I can’t be trusted with house plants, not even a Chia pet. For a while I tried, but realized I was starting to feel sorry as I shopped for a plant at a store, for it would be a death sentence for whichever one I chose.

I’ve also had some complete food plot failures. Here’s what I’ve learned:

1. There is just no substitute for good soil. It doesn’t matter if the seed or seed mix you bought is the best on the market, it won’t perform well if the soil is no good.

2. Good soil can’t help, if when you plant, you get the seed depth wrong.

3. Add lime. Keep adding lime.

4. Kill weeds.

5. If you don’t have land or permission to add a food plot to property you hunt, you can do things to help make areas more attractive to deer.

When I first got my farm, I was stretched to the limit with a mortgage and the cost of needed repairs to the house. I picked up a used yard tractor, which at a glance seemed perfect for mowing fields. Its chassis had been raised, meaning that even at its lowest setting, the mower deck was about 8 inches high. Whoever had done the project hadn’t thought ahead; readjusting the overall height of the yard tractor had changed something in the steering, and it would only turn left.

I was soon to learn why this “lifting” had been done. The previous owner had planned to race it, or maybe compete in pulling contests – I’ll never know. What I do know is that the first time I put it in gear, the thing snapped my neck back and all too soon I was going faster than I’d thought possible on a mower.

My point is this – don’t despair if you don’t have great equipment (although a neck brace could be a wise purchase). With the jacked-up mower, and a small Mantis tiller, that first spring I put in a small food plot of a shade-tolerant clover mix. I started out using a hand-held spinner spreader for lime; but after comparing the spinner spreader size to the bags of lime, I started just scooping and throwing lime.

That plot did well, and on later reflection I have theories why. I mowed and killed weeds, spraying twice for weeds. I added lime, freely, abundantly, yearly. I planted a uniformly-sized seed, so I had only one seed depth. That little plot didn’t get enough sunlight, so I chose a clover mix that tolerated shade.

What if you don’t have a place to plant a plot? I remember when I lived in Maine, I had permission to hunt a giant hayfield. There were limited stand trees, and although lots of deer entered the field every afternoon, they came from all directions and seemingly, never from the same place.

I asked the owner if I could add lime to an area of the field. Here’s another thing I learned – farmers love it when you ask them if you can add lime to their field for free. I added lime to the field only in the area near a good stand tree. I remember looking out at the field over the summer, and I could see the darker, richer color where I’d added the lime. The deer fed there, and later, I fed on one of them.

Far too often, hunters have permission to use a property but do nothing to show their appreciation, such as helping improve the property. Make this the year you plant a food plot - read, plan and consult the experts – or take steps to improve a piece of land. Hopefully you will feel a sense of stewardship and connection with the land. If so, that feeling will enhance your hunting experience.

P.S. The jacked-up mower? One afternoon, in a moment that was only comedic later, the steering wheel came off in my hands. I bailed off it as if I were rolling from a moving train. The mower continued alone in a speedy, sweeping left turn until it lodged in a brush pile. I did not attempt repairs.