Foxtail Millet

Foxtail Millet is a ancient food and feed cereal with dense foxtail heads. Grow in a sunny, weed-free plot with drainage, using regionally adapted seed rather than assuming all millets share the same season.

Sun

Full sun

Water

Keep moist through establishment and grain filling; avoid waterlogging

Spacing

Use cultivar-specific row spacing and grain seeding rate

First harvest

75–110 days

Tips

• Sow roughly 1/2 inch deep in warm soil and choose a cultivar grown for grain.
• Establish in warm, frost-free conditions; verify cultivar day-length response and full grain maturity before planting.
• Keep weeds down during slow early growth and fertilize moderately from a soil test.
• Water for establishment and grain filling; drought tolerance does not mean zero water for reliable yields.
• Cut ripening heads before shattering, dry with airflow, thresh and clean; most millets need dehulling before food use.

Local grain-cultivar guidance controls sowing and harvest; tropical or day-length-sensitive seed may not finish in a short temperate summer.