Brassica’s

Brassica’s are a fantastic late season plot option that can provide a lot of food on your property in the late season. Popular options are Turnips, Radishes, Dwarf Essex Rape and Sugar Beets. Typically planted in the July/August time frame in Iowa, Brassica’s will produce a large leafy head and a root that will surface roughly 1/4 of its total size above the soil. During the early fall deer will be attracted to the green vegetation and will often be seen foraging in the plot.

As weather patterns turn colder and the ground begins to freeze, deer will begin digging up the root to expose what we know as the vegetable. When the ground is frozen the root will begin to ferment and decompose into sugars that deer are highly attracted to. I have often found shed antlers in the late winter and early spring in my Brassica plots which is another bonus.

Brassica planting does require some fertilizer inputs to really reach each individual plants full potential. I strongly recommend doing a complete soil test (not just a pH test) to see what nutrients are available in your soil and what is needed additionally. Seeding rates vary from 8-12 pounds per acre and I do NOT encourage increasing the population in the phrase “more is better.”