Lawn & Food Plot, is it possible?

[WestKyTeacher]

Hey all, I have a couple of questions. I have read many posts about food plots and know what to plant this time of year. However, I feel I have a unique question. I have a house with a lot of woods behind it and cleared out about 2 acres for a yard and a food plot. #1) What is a great grass to plant here in KY that stays green and provides a great looking yard year round? #2) When the yard stops and the food plot begins, what is good to plant so I can watch the deer and turkey out my back windows year round?

Those are my two basic questions. If you can provide a yard mix that is also good for the wildlife that's a plus, but making the wife happy with a pretty yard is a must. I will begin planting this Thursday or Friday before the rain hits this weekend. Thanks for any help!

[anderson3]

WestKy: The wife is more important than the food plot.
Not sure you can have it both ways if the better half wants a nice short lawn.
We use turf-type perennial ryegrass here, because it germinates fast and tends to stay green even while it is dormant. Deer won't touch it.
About all you could put in the lawn mix for deer would be a few lbs of white clover (ladino, new zealand, white dutch, etc.) per acre. It will tolerate a fair amount of mowing; white dutch will thrive even when mowed short every week. But there will not be much there for deer if it is mowed, since it will be so short.

A compromise might be to plant some nice turfgrass around the house, then put perennial clovers in a half acre toward the woods...or a 50 foot belt of clover around the outside somehow. Then you can manage each part for what you want. Clover plots look pretty nice especially from a distance. Most clovers will put up with quite a bit of mowing, so if you have to clip it every few weeks it should do okay. Set the mower a little higher when cutting the clover as compared to the grass.

Best I can do. I will begin and end with the most important suggestion: The wife is more important than the food plot.

[WestKyTeacher]

Thanks Anderson3. Your second paragraph is exactly what the wife suggests. She wants a nice yard up around the house, and half way to the woods she wants to switch it over to a food plot. She loves the wildlife as much as I do. She does care if I only clip the food plot once or twice a year.
Anyone else have any suggestions on the grass types or food plot?

[wtnhunt]

Would go with a mix of perenial clovers of some sort. Pennington has a couple great clover blends that are best planted in the fall.

[LETMGROW]

My main concern would be, how far is your house from the highway? Do you really want to draw deer that close? This could be a recipe for tragedy!

[WestKyTeacher]

My house is roughly 1700 feet off the main highway. I have a 35 acre hay field in front between my house and the road way, 66 acres of woods behind and on the sides of my house before it either hits more woods to one side, a swamp and woods behind it, or corn and bean fields on the other side. I plan on sitting on the back screened porch, drinking coffee, and watching the deer and turkey feed.

[Born2Hunt]

I also vote clover.

[LETMGROW]

1700' should be more than sufficient. Sounds like you are in for a good time. Clover is probably your best choice. Buy quality though. You should get 5 or more years of good production with a good maintenance program. Enjoy!

[wtnhunt]

The wife here has asked me why I cannot get our yard like our one acre clover/trefoil plot in my back field. Unfortunately my yard is so uneven and hilly in the back, I have been afraid to cut it up behind the house, but might eventually try and smooth it out and plant clovers there too.

[Mathews XT Man]

It could be done..clover is probably your best choice, maybe some winter wheat for the turkeys next year too

[Doc]

I had a pond filled in this year and wanted the same thing..........a lawn that would draw deer. I planted a cheapie variety of regular old lawn seed that I now keep mowed regularly, and the deer are using it on a regular basis. I'm not sure what all they put in that mixture, but the deer sure do like it. For mowing, I have the lawnmower set on 3". The grass seems to like that and the deer do too.

Doc

[gitcha_some]

id go with turf type tall fescue on the lawn

and whitetail institue clover for the plot