This summer I want to give a food plot a go.  We can get up there a few times over summer to work on it but getting any kind of equipment up there(no ATV's, tillers, etc.).  Also our soil SUCKS.  I haven't had it tested yet but I know it sucks.  It's been labeled "tar sand" by whoever did our geological survey.  It's sandy, it doesn't hold water for shit, and it's mostly covered in that dry grassy shit.  We don't even have weeds.

There is no ag in our area at all.  Most of our oaks have been killed off or are dying from oak wilt.  The deer mostly feed on browse and what few oaks are left.  Our section of woods has a few little, mature pine plantations.  The rest is a hodgepodge mix of pine, spruce, oak, maple...all grown too close together so they don't get much bigger than 4-6" at the base.  There are a few trees here and there that we could put treestands in but they are surrounded with dense forest that would require a LOT of chainsaw work.

Here's what I'm concerned with...  Even if we clear the area out I don't want to clear too big of an area.  This is going to limit sunlight quite a bit.  We could put it on the back edge of the property that boarders an old clear cut to the west which would really increase sun exposure.  Also, in most areas even if we take the trees down the floor is going to be littered with stumps.  Less of an issue since we are going to be planting with hand tools I would think but this is only an educated guess on my part.

We can get a vehicle pretty close to some of the spots I'm thinking about to get lime and fertilizer out there but about how much are we talking?  The deer numbers by us are LOW so we don't need a very big plot, I was thinking about starting with 1/8th acre to start just to see how it goes.  Even if they do eat it up early my first season is going to be more of an experiment to see what, if anything, we can get to grow than anything.  I know it's impossible to give too accurate an answer without a soil sample but about how much lime/fertilizer could we potentially be talking about here if the soil really is as bad as I think it is?

We get a fair amount of rain but again, our soil doesn't hold water for shit, and watering it is not an option, is there anything we could plant that will grow ok in this situation?

edit:  Also since we are limited on tools we are going to be limited on planting.  I was basically planning on clearing an area out, then spraying it to kill it off.  Come back later and rake it really good.  Spread the seed and depending on what that seed calls for leave it sit or rake it in as best we can.

Obviously somewhere in there we will spread our lime and fertilizer.  I don't really know how that works, whether you add it all at once or add it over the course of the summer/fall.

I am kind of working on the same thing.  I do have access to my areas with a tractor.  But the main areas are currently standing about 15 feet tall with pine trees that need taken out.  I have several clearings that I worked on last year that should be ready to plant this spring.

Here is what I did.   Had trees brush hogged.  I used my tractor to tear up the ground and remove some stumps.  By stumps, I mean small 1-2 inch diameter stumps from the pines. Need to remove a bunch more.   Then I sent off a soil sample to Va Tech.  My PH is 4.5, basically nothing grows in that except pine trees and crappy grass.    

I have been applying Lime of the past year to these spots, and will run another soil test this spring.  If all is in line with the PH.  I will broadcast spread seed and hope for the best.  As I have no equipment to plant seeds.

Last year I threw down some of the throw and grow seed on my open areas.  They grew to about 3 inches then died.  I would highly suggest that you get a soil test.  Then apply lime and fertilizer at prescribed amounts.  For me that was about 2 tons of lime per acre.  So yes you will have to carry many 50 lb bags of lime to the spot.  I found the pelletized much easier to handle and spread then the powdered ag lime.

good luck

You have a LOT of hard work ahead of you.  You probably won't grow anything worth a damn this or next year due to soil stabilization (PH).  In fact, you may never grow anything worth a damn.  Not trying to be a Debbie Downer, but just wanted you to be prepared that even after a ton of hard work your plots will NOT look like a Biologic add in a QDMA magazine.  Sounds quite a bit like the area we hunted in for 30 years in the U.P.  Crystal Falls.

Advice:
Get a soil test sent out before anything else.
Look into seed blends that are designed for dry conditions.  
Perhaps try planting an area in Buckwheat.  It's pretty hardy and creates a lot of leaf and stalk matter to breakdown into the soil, thus improving it.
Fence off an area in the middle (around 6'x6') so the deer cant get to it.  This is a great gauge to tell you if it's getting browsed too heavily or if it's simply no growing.
top dress whatever you do get to grow with Nitrogen around October.  This will keep it nice and green thru the winter.
Check with your local grain elevator or Co-Op for advise on what to plant and when.
You mentioned you can get a truck close enough to bring in Lime.  That means that you can get close enough with a water transfer tank and gas pump to help it out during times of drought.
Good luck.  It's really gratifying to take a deer over a plot you worked so hard on.

Do the soil test FIRST.  

