Clearance food plot seed: is it actually worth buying?

Last updated 2026-07-25

what is a food plot, and does clearance seed still work in one?

A food plot is a planted patch of forage on hunting land, usually somewhere between a quarter acre and a few acres, grown specifically to feed and hold deer or other wildlife. Most plots run annual grains and legumes (oats, clover, brassicas, soybeans) or perennial clover and chicory stands that can last 3-5 years with upkeep. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service supports wildlife habitat plantings like this through practice standards such as Conservation Practice Standard 645, Upland Wildlife Habitat Management, and cooperative extension offices across whitetail country publish planting guides built around the same handful of species ^[1]. Clearance seed is just leftover inventory: bags from last season, blends a retailer overbought, or discontinued mixes marked down 40-70% off shelf price. The seed itself isn't inferior at the moment it's bagged. What changes is germination rate over time, and whether the label still matches what's actually in the bag if it's been reblended or repackaged. So yes, clearance seed can absolutely still grow a plot. The catch is you're buying an unknown variable (age, storage conditions) at a discount, and you need to verify that variable yourself before you commit acreage to it. If you want a full rundown on species options before you decide what to plant at all, start with food plot seed or deer food plot seed.

how do you check if clearance seed is still good?

Look for a date tag or lot number on the bag first. Most legume and small grain seed sold in the US carries a germination test date required by state seed law, often printed as a tag stapled to the bag. If that date is more than 12 months old, treat the printed germ percentage as a starting point, not a guarantee, since germination drops in storage. Do a home rag-doll test before you plant anything discounted. Count out 100 seeds (or 25 if you want a faster, rougher estimate), lay them on a damp paper towel, roll it up, seal it in a plastic bag, and keep it around 70-75°F for the number of days your species needs (5-10 days for most clovers and brassicas, 7-10 for oats). Count how many sprouted. Below 70% germination, oversow at a heavier rate to compensate. Below 50%, most agronomists would tell you to cut your losses and buy fresh seed for anything you actually depend on. The Association of Official Seed Analysts publishes the standardized Rules for Testing Seeds that labs and extension programs use as the basis for this kind of germination check ^[2]. Check for mold, a musty smell, or seed that's clumped together. Any of those means moisture got into storage and the lot is probably compromised no matter what the germ tag says.

when to plant food plots for deer, and does clearance timing matter?

Plot timing runs on two windows almost everywhere in whitetail country: a spring/summer window for warm-season annuals and perennials, and a late summer/early fall window for cool-season annuals. Clearance seed shows up heaviest right after each of those windows closes, which is exactly when it's least useful to you unless you're planning a full year ahead. Spring plantings (clover, chicory, soybeans, corn, sorghum) generally go in after your last frost date, which ranges from early April in the Deep South to late May or even early June across the northern tier and Canada border states, based on NOAA's climate normals for last spring freeze dates by region ^[3]. Fall plantings (brassicas, oats, wheat, rye, winter peas) go in 6-8 weeks before your first hard frost so plants establish before growth slows. Many extension programs across the Southeast and mid-South recommend drilling brassicas 60 to 90 days before the first killing frost in a given area, which lands most of that region in the late July through August window ^[4]. Clearance seed sold in October is often fall-blend inventory a retailer wants gone before winter storage costs kick in. That's fine if you're buying it to sit in a cool, dry closet until next August. It's not fine if you're trying to plant it in October expecting a fall plot, because you've missed the window regardless of seed quality. Check the seasonal calendar for your zone before you buy discount seed out of season just because it's cheap.

when to plant oats for deer?

Oats are a fall staple because deer hit them hard right after they green up, and they tolerate a light frost better than most cool-season grains. Plant oats 6-8 weeks before your area's average first frost date so they get real growth before cold weather slows things down. In much of the whitetail belt that lands somewhere between mid-August and mid-September; the Deep South can push into October. Oats also work as a quick spring cover crop or nurse crop for clover in some regions, but the fall planting is what most hunters mean when they talk about an oat plot. Clearance oat seed is usually reliable if it's less than a year old, since oats are cheap to grow and turn over fast in retail inventory. Just confirm the germ tag date and don't buy oat seed that's been sitting since two seasons ago; oats lose vigor faster in storage than most legumes do.

when to plant turnips for deer?

