Sudanese Annual White Grain Sorghum SeedWe have been growing Sudanese annual white grain sorghum in the Hudson Valley region of New York since 2021. We first grew Korjaj (from the war-torn region of Darfur in western Sudan) and Kassaby (from city of Malakal in South Sudan where Coral sorghum also orginates). Both varities we received from the Experimental Farm Network and the seed in this pack is a mix population of both varieties that has been regionally adapted to our area over the past several years.
Planting Instructions: Transplant or direct seed in late spring after the soil warms. For our climate that means between May 15 and June 15. The plant takes about 110 days to fully mature. The plants grow between 5’- 12’ on average.
You know the grain is ready when it crunches in your mouth and is no longer soft or in the “dough” phase. If you are harvesting for sap to make syrup, you can cut the stalks earlier and not wait for full maturity. Using a refractomer, we have had some sorghum stalks as high as 20 Brix.
Here is information about the different stages of sorghum growth and a sorghum growth visual reference poster.
Sorghum can be planted as close as 2” but we like to space the them 8-12” apart to let the plant fully grow and root.
We do not fertilize or water our fields. Sorghum is a resilient plant that can survive – and evn thrive – in marginal soils with little water.
Harvesting: Chop the sorghum stalk at its base about 1-3” above the ground. If you are only harvesting grain, you will also cut the sorghum head off leaving about 12” below the bloom. Bundle your grain heads and hang to dry upside down in a dry and temperate location. It is a good idea to set up a fan and dehumidifier to avoid any mold growth.
We have found that sorghum will develop at different rates. If you have bird pressure, you will want to cut the seed head off as it dries down and is ready. You can place a corn tassel bag over the seed heads if you want to let the grain harden down more in the field and not give it over to the birds. See photo below from Senegal of wrapping sorghum heads with the plant leaves to prevent birds from devouring the crop. If there is a threat of frost, you will want to remove all of your crop even if some seeds are more mature than others.
Threshing and winnowing your sorghum grain is simple to do by hand without specialized equipment. You can rub the grain head between your hands over a bucket and then use a fan to winnow the chaff. There are all kinds of tricks and hacks like this to help get the job done! We have had some success with rubbing the grain against hardware cloth or a screen to seperate the seed from its stem as well as using a board of nails like a comb to pull the stalks through and seperate the seed. Wear a respirator becuase the dust will accumulate in your throat and some people are allergic.
To make syrup you will need to press the stalks (after you take the leaves off) using a sugarcane or apple cider press. Next you boil down the sap like you would with maple syrup.
Leave the sorghum stalks on the field after you harvest for grain and/or sap. This is great winter mulch for your soil. You can let it decompose over winter and then when its partly broken down in the spring, use a flail mower to chip it and plant directly into or lightly tilth it into the top soil before planting. Another approach is to flail mow the plant biomass in the late fall, tilth it into the soil and seed a winter cover crop for living roots all year long.
Recipes: coming soon!
Get your seed: you can email us at info@carbonsponge.org to purchase a ~50 count seed packet for $5/pack. Or come to one of our events where we give it out for free.
Planting Instructions: Transplant or direct seed in late spring after the soil warms. For our climate that means between May 15 and June 15. The plant takes about 110 days to fully mature. The plants grow between 5’- 12’ on average.
You know the grain is ready when it crunches in your mouth and is no longer soft or in the “dough” phase. If you are harvesting for sap to make syrup, you can cut the stalks earlier and not wait for full maturity. Using a refractomer, we have had some sorghum stalks as high as 20 Brix.
Here is information about the different stages of sorghum growth and a sorghum growth visual reference poster.
Sorghum can be planted as close as 2” but we like to space the them 8-12” apart to let the plant fully grow and root.
We do not fertilize or water our fields. Sorghum is a resilient plant that can survive – and evn thrive – in marginal soils with little water.
Harvesting: Chop the sorghum stalk at its base about 1-3” above the ground. If you are only harvesting grain, you will also cut the sorghum head off leaving about 12” below the bloom. Bundle your grain heads and hang to dry upside down in a dry and temperate location. It is a good idea to set up a fan and dehumidifier to avoid any mold growth.
We have found that sorghum will develop at different rates. If you have bird pressure, you will want to cut the seed head off as it dries down and is ready. You can place a corn tassel bag over the seed heads if you want to let the grain harden down more in the field and not give it over to the birds. See photo below from Senegal of wrapping sorghum heads with the plant leaves to prevent birds from devouring the crop. If there is a threat of frost, you will want to remove all of your crop even if some seeds are more mature than others.
Threshing and winnowing your sorghum grain is simple to do by hand without specialized equipment. You can rub the grain head between your hands over a bucket and then use a fan to winnow the chaff. There are all kinds of tricks and hacks like this to help get the job done! We have had some success with rubbing the grain against hardware cloth or a screen to seperate the seed from its stem as well as using a board of nails like a comb to pull the stalks through and seperate the seed. Wear a respirator becuase the dust will accumulate in your throat and some people are allergic.
To make syrup you will need to press the stalks (after you take the leaves off) using a sugarcane or apple cider press. Next you boil down the sap like you would with maple syrup.
Leave the sorghum stalks on the field after you harvest for grain and/or sap. This is great winter mulch for your soil. You can let it decompose over winter and then when its partly broken down in the spring, use a flail mower to chip it and plant directly into or lightly tilth it into the top soil before planting. Another approach is to flail mow the plant biomass in the late fall, tilth it into the soil and seed a winter cover crop for living roots all year long.
Recipes: coming soon!
Get your seed: you can email us at info@carbonsponge.org to purchase a ~50 count seed packet for $5/pack. Or come to one of our events where we give it out for free.
Sorghum drying down in the shed at White Feather Farm in 2023.
“Quelea Quelea: Africa's Bird Pest," Brugges & Elliot, Oxford University Press (1989).