SET 12/85 foxtail millet
$4.00 – $8.00
(Setaria italica)
A tall, lean, Maxima type with long, loose heads. Rather more spare looking than most other foxtail millets – possibly preferable for thatching? Two advantages I noticed right away: the loose heads thresh easily, and unlike our other foxtails their insides are dark, meaning that it is easy to see if you missed any of the bright yellow seeds while threshing! The downside may be slightly lower yield, but further testing is needed. From France by way of the USDA National Plant Germplasm System, where it is accession # PI 649311.
Plant once soil is warm, a week or two after the average last frost (about the same time as common beans and amaranth). Sow seeds ¼” deep, 6” apart in rows 8” apart. Millet likes heat. Bird like millet; when the heads near maturity, pay close attention, and take precautions if you observe the birds beginning to feast. Seedheads can be harvested after frost kills the plants and dried further if necessary before threshing, which is easily accomplished by treading on them.