Spring food plot mix for deer: what to plant and when

Last updated 2026-07-25

what is a food plot, exactly

A food plot is a planted patch of ground, usually somewhere between a quarter acre and a few acres, meant to feed deer and other wildlife and to give hunters a predictable place to watch or hunt from. It's not a garden and it's not a lawn. Most plots run anywhere from a few thousand square feet up to several acres depending on the property and what the landowner is trying to accomplish. Some are built for attraction near a stand. Others are built for tonnage, real food meant to carry a deer herd through winter. State wildlife agencies generally treat food plots differently from bait piles. Baiting rules vary a lot by state, some ban piled feed but allow plots grown in the ground, others regulate both. Check your state wildlife agency's page before you plant or hunt over anything, because the legal line between a "food plot" and "baiting" is drawn in different places from state to state. A spring plot specifically is one planted in April, May, or early June depending on your zone, aimed at either a perennial stand (clover, chicory) that will feed deer all summer and into fall, or a warm-season annual planted for tonnage and cover. Spring plots do double duty. They feed does through lactation and antler growth in bucks, and a well-established perennial plot from spring often becomes your best fall hunting plot too.

when to plant food plots for deer

Deep South (zones 8-9)	mid-March to mid-April	50-55°F
Mid-South / Transition (zones 6-7)	April 1 to May 1	50°F
Upper Midwest / Northeast (zones 4-5)	May 1 to June 1	50°F
Canada / far north (zone 3)	mid-May to mid-June	50°F	If you want a starting point built around your actual coordinates and soil test rather than a generic zone map, that's exactly the gap a Custom Food Plot Plan is meant to fill for $99, but you can absolutely build a solid plan yourself using your county extension office's frost data and a soil test.

Timing splits into two seasons, and spring and fall plantings do very different jobs. Spring plots (clover, chicory, some brassica blends in far northern climates, warm-season annuals like sorghum and soybeans) go in after your last frost date, once soil temperatures reach roughly 50°F for clover and legumes. Fall plots (brassicas, cereal grains, winter peas) go in 60 to 90 days before your first fall frost so they mature right as hunting season opens. The practical spring window runs from mid-April in the Deep South up through early June in the northern tier of states and Canada. Your local NRCS office or land-grant extension publishes average last frost dates by county, and that's the number to work from, not a calendar date that worked for your buddy three states away. Here's a rough spring planting window by region. Treat this as a starting point, not gospel, your local extension office has better resolution: | Region | Typical spring planting window | Soil temp target |

do deer like clover, and should it be your spring base

Yes. Clover is consistently one of the most preferred and most planted food plot forages in the whitetail world, and for good reason. It regrows after grazing, fixes its own nitrogen, and offers protein content in the 25 to 30 percent range in young growth, which lines up well with lactation and antler-growth demands in spring and summer. Ladino (white) clover and red clover are the two workhorses. Ladino tolerates closer grazing and spreads by stolons, so it holds up under heavy deer pressure better than red clover, which grows more upright and can thin out if deer hammer it hard early. Many mixes blend both so you get red clover's faster first-year establishment with ladino's long-term persistence. Clover is a perennial, meaning a well-managed stand can produce for three to five years before you need to reseed, which makes it one of the better costs-per-year options in a spring lineup. It does need a real soil test though. Clover is sensitive to soil pH and won't perform in acidic ground without lime, something your soil test lab will tell you specifically for your dirt. If you're weighing clover against other spring options for your specific acreage, the food plot seed comparison breaks down cost and tonnage side by side.

do deer eat sorghum, and does it belong in a spring mix

Yes, deer eat sorghum, particularly the grain heads later in the season, and the standing stalks make excellent screening cover. But sorghum is a warm-season annual, planted after soil temperatures are reliably above 60 to 65°F, which puts it firmly in a late spring or early summer planting window, not an early spring one. Grain sorghum (milo) is more commonly grown as a fall or winter standing grain crop, or a cover and screening plant, than as a primary deer attractant in spring. Deer will browse young sorghum shoots, but it's not their first choice compared to clover or soybeans at that growth stage. Where sorghum earns its place is in blends meant to provide structure, screening, and a late-season grain source, planted alongside soybeans or cowpeas in a summer annual mix. If your spring plan includes sorghum, plant it after your last frost and once soil is reliably warm, generally late May through June depending on zone, following USDA guidance for grain sorghum, which lists optimal soil temperature at planting around 60°F and rising.

when to plant oats for deer

Oats work as both a spring and fall crop, but they serve different jobs in each season. In spring, oats are mostly used as a nurse crop, planted alongside clover or chicory to give quick cover and a fast-growing green attractant while the perennial establishes underneath. Oats germinate in cool soil, as low as 38 to 40°F, and grow fast, which is exactly why they're useful early. Plant spring oats as soon as the ground can be worked, typically 2 to 4 weeks before your average last frost date, since oats tolerate a light frost better than legumes do. In the fall, oats get planted again, usually 6 to 8 weeks before first frost, where they become one of the most attractive food plot forages available. Deer often prefer fall oats over almost anything else on the property in September and October. Don't overseed oats too heavy in a clover nurse-crop mix. A common mistake is planting oats at full seeding rate (80-100 lbs/acre) alongside clover, which shades out the clover seedlings before they can establish. Land-grant extension guidance on nurse crops generally recommends cutting the oat rate to a third or half of full rate when interseeding with a perennial legume.

