How to Grow Millet for Song Birds

Millet can be mixed with outher seeds like safflower.

Songbirds are known to live in forests and grasslands. They prefer to live wild and outdoors, but bird lovers can draw songbirds to their property by setting up outdoor bird feeders for them to frequent. Many songbirds enjoy eating millet, so stocking bird feeders with the seed will help attract them to your yard again and again.

Things You'll Need

• Soil
• Fertilizer
• Millet seeds
• Mulch
• Water

Instructions

1. Select a plot of land where you can grow your millet. It should be in full sunlight. Search the area for rocks, weeds and debris and remove them. Add rich, fresh soil to the ground as well as fertilizer, if desired.

2. Dig a row of holes about one inch into the soil and two inches apart and plant a millet seed in each hole. Cover the holes with soil. Start another row of holes about a foot away from the first. Continue this way until your plot is filled with millet seeds.

3. Add soil to the millet seeds as they begin to grow so that they have new soil to pull nutrients from. The old soil will be stripped of nitrogen as the millet grows. Add a layer of mulch over the soil to help it retain water and nutrients.

4. Watering the plants may only be necessary if rainfall is scarce. Normal rainfall will provide all of the water that the millet seeds need. When the seeds grow and their heads turn golden brown, harvest the millet and place it into bird feeders for the song birds. You can also let the birds eat the millet right from the stalks if you desire.

References

• Heirloom Organics: How to Grow Millet
• Department of Natural Resources: Landowner's Guide: Songbirds