# 8 acres to play with



## Mr. C (Oct 27, 2011)

I'm thinking of reclaiming an 8acre field next to my garden next year (I rent some of my farmland out). I'm looking for suggestions for planting for my apiary. It does not all need to be in the same crop, though things that serve dual purposes are a bonus. If you had 8acres free what would you put in? And how much?

Things I've considered so far.
white clover (How well would it hold up in the field? I'm overseeding my lawn with it currently)
alfalfa (If I bale it for hay, most people want to cut it before bloom for better protein content)
sweet clover (biennials annoy me though they'd be in time for next years hopeful hive expansion)
sunflowers (my wife's a fan, but I've heard the honey isn't that great)
buckwheat (successive plantings, I like buckwheat honey but if that was all I had...)

The field is empty right now, with just corn stuble. It was roundup ready corn last year (ya I know there's a reason I want to reclaim the field) so there shouldn't be too much in the way of carryover spray and I just got a nice 6ft rototiller so I can prep it just about anyway (Plows, disc, rakes, drags etc are available also between my dad and me).

I'm open for suggestions.


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## Guest (Feb 14, 2012)

If you want high quality pollen and honey, plant a little Viper's Bugloss (_Echium vulgare_, Blueweed, it has dif. names). 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_American_nectar_sources_for_honey_bees

"Feral In California, spring blooming plant with *repeat* bloom. Fall bloom provides nectar for bees for overwintering. The most unusual feature of Echium vulgare is the protection of the nectar inside the flower from vaporization (when it’s hot) or flushing away (when it rains). It is why for 2 months this plant is a stable source of nectar for bees. Additionally this plant produces nectar* throughout the day* unlike most plants which produce nectar for a short period of time. If the bees have a good access to Echium they can collect between* 12-20 lbs of nectar a day*. The concentration of sugars in the nectar vary 22.6-48.3% depending on the quality of the soil, and not on the amount of rain. The honey is light amber in color and very fragrant with a pleasant taste, and does not crystallize for* 9–15 months*."

Plus it likes crappy dry soil and it not only comes back every year, it spreads itself. You can get 1,000 pounds of honey per acre and 500 pounds of pollen per acre.


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## Jon11 (Mar 29, 2011)

Dr. Buzz,
Have you ever planted echium? It may not do as well in Michigan as it does in California. But if you have tried it and had success in Arkansas I'd be glad to know where to get some seed. 

Mr. C,
It's hard to beat common white dutch clover, but you will need to mow your field occasionally to prevent the grass and weeds from taking it over. Sweet Clover is also good, and I understand not wanting to wait until next year to see any results. I'm experimenting with Hubam this year, which is supposed to be an annual. I planted it last Friday in hopes that it will bloom this Summer.


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## tsmullins (Feb 17, 2011)

Jon11 said:


> Dr. Buzz,
> I'm experimenting with Hubam this year, which is supposed to be an annual. I planted it last Friday in hopes that it will bloom this Summer.


I planted some Hubam clover last year, it did bloom well the first year.

Shane


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## Guest (Feb 14, 2012)

Jon11 said:


> Dr. Buzz,
> Have you ever planted echium? It may not do as well in Michigan as it does in California.


_Echium Vulgare_ thrives everywhere from Africa to Russia. I bought my seeds from Canada. I'm growing it in Arkansas. It has become such a nuisance in Washington state that it's apparently a crime to import it there. 

Here is a map of everywhere it is in America and Canada:
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ECVU

In other words, yeah, it grows in Michigan.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Report on _Echium vulgare_ growing in Michigan:
http://michiganflora.net/species.aspx?id=569

Here's one US source of seed, but it seems to be hard to find in larger quantities - suitable for multiple acres:

http://www.tmseeds.com/product/Echium-Vulgare-Blue-Bedder/Shop_Biennial_Flower_Seed


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## SilverBack (Dec 10, 2011)

My bias is to seed for whatever forbs are native to your area (think prairie flowers) and are attractive to pollinators in general and honeybees specifically. You can probably come up with a mix that blooms April into November, providing diversity of pollen and nectar throughout the season. You will be amazed at the pollinators, besides honeybees, attracted to your acreage.

