when i got into the plating craze about 8 years ago i found out some things that make for a no brainer.its nice because i get away without lime and fertilizer and in white sandy poor soil conditions. i found out regular grass seed rye isint the same as rye oats. go to your local feed store and ask for fall COVER CROP RYE. its usually not available till september in my area and you get a 50lb. bag for 10-12$. it goes a long way and is dirt cheap. i have just thrown it on the ground and it will work but not the best. what i try to do with my small secret plots is bring a big leaf rake with me. i scratch and clean up the ground and then throw the seed down. after that i flip the rake over and lightly go over the top by draging trying to push the seed into the loose soil. i dont kill myself planting this way and it works fine. also i was told that the quick start seed in alot of those fast grow deer plot is nothing more than rape seed. you could also try a bag of that i guess.