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How to Plant a Fall Food Plot in Central PAA Beginner's Guide
A well-placed fall food plot is one of the simplest ways to pull deer in and tilt the odds in your favor come hunting season. You don't need a big tractor or a farming background to pull it off. Here's how to get it done without overcomplicating things.
Pick a Good Spot
Look for an open area that gets solid sunlight through the day and isn't already choked out with thick, competing vegetation. Small clearings, old logging roads, and field edges near cover all work well in our part of Pennsylvania. Deer need to feel safe approaching, so proximity to woods or brush gives the plot a natural draw.
Test Your Soil
If you can, get a soil test done a couple months before you plan to plant. Your local Penn State Extension office or an ag lab can handle this quickly and cheaply. Most food plot crops thrive at a soil pH of 6.2–6.5. A test tells you exactly how much lime and fertilizer to add — which saves money and gives your seed a real chance to perform.
Prep the Ground
Knock back existing weeds and grass by disking or tilling the ground, or by spraying with an herbicide if you're going the no-till route. Once the ground is worked, drag or roll it smooth. Good seed-to-soil contact is the difference between a plot that takes off and one that sputters — loose, clumpy ground wastes a lot of seed.
Plant a Proven Fall Blend
There are a lot of seed blends on the market, but for Central PA fall plots, our go-to recommendation is Fatal Attraction from Backwoods Bounty. It's a clover, turnip, and brassica mix built to deliver high protein and high sugar content well into late season. Deer love the turnips and brassicas after the first frost hits and sweetens them up — which means the plot keeps pulling deer in through November and December, not just early fall.
Fatal Attraction — Planting Quick-Facts
- Seed rate: ~15 lbs per acre
- Planting depth: ¼ to ½ inch
- Seeding method: Hand broadcast, spreader, or no-till drill — any of these work. After spreading, press seed into the soil. A cultipacker is ideal, but rolling or dragging the area gets the job done too.
- What's in it: Clover, turnips, and brassicas — a high-protein, high-sugar mix that peaks in cold weather and keeps deer coming back into winter.
Timing for Central PA
Our area falls in planting Zone 6, and that matters for your window. For Fatal Attraction and similar fall blends, you want to get seed in the ground between August 1 and September 15. Plant too early and the summer heat can stress young seedlings. Too late and you won't have enough growth before cold sets in. Aim for that window and let the cooling temperatures do the work.
Upkeep
Fatal Attraction and most fall brassica blends are annuals — they'll grow through fall, hold through winter, and mature in spring, but they won't come back on their own next year. One thing to keep in mind: if the brassicas are left to go to seed in spring, they can reseed and become a nuisance in future plots. If you have something planned for that ground next season, mow or terminate the plot before it bolts in spring. If you're leaving it as deer habitat, they'll keep it grazed down well enough on their own.
Don't Have a Seeder? We've Got One to Rent.
Shermans Valley Outdoors has a food plot seeder available for rent — no need to buy equipment for a plot or two. All you need to pull it is a four-wheeler (ATV) or anything bigger. It's a straightforward way to get the job done without a major equipment investment.
Stop in or give us a call to reserve it for your planting weekend. We'd rather see you out there with a good plot than sitting on the sidelines because the gear wasn't there.
Have questions about Fatal Attraction, other fall blends, or what might work best for your property? Stop in and ask — we're happy to talk through it. We carry the seed and the know-how, and we want to see you tagged out this season.