I've got 72 acres.  I tried some half assed food plots and they were just a waste of time and money.  NOTHING resulted from it.

I eventually wised up.  Did a soil  test and was surprised.   The spot I wanted to food plot is so acid, I've sure I could generate electricity by sticking two electrodes in the ground.  The soil test indicated I needed something in excess of 2 TONS of lime for this intended food plot.  I wasn't about to buy 40 or 50 bags of lime and haul it in by hand, and bulk delivery may have been cheaper, but I'd still have to haul it in my hand.  Not feasible...

So, instead of wasting time, energy and money, the soil test -  which cost me $15 -  saved a lot of aggravation.  I simply tested two other possible sites, and found one much better.  The site I did use is only about 100 yards from the one mentioned about, but soils there are completely different.  No lime needed.

I did know that we were in the middle of a fairly dry summer.  I planted in end of July, and simply followed directions:  I direct seeded immediately before a good rain.  It rained that weekend, and then basically didn't rain for another five weeks.  Despite this, my food plot turned out good.   I specifically looked for a seed that was recommended as drought tolerant.  It ended up being Imperial Winter Greens.

By mid october I had green tops 16" high, and some turnip bulbs in excess of softball sized.   The food plot turned out decently....

Do not screw around with "good enough" or "pretty close".  Test your soil.  Find a plot that can be 'fixed" with minimal investment.  Turn that plot into the food plot.  Select seed for your area, moisture and acidity.  And follow the directions.  If you aren't willing to follow the directions, expect minimal results that will likely just be a waste of money.

Thanks for the advice.  I guess we will get out there early, early spring and get a bunch of soil samples from all around.  Since soil can, apparently, vary that greatly in such small distances I think that will likely dictate the location over anything else.  The only thing we get as far as dead vegetation going into the ground up by us is leaves.  When I say get close with a truck I'm still talking a good 200 yards away.  The only potentially viable water collection I can think of would be a rainwater tank nearby.  How well that would work is a total guess on my part and it would have to be quite large...

In an area where the only other food option is browse and a very limited number of acorns how hard will the deer hit buckwheat?  By the sound of it my best option might be to prep as best as possible early on and just plant buckwheat the first year or two unless there is something else I could mix in with it for variety that's rather hearty.  Of course this depends on what our soil tests find but it sounds like adjusting the pH levels is a bit of a slow process.  Would I absolutely need to till the buckwheat in to get any benefit at all in soil composition?  We could get a tiller up there but I'd have to buy one first.

I have been told that lime is long term. It takes a good while for the lime to kick in. You might want to get the soil test  done sooner rather than later , dump the lime and let it start to kick in before next growing season

Not allowed to use ATVs or just don't have one?

Just don't have one.  Or a way to get it up there. Or anywhere to store it up there.

Get a stihl trimmer, one that can use sawblades... Its awesome for clearing brush, and trails and they make a tiller attachment for it...

Buy a copy of gardening when it counts.

If the soil is that thin, you are in for a lot of work, and your plot will probably still fail.  You'll have to get the NPK, Ph, and build organic matter at the same time by hand.  The plot will be so small that whatever grows will be eaten down to nothing in short order.  If I put a cage around a 3'x3' area my clover is 12" tall or more, otherwise it is eaten down to about 3-5", and I have hundreds of acres of corn/beans/hay around, not to mention many acres of early successional growth.  

You will be miles ahead by clearing an area and planting tree crops.  Dolgo Crabapple, Chinese Chestnut, Apples, Persimmons, etc.  Fertilize the trees you plant and mulch around them like crazy.  I use the 2.5 gallon plastic jugs that cat litter comes in to water my trees during summer drought.  Fun it is not.  I can get about 30 of those jugs in the back of my Tacoma.

I have a one acre clover food plot on sandy loam and I can get my pickup right to it and it was/is a lot of work.  I use pelletized turf lime in the spring, (breaks down quickly) and ag lime in the fall, (breaks down over fall and winter)  plus 12-12-12 and an overseeding of Frigid Forage Trophy Clover once a year.


Sucks about the Oaks dying off.  They warn us here not to cut/trim Oaks from about April through late summer.  We lost all the Ash trees, there is something I forget attacking the Beech too.

Bit of an update for my Food Plots.

I have 4 areas of 1/8 to 1/4 acre cleared for plots.
Last Year they were all at 4.5 PH.  I applied Lime at a rate of 1 ton per acre.  So each plot got about 400-500 pounds of lime.  I did not have a spreader, so I hand spread this lime. Might be why I got mixed results.  I just had them tested again today.  

One is 6.5, One is 6.0 and the other two are 5.0.  I have clover in the 6.5 area. I did plant clover last year, but none came up. I guess some of the seed laid there all year and is just now growing.