Turnips go in with the fall brassica window, 60-90 days before your first expected hard frost, which gives the bulb time to size up before deer start digging for it. That's typically late July through mid-August across most of the Midwest and mid-South, and into early September in northern states with a later frost date. Turnips get sweeter after a frost or two because the plant converts starches to sugars as a cold response, which is part of why deer often ignore a turnip plot in September and hammer it in December. If you're buying clearance turnip seed, timing is less of an issue than with some species since turnip seed is small, cheap, and produced in huge volume every year, so markdowns don't usually mean it's ancient stock. Still run the rag-doll test if the bag has no visible date.

do deer eat sorghum?

Yes, deer eat grain sorghum (milo) readily, especially in fall and winter when the seed heads mature and other food sources thin out. Sorghum is also planted as a screening and bedding cover crop as much as a direct food source, since it grows tall and dense. It's a warm-season crop, planted after soil temperatures are reliably above 60°F, similar timing to corn. Sorghum shows up in clearance bins less often than oats or clover because it's a smaller share of the food plot seed market overall. When you do find it discounted, check that it hasn't been stored somewhere seed weevils or moisture could get to it; sorghum seed is a favorite target for storage pests in warm, humid climates.

do deer eat clover, and do deer like clover?

Clover is one of the most consistently preferred food plot forages for whitetails across almost every region of the country, and yes, deer genuinely favor it over a lot of alternatives when it's actively growing. It's high in protein (often 20-25% crude protein in vegetative growth stages), which matters most in spring and summer during antler growth and lactation. White clover varieties (Ladino, medium white, and others) are the most common perennial plot choice because they persist 3-5 years with mowing and occasional fertilizer, versus reseeding an annual every year. Red clover is used too, usually as a shorter-lived, more drought-tolerant option in a blend. Oklahoma State University Extension's forage and food plot guidance describes clover as one of the highest-quality, most palatable forages available for deer, commonly testing above 20% crude protein in vegetative stages ^[5]. Clearance clover seed is one of the safer bets in the discount bin because clover seed stores reasonably well if kept dry and cool, and a lot of the markdown inventory is simply overproduction rather than old stock. Still run a germ test, since clover seed that's been through a hot truck or a damp warehouse loses vigor fast despite looking fine. For a deeper species comparison, see deer food plots and food plot whitetail.

what are deer's favorite foods, and does honey factor in?

Deer preference shifts by season and region, but across most whitetail research, acorns, soybeans, clover, and standing corn consistently rank at or near the top of preferred food sources, with acorns often topping the list in fall because of their fat content. Research on white-tailed deer food habits, including foundational work published in the Journal of Wildlife Management, has long documented that deer shift heavily toward mast crops like acorns when they're available, which is exactly why plot performance varies so much season to season regardless of what you plant . Do deer like honey? Not in any meaningful dietary sense. Deer are herbivores built around a rumen adapted to browse, forbs, and mast, not concentrated sugars or animal products. There's no wildlife agency guidance or extension research recommending honey as deer attractant, and using it as bait runs straight into most states' baiting laws anyway (more on that below). If you've seen this question floating around hunting forums, it's mostly curiosity, not a real food plot strategy.

how much does clearance seed actually save you?

Fresh oats or wheat, current season	$12-$20/bag	Low, straightforward annual
Clearance oats/wheat, less than 1 year old	$6-$12/bag	Low if germ tag checked
Fresh clover blend, current season	$25-$45/bag	Low
Clearance clover, 1-2 years old	$12-$25/bag	Moderate, test germination
Clearance mystery blend, no date tag	$5-$15/bag	High, could be mostly filler	The math only works if you actually plant it at the right rate and time. A $10 bag of oat seed that germinates at 40% instead of 90% isn't a bargain if you have to buy a second bag to make up the difference, or worse, if the plot fails and you've burned the whole planting window.

