RE: upland mix
I don't know about your area but here in Virginia as well as most places sunflower are a good choice, I have mixed black oil and the larger variety and had good results. A word of caution though, deer will destroy them so plant a large area if possible. Deer will eat the leves and flowers untill there is just a patch of green sticks sitting there.
You could also plant buckwheat, grows VERY fast needs almost no nutrients to thrive and provides a good deal of cover.