. Many seed blends include both so you get the benefits of each without picking wrong.

How long does a fall clover food plot last before needing replanting?

A well-maintained ladino clover stand with regular mowing and periodic lime applications based on soil test results can last 4-5 years. Red clover typically runs 2-3 years before thinning out. Once a stand drops below roughly 50% clover coverage from weed competition, most plotters till it under and start fresh rather than trying to rehab it.

Sources

1. University of Tennessee Extension, Wildlife Food Plots publication: Ladino white clover and red clover are top perennial forage recommendations for wildlife food plots, established late summer through early fall
2. Mississippi State University Extension, Deer Food Plot Establishment: Fall clover seeding in the Southeast should be completed by early-to-mid September for proper establishment
3. Oklahoma State University Extension, Brassica forage planting guidance: Brassicas including turnips should be planted 60-90 days before first killing frost, seeded shallow due to small seed size
4. University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension, Wildlife Food Plot Establishment: Oats for fall wildlife plots seeded late August through mid-September at 2-3 bushels per acre when drilled
5. Pennsylvania Game Commission, CWD baiting and feeding regulations: Food plots are treated differently than bait and feeding under Chronic Wasting Disease Management Area rules