Retail food plot seed blends commonly run $15-$40 per bag depending on species mix and bag size, with perennial clover blends often at the higher end because of seed cost and coating additives. Clearance markdowns of 30-50% off are common at the end of a planting season, and end-of-season clearance on garden and ag retail inventory sometimes reaches 60-75% off, particularly on blends a store is discontinuing. | Scenario | Typical cost | Risk level |

is clearance seed worth it for perennial clover versus annual blends?

Perennial clover is the better clearance candidate of the two, honestly. A clover stand you're establishing for 3-5 years can absorb a slightly lower germination rate: you just overseed a touch heavier the first year, and a thinner initial stand still fills in over the following season as the clover spreads and reseeds itself. Annual blends (a fall mix of oats, wheat, and brassica, say) don't have that luxury. You get one shot at establishment before winter, and a plot that comes in patchy because a third of the seed was dead weight is just a patchy plot, full stop, with no second season to fix it. If you're going to gamble on clearance seed, put it toward the perennial paddock, not the annual plot you're counting on for opening week.

should you buy clearance blends or build your own mix?

Pre-made clearance blends are the riskiest category because you often can't verify the ratio of species inside, and a blend that was 40% clover, 40% chicory, 20% brassica on the original label may have settled or separated in the bag over time, meaning what pours out first isn't representative of the whole mix. Buying straight species seed (plain oats, plain crimson clover, plain daikon radish) on clearance is much easier to evaluate, since you're testing one thing, not guessing at four. If you're set on a blend, buy it fresh rather than on clearance, or build your own from single-species clearance bags so you control the ratio yourself. This is also where a plan helps: PlotSeason's $99 Custom Food Plot Plan factors your soil test, region, and goals into a species list so you're not guessing at ratios from a discount bin blend. Start at /plot-plan-builder if you want that mapped out before you buy anything.

what should you check before planting any clearance seed?

Run through this before you plant anything you didn't buy fresh this season. First, find the germination test date on the tag. State seed laws generally require this tag on seed sold commercially, and a date over a year old means you should test it yourself rather than trust the printed number. Second, do the rag-doll germ test described above on at least 20-30 seeds, more if you can spare them. Third, smell and look at the seed for mold, must, or clumping. Fourth, confirm the species and planting window actually matches your calendar right now, not whatever the bag's original release date implied. Fifth, if it's a blend, consider that separation in the bag might mean you're not planting the ratio on the label. Last, check your state wildlife agency's baiting and feeding rules before you plant anything near a stand, since some states regulate food plots differently from bait piles, but rules on things like mineral supplementation, timing near season, and public land plots vary a lot state to state, so it's worth a quick look at your own agency's page rather than assuming your neighbor's rules apply.

where clearance seed makes sense and where it doesn't

It makes sense for perennial clover and chicory establishment, plain oats or wheat within a year of the germ date, and turnip or radish seed generally, since brassica seed is cheap and high-volume enough that clearance stock is rarely old. It doesn't make sense for a fall annual plot you're counting on for opening weekend with no germ test done, a no-name blend with no date tag at all, or seed that's been stored in a garage or trailer through a full summer of heat swings. In those cases the discount isn't worth the risk of a bare field in October. If you're weighing clearance seed against just buying the right species for your soil and region from the start, it's worth comparing options at deer for food or looking at domain food plot seed for a broader species rundown before you decide the discount bin is the move.

Frequently asked questions

Do deer eat sorghum?

Yes. Deer eat grain sorghum (milo) readily, especially once seed heads mature in fall and winter. It's a warm-season crop planted after soil temps clear 60°F, and it doubles as screening cover because it grows tall and dense, which makes it popular in mixed plot and bedding cover plantings.

Do deer eat clover, and do deer like clover?

