The Best Food Plot Seed You've Never Heard of: Jointvetch

The best food plot ingredient you’ve probably never heard of. Jointvetch, deer vetch, Aeschynomene, all different names for a little-known native forb that is an absolute rockstar when planted for deer, turkey, quail, and dove. Not to be confused with traditional “vetch” (like hairy vetch) this plant is not actually a vetch at all. It’s a native legume that is more closely related to beans and peas than vetch. We can’t believe that this species is as overlooked as it is given all of its benefits.

Jointvetch has high protein content (20%+) to support antler growth in deer and as a native plant it is a host for many native bugs making it a magnet for turkeys. In late summer and fall it produces small bean-like seed pods that are a magnet for turkey, quail, and dove. It withstands grazing pressure better than just about any other warm season planting including soybeans, cowpeas, and buckwheat making it ideal for warm season forage in small plots or high deer density areas. This unique native will grow just about anywhere. Tolerating acidic soil, shade, and marginal areas, its hard to find somewhere it won’t grow. It can be found on roadsides and old logging roads. This makes it ideal for food plots which, lets be honest, rarely get planted in ideal growing conditions.

We have worked jointvetch into our Bucks and Beards and Summer Bulk seed blends. In Bucks and Beards it truly shines as a major draw for turkeys and a great warm season forage for deer. In Summer Bulk it helps provide extra graze tolerance and more protein for boosting antler growth and ensuring your plots succeed even in high pressure areas. These two mixes are some of our favorites and they wouldn’t be what they are without the addition of jointvetch.

At the time of writing we don’t know of any other seed brands that feature this as a major component in their blends although that will likely change in the near future as more people are catching on to this under-appreciated and under-utilized species. We suspect it typically gets passed over by seed companies as the seed is hard to find in large quantities and often pricey. We never like to take the easy way out when it comes to sourcing the best seed for our blends, so we’ve worked hard with our suppliers to get this species in our blends. Try it out in your plots this year, you’ll be glad you did!