PREPARATION

Start with a clean, weed-free planting area by spraying or tilling existing vegetation. Prepare a firm seedbed that allows the relatively large pea seed to be placed at the proper depth with excellent seed-to-soil contact.

SOIL TEST & FERTILITY

Conduct a soil test whenever possible and adjust soil pH to approximately 6.0–7.0. Apply phosphorus, potassium, lime, and other nutrients according to soil-test recommendations. Because forage peas are legumes, excessive nitrogen is generally unnecessary when plants are properly inoculated and actively fixing nitrogen.

PLANTING RATE

Broadcast (Prepared Seedbed): 50 lbs/acre
Broadcast (No-Till): 60-65 lbs/acre
Drill: 30 lbs/acre

When Used In Blends: Reduce the rate according to the other species
included and the desired pea component.

PLANTING DEPTH

Plant approximately 1–1½ inches deep if planting straight. Unlike clovers and brassicas, forage peas are large seeds and should be covered with soil. Avoid simply broadcasting peas onto an exposed soil surface without
incorporating them.

TIMING

Plant during the recommended fall window for your region, generally approximately 45–60 days before the average first hard freeze. Target
cooling temperatures, adequate soil moisture, and enough growing time for the plants to establish before severe winter conditions.

MOISTURE

Plant into adequate soil moisture or immediately ahead of dependable rainfall. Consistent moisture during germination and early establishment is especially important for producing a vigorous stand.

BROWSE PRESSURE

Forage peas can be extremely attractive to deer. Heavy browsing shortly after emergence can keep plants short or prevent them from reaching their full production potential. Increase total planted acreage, incorporate complementary forage species, or protect portions of the plot when
browse pressure is severe.

ADJUSTING FOR PLS & GERMINATION

Recommended planting rates assume 100% Pure Live Seed (PLS) and 100% germination. Actual seed quality varies by lot. To determine an adjusted planting rate, divide the recommended seeding rate by the PLS percentage multiplied by the germination percentage, both expressed as decimals. Adjusting for PLS and germination ensures proper stand density and maximum forage production.

Straight Shot™ Frost Bite™ is a premium single-species forage pea packaged specifically for hunters who want to build custom blends, enhance existing food plots, or plant forage peas by themselves without
purchasing a bulk farm-size bag.

Forage peas produce tender, highly palatable, protein-rich vegetation that deer readily browse. They're especially valuable in fall food plots where hunters want fast-growing attraction combined with quality
cool-season nutrition.

Frost Bite™ is a cool-season annual legume. It establishes in the fall, produces forage throughout the cool season, and completes its life cycle within one growing season.

Plant during the recommended window for your Backwoods planting zone, generally about 45–60 days before your area's average first hard freeze. The goal is to establish a strong stand after extreme summer heat begins to break but before severe winter temperatures arrive.

Plant approximately 1–1½ inches deep. Forage peas are considerably larger than clover and brassica seeds and perform best when properly covered with soil rather than left exposed on the surface.

Yes. Frost Bite™ can be planted as a pure stand for highly palatable pea forage or incorporated into a custom fall blend.

Yes. Frost Bite™ is an excellent way to increase the pea and legume component of an existing fall plot. Because peas need to be planted deeper than small-seeded clovers and brassicas, make sure the seed gets adequate soil coverage and seed-to-soil contact.

Frost Bite™ pairs especially well with cereal rye, forage wheat, oats, crimson clover, turnips, radishes, rape, and chicory. Reduce
individual species rates when creating a blend to prevent overcrowding.

Absolutely. This is one of the best uses for Frost Bite™. Adding forage peas to cereal rye, wheat, or oats increases forage diversity and introduces a highly palatable legume alongside dependable cereal-grain forage.

Yes. Forage peas are valued as a high-quality, protein-rich legume forage. Actual crude protein varies with plant maturity, fertility, environmental conditions, and the portion of the plant being analyzed, so I
would avoid putting one guaranteed protein percentage on the product page unless we have forage-test data to support it.

Yes. As a legume, forage peas can fix atmospheric nitrogen when their roots are properly nodulated by compatible Rhizobium bacteria. Proper inoculation is important when compatible bacteria aren't already present in the soil.

Yes, but they shouldn't be managed exactly like cereal grains or brassicas. Properly nodulated peas can supply much of their own nitrogen. Use a soil test to determine phosphorus, potassium, lime, and other
fertility requirements.

Browse pressure. Forage peas can be extremely attractive to deer, and on properties with high deer densities they may be browsed almost as quickly as they produce new growth. A short plot isn't necessarily a failed plot—it may be getting hammered.

Increase planted acreage, incorporate complementary species such as cereal grains and clovers, or use temporary exclusion cages to compare protected growth with browsed areas. On heavily populated properties, planting
peas as part of a diverse blend can help distribute browsing pressure.

Forage peas perform well under cool fall conditions and tolerate light freezing temperatures, but they generally aren't as winter-hardy as cereal rye or some other cool-season species. Severe or prolonged cold can damage or terminate plants, particularly in northern climates.

Deer can readily browse Frost Bite™ before frost, so frost isn't required for attraction. Cooler fall conditions can influence plant
growth and carbohydrate concentrations, but Frost Bite™ should be positioned as
highly palatable cool-season forage throughout its productive period—not
something deer only eat after a frost.

With favorable soil temperatures, adequate moisture, and proper planting depth, forage peas can germinate and establish rapidly. Deer may begin browsing young plants shortly after enough vegetation develops to
become available.

Not in quite the same way. Because forage peas are larger seeds and should generally be planted around 1–1½ inches deep, simply
broadcasting them over established vegetation is less reliable. If adding Frost
Bite™ to an existing plot, create enough soil disturbance or incorporation to
properly cover the seed.

Frost Bite™ gives you forage peas by themselves, allowing you to control exactly how much pea seed goes into your plot. Trophy Acre™ is a complete multi-species blend that already combines Frost Bite™ Forage Peas with brassicas, clovers, chicory, and other complementary forage species.

Straight Shot™ gives hunters premium individual food plot species in practical food-plot quantities. Buy what you need to build your own blend, increase the pea content of an existing plot, or plant a targeted pea plot without having to purchase and store a large agricultural bag.