when to plant turnips for deer, and do they fit a spring mix

Turnips are a fall crop, planted 70 to 90 days before your first hard frost so the bulbs and greens mature right as cold weather sweetens them up through starch conversion. Planting turnips in spring almost never works, because they bolt to seed and get bitter and woody once temperatures climb into summer heat, and deer will largely ignore them at that point. If you're building a true spring plot, turnips don't belong in it. Save the brassica blend for your late-summer planting instead, timed to your first fall frost date the same way you'd time a fall cereal grain. The one exception is far northern zones (parts of Canada and the upper Midwest, growing zones 3 and cooler) where a very early spring planting can occasionally mature before serious summer heat, but this is the exception, not the rule, and most extension guidance still recommends a mid-to-late summer planting date for brassicas. For a full seasonal rundown that separates spring, summer, and fall windows clearly, the deer food plot seed guide walks through each planting slot by species.

what are deer's favorite foods, and how does that change by season

Deer are opportunistic browsers, and their favorite food shifts hard by season and by what's available. In spring, deer key in on high-protein new growth, clover, forbs, and tender browse, because does are entering the last third of gestation and then lactation, and bucks are starting antler growth, both of which demand protein in the 16 to 20 percent range minimum, and ideally higher. In summer, soybeans and cowpeas take over as favorites where available, both running 25-30+ percent crude protein in vegetative stages. In fall, acorns often beat any planted food plot outright when there's a good mast year. Deer will walk past soybeans to hit a white oak flat dropping acorns. In winter, standing grain (corn, sorghum) and brassica tubers and greens become the priority foods because deer need energy density (fat and carbs) to survive cold more than they need protein. There's no single "favorite food" that holds year-round. A property's best food plot plan usually stacks a spring perennial (clover or chicory), a summer annual for tonnage (soybeans, cowpeas), and a fall annual (brassicas, cereal grains) so something attractive is available in every season.

do deer like honey, and does it belong in a food plot conversation at all

Deer don't eat honey in any meaningful wildlife management sense, and it has no real place in a food plot conversation. What people are usually actually asking about is honeysuckle (a browse plant deer do hit hard) or "honey hole" terminology, or sometimes sorghum-sudangrass hybrids marketed under sweet-sounding names. If you mean honeysuckle: yes, deer browse Japanese honeysuckle and native honeysuckle species heavily. It's one of the more palatable woody browse plants across much of the whitetail's range, and it holds up well under grazing pressure, which is part of why it's considered invasive in a lot of states despite being a solid deer food source. It's not something you plant in a food plot though, it establishes on its own along edges and fencerows. There's no research or wildlife agency guidance suggesting deer actively seek out honey (the bee product) as a food source in the wild. This is worth clearing up mainly because the search term shows up, not because it changes any plot planning decision.

how do I build a spring mix that actually works on my ground

Start with a soil test, not a seed catalog. A basic soil test from your county extension office or a private ag lab runs $10 to $20 and tells you your pH and your phosphorus and potassium levels, which determines how much lime and fertilizer you actually need. Clover, in particular, struggles below pH 6.0, and a lot of "failed" spring plots are really just acidic soil problems that no amount of seed can fix. A reasonable spring base mix for most of the whitetail's range looks like this: 60-70% ladino/red clover blend by weight, 15-20% chicory (deep-rooted, drought tolerant, deer love it, and it extends grazing into dry summer stretches when clover struggles), and a light oat nurse crop at a third to half rate if you're broadcasting into rougher, unprepared ground. Seeding rates matter more than most people think. Ladino clover alone runs about 6-8 lbs/acre broadcast, red clover 8-10 lbs/acre, and chicory 4-6 lbs/acre in a blend. Overseeding wastes money and can actually crowd out the stand as seedlings compete with each other for light and moisture. Your seed bag or your extension office's forage guide will have exact rates for your specific product, and that's the number to follow, not a general rule of thumb from an unrelated bag. If you want help translating a soil test into an actual seed and fertilizer plan without guessing, that's the specific problem a Custom Food Plot Plan solves for $99, a one-time plan built around your zone, your acreage, and your soil numbers rather than a generic bag recommendation. But your soil test lab remains the authority on your actual lime and fertilizer rates; any general plan should defer to that lab's specific recommendation for your dirt.

how does a spring mix compare to a fall mix, side by side

Primary goal	Protein for lactation/antler growth, season-long perennial base	Attraction and energy for hunting season and winter
Typical species	Clover, chicory, oats (nurse crop), soybeans	Brassicas (turnips, radishes), cereal grains (oats, wheat, rye), winter peas
Planting trigger	After last frost, soil ~50°F+	60-90 days before first frost
Plant type	Mostly perennial or warm-season annual	Mostly cool-season annual
Deer preference driver	New growth protein, always available	Sweetens after frost, energy-dense	A lot of the best whitetail properties run both, a perennial clover/chicory plot for spring and summer, plus a separate rotational plot that goes into brassicas or cereal grains for fall. If you're deciding between plot types for a new property, the food plot whitetail overview compares perennial versus annual strategy in more depth, and deer food plots covers general layout and plot sizing if you're starting from scratch.

