The old timers around here talk about frost seeding back in the day. I decided to give it a try a couple weeks ago on a plot that had triticale last fall...cast some white and red clover seed. Temperatures here have been above and below numerous times as needed for said procedure. Not sure what to expect, but its not over half acre and if it doesnt take ill just chalk it up to experience. Curious if others still try frost seeding their food plots?

I have with success when I used a drag or harrow and could run across it to get some seed cover. I guess you could say it wasn't a true test of frost seeding but it worked pretty darn good. I have broad casted with a spreader then harrowed in a few times back and forth did a great job. I had an old ranch homestead house pushed in last year and I did the same thing. The alfalfa is as thick as hair on a dog last fall and starting to green up on the crown a few days ago.

The ground was froze but not hard as a rock when I did mine. Did it several times through the years. When I just broad casted it and walked away not to good of luck then.

Used to do a lot of oats, just broadcast and disk them in.

Ive done that too, but im referring to casting seed while snow is still on the ground and letting the freeze/thaw cycles in spring pull the seed into the ground. Thats what we refer as frost seeding in these parts....

Never understood that. The seed will just lay there until the soil temp raises so it can germinate. If any of it rots or is eaten then there are that many seed less that can sprout. Wait until first of april. It will come up faster and have a better chance at making it. If you are working it in that's not what old timers around here called frost seeding. They threw it on top of the snow or the ground when it froze. All i saw was every bird in the country eating it when on the snow.

According to the old timers, it wont just lay there. The multiple freeze/thaw cycles in early spring pull the seed down and allow it to germinate when the temps rise. Must be something to it or it wouldn't have been done to the extent it was. It apparently also allowed for seeding areas, such as lightly forested areas that equipment couldnt access, to be seeded with forage crops. It also allowed traditional wetter areas, where equipment would not be able to work until much later than other areas, to be seeded and have traditional germination times.

To get a good take on the seed you HAVE to be ready for that hard frost the very first thing in the morning. Right at first light if you walk on the ground and can hear and feel the ground sort of cracking, heaving, that's the time to get the seed down. Not after morning coffee or breakfast. For best results walk the field broadcasting the seed in front of you. I used a 4 wheeler just once broadcasting the seed behind it. The tires pushed the little ground cracks down and once the seed started coming up I could see right where the tire tracks were as there was very little seed growth in the tracks. For even better results wait till later in the day once the surface moisture has dried up the go over it with a cultipacker or roller.

Like I said, my experience with frost seeding is I never had a good stand. Maybe 20% at best and when I helped it out with just a little soil cover or compaction the results were very good. Like one posted a roller after the cracking of soil has happened after a few day of the frost thaw event has happened then roll it it made a huge difference for success. Just my experience.

Did it once on an eaten down horse pasture, broadcast red clover early when we still had frosts, darn stuff came in thick....read that red clover takes better but any clover will work...

I've had success using frost seeding to over-seed an existing clover plot. It works for seeds like clover that only need good soil contact and not some level of soil cover. Put it out and let the snow melt and rain work it down to the soil so the freeze/thaw cycle can work it in a bit.