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inter..cabin fever..has alot of brainBrainwave????

SaskGuy

SaskGuy

Active Member
Winter..cabin fever, lots of brainwaves these days. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/crazy.gif
Not sure if any of them are any good. Lots of plot experts here, just wondering if my latest brainwave is worthless. I have a piece north of my house, maybe 1 acre, natural clearing in the woods, pretty good natural light area. there are a few scattered aspens in there but mostly blueberry plants and native grasses.

Would it be a waste of my time to knock those aspens out, spray the grass and disc it up. I have an a.t.v, have an old disn i could use to break it, have some harrows for plot prep and coverage. Just wondering if I'm wasting my time with out growing season. I am not thinking alfalfa...too much nearby, I am thinking turnips...yeah turnips. We usually get frost in Sept..sometimes earlier, rarely later. i know they are a preffered source after a frost. This area is basically in the middle of 240 acres timber. Does any one of the plot experts here think it's worth my time and effort??

Any suggestions...appreciated..I'm open to other plot idea as well.
 
Sask,

I definitely am not a expert but am in training. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

Turnips would be a great choice but I think they need 45-60 days to grow. You could probably cheat a couple of weeks and even if they did not reach their full potential it would be okay.

I have planted in the spring more than once and thanks to Dbl. Tree will not do it again. (Too many weeds).

I have better luck hunting my turnips late season after the snow and cold settles in.

Dbl. will know others that have a shorter growing season.
Let us know what you do.
 
I think the turnips sound like an excellent idea, regular turnips are pretty cheap so if the plot bombs out then you wouldn't be out much anyway. If the plot pans out then you have a potential late season, shed collecting gold mine on your hand!!
 
Well, from my experience my turnips haven't hardly been touched. They walk right through them to get to the alfalfa. Your results may be differnt though.

The 'Bonker
 
By Late oct. Alfalfa is pretty much brown stems here, that's why I thought turnips...thinking a June planting of turnips for lots of growth prior to a frost. For an experiment I left some kahlrabi (brassicas) in my garden this yr and they hammered them after the frosts. If weeds are a big problem, could I go broadcast some oats in there to try and get some coverage??

Wait..oats=bears, wife may not like that.
 
Re: inter..cabin fever..has alot of brainBrainwave

Winter wheat might be good. Whats wrong with bear bacon? /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
 
Sask,
If you get the brassica and turnips growing well it could outcompete the weeds and would probably work. They will hammer the oats early and by the first snow they will be gone. IMO

Turnips will draw well into the winter.
 
Sounds like an excellent idea with the alfalfa getting frosted early. You may want to check your ph. If I remember correctly, wild blueberrys are a sign of very acidic soil.

Give it a shot...
 
There was a thread about some Canadians growing brassicas on QDMA. Pretty much just shift planting times 4-6 weeks ahead to allow for growth before a frost- they had some really amazing stands but I never heard the follow-up on how they used them. Too bad you can't fence something until the week before they start to shed- open the gates and voila- shed city!
 
Wasting your time... What else do you have to do. I mean isnt deer hunting and doing anything related to deer hunting the best possible use of your time EVER. I mean even it does bomb out on you what have you lost. Like 20bucks in gas, and 50bucks in seed/spray and some time? Worth a try in my opinion.

I would suggest the turnips over anything else. Going off what you have described and told us in the past. If the deer dont touch them till October all the better. Just gives you another A+ spot after the field hunting is over.

Dean
 
Im in SE Mn, one spring planted just the plain purple top and barkant field variety turnips. They did great but the deer did'nt touch them until late January and pounded the plot until all the turnip bulbs were gone then moved on. For weed control I mowed with my tractor, even though I drove over them they would bounce back. I think mowing may have promoted more growth. Have a friend that planted turnips near Intl. Falls MN deer were hitting them in Oct-Nov. So if your soil is ok I think it would make a great hunting plot in Sask.
 
They tend to eat rape better then turnips so if your going to try something like that...go heavy on the rape.

I'm sure if you can compete with alfalfa if it's close by but then again your hard winters tell me that they may kill anything you plant that will be there late in the season (which for you is early September... /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif )

Give it a shot...doesn't take much to grow brassicas... /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
 
Late season cold I would go with the oats and or winter wheat...I normally dont even plant our Oats here until the second week of September and the deer just hammer them long after the first freeze. Hopefully most of the bears are heading for there winter sleep by then, but if not I bet you could find a volunteer or two to buy some rugs.
 
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