California Food Plot Guide
When to plant, what to plant and how to prep your ground in California.
Map my California plotWhen to plant in California
- Spring perennials (clover, chicory, alfalfa): April to May
- Summer beans, corn, sunflowers: May to early June
- Fall brassicas: late July to mid-August
- Fall grains and clover: late August to mid-September
Dates shift with elevation and latitude — map your plot for exact frost dates at your location.
What to plant for…
Deer
- White/Ladino clover · Spring or late summer · 8 lb/ac
- Chicory · Spring or late summer · 5 lb/ac
- Turnips · Late summer · 6 lb/ac
- Radish (daikon) · Late summer · 8 lb/ac
- Dwarf Essex rape · Late summer · 8 lb/ac
Turkey
- White/Ladino clover · Spring or late summer · 8 lb/ac
- Chicory · Spring or late summer · 5 lb/ac
- Oats · Late summer · 100 lb/ac
- Cereal (winter) rye · Early fall · 100 lb/ac
- Winter wheat · Early fall · 100 lb/ac
Dove
- Winter wheat · Early fall · 100 lb/ac
- Soybeans · Late spring · 60 lb/ac
- Grain sorghum / milo · Late spring · 8 lb/ac
- Sunflowers · Late spring · 5 lb/ac
- Buckwheat · Summer · 50 lb/ac
Ducks & geese
- Cereal (winter) rye · Early fall · 100 lb/ac
- Winter wheat · Early fall · 100 lb/ac
- Soybeans · Late spring · 60 lb/ac
- Corn · Late spring · 15 lb/ac
- Grain sorghum / milo · Late spring · 8 lb/ac
Quail & pheasant
- Oats · Late summer · 100 lb/ac
- Corn · Late spring · 15 lb/ac
- Grain sorghum / milo · Late spring · 8 lb/ac
- Sunflowers · Late spring · 5 lb/ac
Food Plot Crop Comparison
| Crop | Plant | Lb/acre | Min soil °F | pH | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White/Ladino clover · legume | Spring or late summer | 8 | 50° | 6.5–7.0 | deer, turkey |
| Chicory | Spring or late summer | 5 | 50° | 6.0–7.0 | deer, turkey |
| Turnips | Late summer | 6 | 45° | 6.0–7.0 | deer |
| Radish (daikon) | Late summer | 8 | 45° | 6.0–7.0 | deer |
| Dwarf Essex rape | Late summer | 8 | 45° | 6.0–7.0 | deer |
| Oats | Late summer | 100 | 45° | 6.0–6.5 | deer, turkey, upland |
| Cereal (winter) rye | Early fall | 100 | 34° | 5.5–7.0 | deer, turkey, waterfowl |
| Winter wheat | Early fall | 100 | 40° | 6.0–7.0 | deer, turkey, waterfowl, dove |
| Soybeans · legume | Late spring | 60 | 60° | 6.0–7.0 | deer, dove, waterfowl |
| Corn | Late spring | 15 | 50° | 6.0–6.8 | deer, turkey, waterfowl, upland |
| Forage (Austrian) peas · legume | Late summer | 60 | 40° | 6.0–7.0 | deer, turkey |
| Grain sorghum / milo | Late spring | 8 | 60° | 5.8–6.5 | dove, upland, waterfowl |
| Sunflowers | Late spring | 5 | 55° | 6.0–7.5 | dove, upland |
| Buckwheat | Summer | 50 | 55° | 5.0–7.0 | deer, turkey, dove |
| Alfalfa · legume | Spring or late summer | 15 | 45° | 6.8–7.2 | deer, turkey |
| Chufa | Late spring | 50 | 60° | 5.8–7.0 | turkey |
Throw-and-Mow Plot Guide
- 1.Pick a spot with 4+ hours of sun and existing grass or weeds — no tractor needed.
- 2.Spray the vegetation with glyphosate 2–3 weeks before your planting date.
- 3.Right before a good rain, broadcast cereal rye, oats, clover and brassicas by hand or with a push spreader.
- 4.Mow or weed-eat the dead thatch down on top of the seed — it acts as mulch and holds moisture.
- 5.Add lime and fertilizer per your soil test; pelleted lime spreads easily by hand.
How to Take a Soil Test
- 1.Grab a clean bucket and a spade or soil probe — no galvanized metal.
- 2.Walk a zig-zag across the plot and pull 10–15 cores, 4–6 inches deep.
- 3.Mix them together, dry the soil on newspaper, and fill the lab bag.
- 4.Send it to your state extension lab and list food plot or pasture as the crop.
- 5.Snap a photo of the results in the planner — pH, P and K fill in and your lime rate is calculated.
Food Plots by State
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