Turnip Plots
Turnips are the two-course brassica - deer eat the frosted greens in November, then dig and crunch the sugar-loaded purple bulbs into deep winter. One planting, two draws.
A turnip plot feeds twice: frost sweetens the leafy tops first (November's course), and when those are gone deer excavate the softball bulbs themselves - pawing frozen dirt for turnip sugar into January. That second act makes turnips the backbone of serious late-season and northern plots, in the same cheap, easy, 90-day package as other brassicas.
Why deer love it
Frosted greens run sweet and digestible; the bulbs are winter candy - energy-dense sugar and starch precisely when deer need calories hardest.
When & how to plant
70-90 days pre-frost, broadcast shallow on firm clean dirt with modest nitrogen; thin to avoid crowding if broadcast heavy (bulbs need room).
Soil & pH
pH 6.0-6.8, looser soils grow better bulbs; the standard easy-brassica profile otherwise.
Maintenance
None in-season; same brassica rotation rule (don't repeat same ground 2+ years).
When it draws best
Greens: first frosts to early December. Bulbs: December-January - the desperate-cold window where a turnip plot with dug craters is the hottest food on the property.
Common mistakes
- Judging the plot before frost
- Seeding so heavy the bulbs stay marble-sized
- Skipping rotation and inviting clubroot
- Not saving it: hunt it LATE, it's a December resource
🌦️ Planting dates and varieties shift with your zone and rainfall - your county extension office gives free localized advice and cheap soil tests. Also note: rules on hunting over planted plots vs 'baiting' differ by state - plots are legal most places, bait often isn't; confirm your regulations. We don't give legal advice.