Spring and fall food plots aren't interchangeable, and understanding why helps explain a lot of the confusion around timing questions like when to plant turnips or oats. | Factor | Spring mix | Fall mix |

Frequently asked questions

Do deer eat sorghum?

Yes, deer browse young sorghum shoots and eat the grain heads later in the season, and standing sorghum makes good screening cover. It's a warm-season annual though, planted after soil hits about 60°F, so it fits a late spring or summer planting window rather than an early spring one.

Do deer eat clover?

Yes, clover is one of the most preferred food plot forages for whitetails. Young clover growth runs roughly 25-30% crude protein, which lines up well with spring and summer nutritional demands from lactation and antler growth. Ladino and red clover blends are the most common spring plot base.

When should I plant food plots for deer?

Spring plots (clover, chicory, warm-season annuals) go in after your last frost date once soil hits about 50°F. Fall plots (brassicas, cereal grains) go in 60 to 90 days before your first fall frost. Exact dates vary by zone, check your county's NRCS or extension office frost data.

Do deer like clover more than other food plot forages?

Deer generally show strong preference for clover, especially ladino clover, though preference shifts by season and by what else is available nearby. In areas with heavy soybean or acorn availability, deer may favor those over clover at certain times of year, but clover remains one of the most consistently grazed forages across the whitetail's range.

When should I plant oats for deer?

Plant spring oats 2 to 4 weeks before your last frost date as a fast-germinating nurse crop alongside clover, at a reduced rate (a third to half of full rate) so they don't shade out the clover. Plant fall oats 6 to 8 weeks before first frost, where they're often one of the most attractive fall forages available.

When should I plant turnips for deer?

Plant turnips 70 to 90 days before your first fall frost, not in spring. Turnips bolt and turn bitter in summer heat, so a spring planting almost never works except in very far northern zones with a short, cool growing window.

What is a food plot?

A food plot is a planted area, typically a quarter acre to several acres, grown specifically to feed deer and other wildlife and to give hunters a predictable place to hunt or observe from. It differs legally from bait piles in most states, though rules vary, so check your state wildlife agency's regulations.

What are deer's favorite foods?

There's no single year-round favorite. Deer prefer high-protein new growth and clover in spring, soybeans and cowpeas in summer, acorns in fall when available, and standing grain or brassica tubers in winter for energy density. A well-planned property stacks plot types to cover each season.

Do deer like honey?

No, deer don't eat honey (the bee product) in any meaningful way, and it has no place in food plot planning. People asking this usually mean honeysuckle, a browse plant deer do eat heavily, though it's not something you plant in a cultivated food plot.

What's the best spring food plot mix for deer?

A clover base (ladino and red clover blend) at roughly 60-70% of the mix, with 15-20% chicory for drought tolerance and summer grazing, works well across most of the whitetail's range. Add a light oat nurse crop only if seeding into rough or unprepared ground.

Can I plant brassicas in spring instead of fall?

Generally no. Brassicas like turnips and radishes bolt to seed and turn bitter in summer heat, so deer largely ignore them if planted in spring. The one exception is far northern zones with short, cool summers, but most extension guidance still recommends a summer planting timed to first fall frost.

How much does a soil test cost before planting a spring plot?

A basic soil test through your county extension office or a private ag lab typically costs $10 to $20 and reports your pH, phosphorus, and potassium levels. That report determines your lime and fertilizer needs and is far more useful than guessing based on a seed bag's generic instructions.

Is clover a perennial or do I need to replant it every spring?

Clover is a perennial. A well-managed ladino or red clover stand, with proper liming and mowing, can produce for three to five years before you need to reseed, making it one of the more cost-effective long-term options for a spring and summer food plot base.

Sources

1. Michigan Compiled Laws, Baiting and Feeding of Deer and Elk (MCL 324.40118): Baiting and feeding rules vary by state and food plots are regulated differently from bait piles
2. USDA Risk Management Agency, Actuarial Data / Frost or Freeze Date guidance referenced via NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Freeze/Frost Data: Average last frost dates by location vary and should guide spring planting timing
3. University of Missouri Extension, Soil Testing for Lawns, Gardens and Wildlife Food Plots (G9181): Clover is sensitive to soil pH and requires liming based on a soil test for good establishment
4. USDA NRCS Plant Guide, Grain Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor): Grain sorghum is a warm-season crop planted once soil temperatures are reliably around 60°F and rising
5. Oklahoma State University Extension, Establishing Wildlife Food Plots (PSS-2149): Nurse crop seeding rates should be reduced when interseeded with perennial legumes to avoid shading out clover seedlings