I asked around and came up with a gameplan.

I'm going to try a few small plots using a method called "throw n mow."  You basically spray and kill everything off, then spread your seed, then mow or weedwhack the area to cover the ground with all the cut grass.  This helps retain moisture and will eventually decay in the soil.  Also fertilize and lime somewhere in that process.

I'm also going to hinge cut a bunch of trees to create bedding and browsing areas as well as give some cover around the food plots.

https://youtu.be/5MxWySjM82c

Saw this yesterday and thought it was an interesting approach. Looks like it can be done entirely by hand too.

I put in alot of foot plots for people, and many of my own and theirs are done by hand. alot of people mention soil workups and this and that. I grew up on a 2000 acre farm. this is a rudimentary foodplot. anything that grows and shows promise the deer will eat and each year you can get more in depth in.

this is the perfect example of simplicity will win. nothing fancy- you already said there is nothing really there. I've been a field tester for Purina, Biologic and Whitetail Institute off and on for years.  one thing I have learned is that simplicity wins 99% of the time. keep it that way.

the equation is Cost vs Time and Time=Cost
do you spend 20 hours of prep for the same recovery of seed germination? or do you just seed the hell out of it for a little more money and alot less sweat and time.

your first year or two- test to see if growth is capable.

toss out seed's I use are WW, Rye, Clover, Chicory and Oats. cheap and easy.

heavy Weed Eaters with stout assed line is your best friend, because it will etch the soil enough for a WW/Rye/Clover mix- perfectly. if anything will grow- these will.  I plant alot this way in the fall for some Drs who bowhunt in return for a duck lease. cheap and easy. if WW/Rye/Clover won't grow well- nothing will and it will build up your soil for any crop you might want to plant in a few years. most soils need years to come to "karma" for ag work.

what we found is that we seed first, then weed eat, to let the cut matter cover the seed for moisture control and to shake the seed into the ground, then I make a second pass with the seed spreader.

now if you triple your seed amounts- seed is relatively cheap. you can just hand sow it over what ever is growing there now and you will probably get a decent germination. I have found that in some area's it is just good sense to take alot of the prep time out of that and just sow heavy. ( my germination was the same)

make sure your Clover seed is inoculated ( very imported for later on) mix that up and frost seed it as necessary for your area. i would plant an annual first and if it succeeds, go with a perennial Clover. in the South I have found Durana Clover to be excellent in hardiness, drought resistance. you will get 2-4 years out of it usually . but Chicory is an excellent toss out seed as well.

I've done it all in the last 30 years. most successful plots in 6 different places of eastern Ok, were the simplest. nothing more than WW/Rye plots with some Clover and Purple Top Turnips mixed in.

don't believe the hype of these wildlife seed companies- go to your local seed supplier/CooP and ask what they are selling cheap.  they will know exactly what to help you with. you can buy 3 times the amount of seed for 1 bag of "boutique seed".

one thing to remember is to plant panes of North/South to enhance your sunlight.
I'm big on planting with alot of course changes with 50 yard lanes around cover.

I've tried the "toss some seed on thin soil" thing a few times, nothing grew worth mentioning.

Hard to say.  The 1st year I planted Buckwheat I did so for more of a cover crop to shade out weed growth with the intention of plowing it under around Labor Day and planting WW, Clover, Forage Oats, and a few other things just mixed in for grins.  The Buckwheat took off and was thigh high in no time.  Really made it a bitch to work in.  I brush hogged it, let it dry , and then had to rake it out.  There was simply too much plant matter and it was clogging up a PTO driven rotto-tiller.  I doubt it would grow that well on your soil, so it might be a good choice for soil stabilization.  The deer did eat it, especially when it was flowering.  Good luck as you will need it.

The hinge cutting (when done right) can really add a lot of food and cover.  It also promotes new growth around it.  I really think this may be a better option for you than food plots.  As someone else mentioned the size of the plot you are talking about could easily be wiped out completely by September and you'll work your ass off for it.  hinge cutting is fast and a hell of a lot cheaper and easier.  Add a bunch of mineral stations near water sources and I think you'll hold more deer.

did you etch the soil first?

I did, scratched it up, seeded, and packed it to the soil a bit.  I find clover on my land does best when it is partially shaded during mid day heat, but gets good morning/afternoon sun.  I would love to get an irrigation line out to my big plot....

I do have an over abundance of turkeys, so any seed they find they eat.  Last day I deer hunted I had close to 200 birds in the back bean field.  They either eat the seeds or use the fresh dirt to take dust baths.  I have too many deer as well, so small plots really get chomped down to nothing.

Turkeys wear out my seed too.