Deer strongly prefer clover, especially white clover varieties, because it's high in crude protein (commonly 20-25% in vegetative growth) during spring and summer growth. Oklahoma State University Extension describes clover as one of the highest-quality, most palatable forages for deer ^[5]. It's a top pick for spring/summer plots almost everywhere in whitetail range.

When to plant deer food plots?

Spring annuals and perennials (clover, soybeans, chicory) go in after your last frost date, ranging early April in the South to late May or June up north, per NOAA climate normals ^[3]. Fall annuals (brassicas, oats, wheat) go in 6-8 weeks before your area's first hard frost so plants establish before cold slows growth.

When to plant oats for deer?

Plant oats 6-8 weeks before your average first frost date so they get real growth before cold weather. That's roughly mid-August through mid-September across most of the whitetail belt, later in the Deep South. Oats tolerate light frost well and green up fast, which is why deer hit them hard right after a fall planting.

When to plant turnips for deer?

Plant turnips 60-90 days before your expected first hard frost, typically late July through mid-August in most of the Midwest and mid-South, slightly later up north. Turnips sweeten after frost as the plant converts starches to sugar, which is why deer often ignore a turnip plot early and hit it hard in December.

What is a food plot?

A food plot is a planted area of forage, usually a quarter acre to several acres, grown on hunting land specifically to feed and hold deer or other wildlife. Common plantings include annual grains like oats and brassicas, and perennials like clover, often managed under practices like the USDA NRCS Upland Wildlife Habitat Management standard ^[1].

What are deer's favorite foods?

Preference shifts by season, but acorns, soybeans, clover, and standing corn consistently rank near the top across whitetail research, with acorns often topping the list in fall due to fat content. Deer will often bypass a planted food plot entirely during a heavy acorn year, regardless of what's growing in the field ^[6].

Do deer like honey?

Not in any real dietary sense. Deer are herbivores adapted to browse, forbs, and mast, not concentrated sugars. No wildlife agency or extension source recommends honey as a deer attractant, and using it as bait would likely violate most states' baiting regulations anyway, so skip it.

Is clearance food plot seed actually worth buying?

Often yes for plain species like oats, clover, or turnips bought within a year of the germination test date. It's riskier for no-name blends with no date tag, or seed that sat through a hot summer in storage. Always run a home germination test before planting a full field on discounted seed.

How do you test old or clearance seed before planting it?

Count 20-100 seeds, lay them on a damp paper towel, roll it up, seal it in a plastic bag, and keep it around 70-75°F for 5-10 days depending on species. Count what sprouted. The standardized rag-doll method described in AOSA's Rules for Testing Seeds is the basis for this home check ^[2]. Below 70%, oversow heavier; below 50%, consider fresh seed instead.

Does clearance seed germinate as well as fresh seed?

Not usually. Germination naturally declines the longer seed sits in storage, especially with temperature swings or moisture exposure. A bag with a germ tag over a year old could still test fine, but you won't know until you check it yourself; don't assume the printed percentage still applies without retesting.

Can you use clearance seed for a perennial clover plot?

Yes, and it's actually the safer clearance bet. A perennial clover stand has multiple seasons to fill in, so a slightly lower germination rate the first year can be offset by overseeding heavier and letting the stand thicken over time, unlike a one-shot annual fall plot.

Sources

1. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Conservation Practice Standard 645, Upland Wildlife Habitat Management: Food plots and similar plantings are supported as a wildlife habitat conservation practice
2. Association of Official Seed Analysts, Rules for Testing Seeds: Standardized germination testing methods, including the rag-doll/paper towel method, used to estimate seed viability
3. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, US Climate Normals: Last spring freeze and first fall freeze dates vary by region across the US
4. Oklahoma State University Extension, Food Plots for White-tailed Deer (NREM-9012): Clover is among the most palatable, highest-quality forages for deer, commonly exceeding 20% crude protein
5. Journal of Wildlife Management, food habits research on white-tailed deer mast use: Deer shift diet heavily toward acorns and other mast when available in fall