I’m creating a field edge border between an alder section and a food plot- you could consider it a shooting lane. The following has been recommended as a blend that will serve all wildlife well and will be conducive to my climate and soil substrate. The border will be 1200’ long and 30’ wide. Here’s my question: Can I broadcast this seed or should it be drilled?

Smooth Brome
Perennial Rye
Timothy
Kentucky Bluegrass
Red Clover

Broadcast is fine.

Are you using mechanical broadcast or hand?

Seeding rates will be lower with drilling. I always use way to much seed per area when I broadcast seed. I can rent a 6 or 10 foot drill from the extension office. 75$ min or $10 per acre.

I get the 6' due to tractor size limits. That said my uneven ground makes getting uniform planting depth hard.

Both will work. For small areas I I broadcast larger I will drill. Hope that helps.

Your seed sizes are a little different there. If you setup with a drill you may over seed one and under seed another. I recommend broadcast. You're specs are a tad shy of an acre, but if it was bigger I would recommend getting a fertilizer buggy and having the seed mixed in with a starter fertilizer mix. Most co ops will be glad to do this. Might still consider it though. 30' is spread with on most buggies. My .02

With a hand broadcaster make 1 trip down and back you are done. Lightly drag and hope for rain.

Is it being broadcast into bare ground(dirt) or sod? If you don't have a drag (old harrow, cattle panel, chain link fence) a few limbs drug in back of a 4 wheeler will work.

It's currently plowed and disced- I plan to harrow drag it plant and then drag with century fence section. Other than grass- I wasn't sure if planting depth was conducive to broadcasting on other seed types or if I needed it to be deeper.

I think you'll be fine broadcasting but a well prepared seedbed and drill will reduce the total amount of seed needed. Basically boils down to placing each seed precisely for best germination. That's the the main difference between broadcast and drill is percentage of seed placed in ideal condition to establish. The drill also spaces the seed in a way to establish an even stand without the uneveness of broadcasting.
None of the seed listed is particularly expensive so your costs favor broadcasting vs the costs of a tractor and drill.

No one has touched on the most important thing yet. That is seed to ground contact. Weather you drill or broadcast, run a roller over it after the seed is applied. This packs the soil around the seed so it's not just sitting on top and if drilled it will close the air gap around the seed. You don't want to make concrete, practically any lawn or farm roller will do on a area that small. As far as seeding method, with the soil prepared as you describe either method should work fine.

depends on the seed easy to get small seed like rape or radish, clover etc to thick by broadcast unless you mix with wheat or rye these seeds need to stay on top of the soil and pressed down with a cultipacker or roller forage beans or peas can be done either way as these seeds need to be covered 1-1 1/2" deep anything works just depends on what your looking for keep a record of what you done and how takes a COUPLE YEARS TO GET GOOD RESULTS

Legume seed (red clover) is a hard seed that can lay around a long time before sprouting as it does not rot quickly. Grass seed not so much. I would drill it in as you have a tilled field to give you a great start and the seeds you plant will sprout faster and compete with the natives that will sprout and come up. Grass once established is hardy but it is more fickle to get established in my opinion. If you get a fast start you can mow it back in later summer to get rid of the taller growing natives that will come.

Bryce

Good grief, no need to make it harder than it is. Broadcast with a hand spreader right before a rain and be done with it.
As already mentioned, clover seed and grass seed take different plates in a drill for proper planting. And frankly, most places won't rent a drill for less than an acre of grass to be planted. Broadcasting will take less than 1/2 hour.

Personally I would stay away from the smooth brome. It will choke out everything else. Yes they can be broadcast seeded.

I say broadcast, it’s quick, easy, and I’ve always had good results. 5 to 10 lbs per acre more than you would drill. I broadcasted a very similar mix last year on 3/4 acre with oats as a companion crop and it came up great.

I have an old John Deere van brunt grain drill that has a small seed box, that Ive used reseeding larger pastures and it is not much different that broadcasting. It has openers for the grain box but the small seed box just drops seed on the ground. I have tire chains that I drag behind it to help lightly cover the grass and alfalfa or clover seed.