Likely more expensive, but worth it imo.

Your state Natural Resources dept can probably point you to a list of pollinator-friendly natives.


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## Mr. C (Oct 27, 2011)

I've tried purple tansy, but it did not do well. It didn't grow fast enough to compete in my climate so there were few blooms. I looked at echium vulgare the same time I bought the tansy and there was a reason I didn't go with it... probably because it doesn't normally grow here so I was worried it either wouldn't do well or would do too well.


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## Mr. C (Oct 27, 2011)

Hmm I do appear to be in its distribution, I'll have to do more research again, now I can't remember why I didn't order it last year.


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## forgeblast (Feb 4, 2011)

This is what I would do but only because its what I am doing on my property. 
Prep for the worse and hope for the best. 
A word of caution the deer will eat anything unfenced at our place so if there is deer pressure look into fencing.
I would thin of dividing the property up into squares and plant a few apple, pear, plum, peach, in the outer areas. 
Next to them I would go with shrubs, blueberrys, blackberries, cranberries, etc.
the middle I would put in some wildflower, and or herb areas. 
I would look at when the blooms occur, and when you could harvest the fruit/food so that you have overlapping times. 
If you just want it to be easy I would do just wildflower, and clover and buy a few deer stands to hunt over the plot. 
Permiculture is a good word to google, it will give you a better idea of what I am talking about.


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## Mr. C (Oct 27, 2011)

I already have an orchard started inside my deer fence, but 100 or so trees won't do a whole lot, especially not if the rabbits keep climbing abouve my tree guards and mowing them down. I tried a test plot (about 1/2 acre) of wildflowers, the weeds choked them out quickly so the bees didn't benefit, which is why I'm going with a pasture setting I think. If I can high mow it I can keep some of my more common weeds from taking over too badly and keep the stand active. Right now I'm thinking of trying a mix of a couple white clovers (alsike and ladino?), alfalfa, and birdsfoot trefoil... but I may change my mind again.


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## c10250 (Feb 3, 2009)

native mixture with milkweed and especially Goldenrod! Grows like a weed (because it is), native, great tasting honey, you only plant once, great winter buildup from it . . .


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## SilverBack (Dec 10, 2011)

When returning weedy land back to natives, site preparation is key. You might need an entire growing season just to rid the site of undesirables. I used fire and glyphosphate to accomplish this. Then did a fall seeding on nearly bare earth. Year 1 was mostly chickweed. Years 2 and beyond have been a gloriously mess proliferation of native forbs blooming from April into November.

In other areas where I tried to seed natives over weeds withouth site preparation, the weeds won.


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## SilverBack (Dec 10, 2011)

I would go lightly with the goldenrod, only because it will proliferate easily and rapidly by rhizomes. A little goldenrod seed will go a long ways.


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## forgeblast (Feb 4, 2011)

Roundup will be a good friend to get some things knocked down. I have a crep planting that is about 2acres and I still have to use it around the tree tubes for this year and spot kill invasive plants. I use it at night when the bees are in. I just bought a lot of seed from STOCK seed company, fast shipping and looks to be a great product. They had lots of native mixes.


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## Mr. C (Oct 27, 2011)

There are acres and acres of goldenrod around my house (especially the neighbors), that is definately one I don't need to plant. I'll check out the stock seed company, I can get clover and alfalfa from my local feedstore, but not trefoil. The field I'm planting in this year has been roundup ready corn for 2-3 years so it's good to go. I'll probably till it (though that may bring old weed seed to the top) and plant it early this spring. My neighbor offered his grass seed planter since he'll have it out for starting some hay fields anyway. Hopefully I can swing the seed in my budget, I think I'll need a total of about 100lbs of seed if I decide to seed in the whole thing.


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