Best Cheap Food Plots on a Budget
You don't need premium branded blends to pull deer. These crops deliver the most plot per dollar.
The challenge
Branded food-plot bags cost a premium for the same seed sold cheaper as ag-grade. The cheapest per-acre crops are cereal grains — rye, wheat, and oats sell in 50 lb bags for a fraction of a small clover bag — and inexpensive annual legumes and buckwheat round out a budget plot. The savings come from buying generic seed by the bag and mixing your own.
What to plant
Best crops for low budget
Tips
- Buy ag-grade seed by the 50 lb bag at a co-op — same plant, often a third the price of branded bags.
- Mix your own blend instead of paying for a pre-mix.
- Cereal grains give the most forage per dollar; check the numbers with the seed cost calculator.
Where to buy seed
Compare prices on Cereal Rye and Oats seed and a broadcast spreader online.
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FAQ
- What is the cheapest food plot to plant?
- Cereal grains — cereal rye, oats, and winter wheat — are by far the cheapest per acre, sold in 50 lb bags for around $20–40 and planted at high rates. Buckwheat is inexpensive in summer, and crimson clover is a budget-friendly annual legume.
- How can I plant a food plot cheaply?
- Buy generic ag-grade seed by the bag instead of branded food-plot mixes, mix your own blend, and lean on cheap cereal grains. Don't skip the soil test and lime, though — that's the cheapest way to make the seed you do buy actually perform.
Size your plot
Pick a crop above and calculate exact seed and lime for your plot, or estimate lime with the lime calculator.
Other conditions