If you're trying to attract wildlife to your garden for hunting, photography, or any other reason, sugar beets are an excellent choice of plant to grow. In particular, deer love to eat sugar beets, and will go out of their way to get a taste. Here are some tips that can help you as you attract wildlife to your garden.
First, you'll need to select an ideal spot. Pick a place that is convenient for you, and on your property. However, you need to keep in mind that wild animals do not belong everywhere. Select a location that is not well trafficked, and far from any vegetable gardens or other things you want to keep free from wild animals.
Sugar beets grow the best in temperate climates, or slightly hotter ones. They can grow in almost any soil, but if your soil is not very rich, or has high clay content, using compost on your soil might be a good idea. Their adaptability makes them an easy plant to grow.
Plant your sugar beets in the spring. Earlier is better, but wait until temperatures don't drop below freezing if you can. April is a good month in most places, but you can still grow sugar beets successfully if you start as late as June.
Plant your seeds 1/4 inch deep. Space them close together and keep their soil moist, but not soaked through. Within 2 to 3 weeks, you should see some sprouts.
Wait until the plants are about 3 inches tall. At this point, clear out the weakest plants. Only clear out enough that the remaining ones are about 4 inches apart. Sugar beets have shallow roots, and for this reason, they do not compete well with other plants. Because of this, you will need to weed them regularly.
Sugar beets mature in about 6 to 7 weeks. Before this happens, you will need to decide whether you want to harvest your sugar beets and put them in a deer feeder, or leave them in the ground as part of your wildlife food plots. Both ways have their advantages. Leaving them in the ground is simpler, more natural, and lets the deer eat the greens, which they also enjoy. However, using a feeder can be more convenient, because you can store your sugar beets in advance, and save yourself the trouble of going out into the wilderness every day to water and weed them.
If you choose to harvest your sugar beets to use in a deer feeder, wait until they are about 1 1/2 inches across. You will need a feeder of some kind. You can purchase a professionally made one, or improvise your own. You can build a simple deer feeder with just a piece of 4 to 6 inch PVC pipe and a bucket. Punch some small holes in the bucket so it won't collect water, then cut it down so it is about 6 inches tall. Fill the PVC pipe with your sugar beets, then fasten it to a tree. Set your bucket below the pipe to collect the beets as it empties.
If you choose to leave them for the deer to find, you are done. It's time to start attracting deer.
Ikiwa unataka kuvutia wanyama wa porini kwenye bustani yako kwa sababu ya uwindaji, upigaji picha, au sababu nyingine yoyote, mboga za sukari ni chaguo bora la mmea wa kukuza. Hasa, nyati hupenda kula beets za sukari, na watafanya yote wawezayo ili kupata ladha. Hapa kuna vidokezo ambavyo vinaweza kukusaidia wakati unapowavutia wanyama wa porini kwenye bustani yako. Kwanza, unahitaji kuchagua mahali pazuri. Chagua mahali panapofaa kwako na mahali panapofaa kwako. Hata hivyo, unapaswa kukumbuka kwamba wanyama-pori hawapo kila mahali. Chagua mahali ambapo hakuna watu wengi, mbali na bustani za mboga au vitu vingine ambavyo unataka kuhifadhiwa bila wanyama wa porini. Beets za sukari hukua vizuri zaidi katika maeneo yenye hali ya hewa ya wastani, au yenye joto kidogo. Inaweza kukua katika udongo wowote, lakini ikiwa udongo wako hauna mchanga au una mchanga mwingi, unaweza kutumia mbolea. Uwezo wao wa kuzoea mambo hufanya iwe rahisi kuzalisha. Panda beets zako za sukari wakati wa masika. Kabla ya hapo ni bora, lakini subiri mpaka joto lisianguke chini ya kiwango cha baridi kali ikiwa unaweza. Aprili ni mwezi mzuri katika maeneo mengi, lakini bado unaweza kukuza beets sukari kwa mafanikio ikiwa utaanza mwishoni mwa Juni. Panda mbegu zako kwa kina cha inchi 1.5. Weka mashamba hayo karibu-karibu na udongo wao uwe na unyevunyevu, lakini usiwe umenyunyizia. Baada ya wiki mbili au tatu, unapaswa kuona miche. Ngoja mimea hiyo iwe na urefu wa inchi tatu. Katika hatua hii, ondoa mimea dhaifu zaidi. Kwa hivyo, ni muhimu kuondoa kila kitu ambacho kiko karibu na 4 inches mbali. Mbegu za sukari zina mizizi midogo, na kwa sababu hiyo, hazishindani vizuri na mimea mingine. Kwa sababu hiyo, utahitaji kuondoa magugu mara kwa mara. Mimea ya sukari hufikia ukomavu katika wiki 6 hadi 7. Kabla ya hili kutokea, unahitaji kuamua kama unataka kuvuna beet yako ya sukari na kuiweka katika mlo wa nyati, au kuwaacha chini kama sehemu ya viwanja vyako vya chakula cha wanyama wa porini. Njia zote mbili zina faida zake. Kuiacha chini ya ardhi ni rahisi zaidi, ni ya asili zaidi, na huwaacha nyati kula mboga, ambazo pia hufurahia. Hata hivyo, kutumia feeder inaweza kuwa rahisi zaidi, kwa sababu unaweza kuhifadhi beets yako ya sukari mapema, na kuokoa mwenyewe shida ya kwenda nje katika jangwa kila siku maji na weed yao. Ikiwa unachagua kuvuna beet yako ya sukari ili kutumia katika mlo wa nyati, subiri hadi iwe karibu inchi 1 na nusu kwa mduara. Unahitaji mtoaji wa chakula wa aina fulani. Unaweza kununua moja iliyotengenezwa na wataalamu, au kuibuni yako mwenyewe. Unaweza kujenga mnyororo rahisi wa kulisha nyati kwa kipande cha bomba la PVC la inchi 4 hadi 6 na ndoo. Fungua mashimo madogo ndani ya ndoo ili maji yasikusanye, kisha ukate hadi urefu wa sentimeta sita. Kujaza bomba la PVC na beets yako ya sukari, kisha kuifunga kwenye mti. Weka ndoo yako chini ya bomba ili kukusanya beets zinapokuwa tupu. Ukiamua kuwaacha waonekane na nyati, umemalizika. Ni wakati wa kuanza kuvutia nyati.