Posted: 10/21/2010 7:10:23 AM EDT
|
any of you guys grow this before? we arewanting to try it this year. not a lot maybe a 20x30' spot. i can only find 60 pound bags local. any ideas of where to buy it? or is there a better crop to put in for over winter?
thanks for any help God Bless stuck |
|
A 60-lb bag is more than enough (way more) to do a 20x30 plot.
It's easy to grow, just till up a spot, rake/smooth it as best you can, and broadcast the seed by hand for that small a plot. Rolling it in with a landscape roller, or tromping over it by foot will help get better seed-to-ground contact, or you can lightly rake it in. You should check with a local feed store, farmer, or Ag Extension office to find the right planting date. You have to wait until a particular date that varies by area to avoid Hessian Fly problems. |
|
Quoted: We used to plant winter wheat/rye/barley to help with erosion control and give the cattle some forage in the winter. The fact that you had a got a head start on a crop that you could harvest if it wasn't too torn up from foot traffic was a bonus. On occasion we did have to disc and replant in spring.any of you guys grow this before? we arewanting to try it this year. not a lot maybe a 20x30' spot. i can only find 60 pound bags local. any ideas of where to buy it? or is there a better crop to put in for over winter? thanks for any help God Bless stuck It does best in areas where the ground doesn't freeze solid to 3 foot depth, and where water isn't so scarce that the dust is blowing. It does have to be able to grow, after all, and make head-way before spring. It's basically just a cultivated grass with a crop at the end, but slightly modified to be a little more hearty. How are you going to prepare and plant the area? What are your plans for harvesting the 20'x30' spot? If you're not thinking about hand reaping - it's got to be accessible to some kind of harvesting equipment. |
|
thanks for the replys. we would be doing it all by hand. i just wanted something to put out for winter to grow and get something from later on. we are in northwest AR so it does not get to cold here. hopefully we can find a smaller bag then 60 pounds. i just need a pound or two from what i have read. anything else better to plant for the winter then wheat?
thanks |
|
One thing you may want to consider: pick up a copy of Gene Logsdon's Small-Scale Grain Raising. It's a very good book... anybody serious (or even curious) about self-sufficiency should have this in their library.
|
|
Pretty easy stuff to grow. Depending on what you intend to use the grain for (eg bread flour) you will want to grow soft or hard wheat. Probably need to get planted before early November in most places, earlier in the northern parts. Use some phosphate starter fertilizer at planting, small grains love phosphate. Nitrogen in the spring just prior to jointing (when the main stems start to elongate) will encourage yield. If you are going for bread flour, then additional nitrogen prior to flag leaf (the last leaf before the heads start to emerge) will increase the protein content. Wheat can be susceptible to mold and mildew diseases, you can spray for that if you see spotting on the leaves, especially the upper and flag leaf are responsible for getting good yield. Copper fertilizer (at planting time is best) will help resist the diseases, as will chloride that is found in standard red potash (potassium) fertilizer.
Harvesting and thrashing will be the biggest hurdles. Most wheats these days are the bearded type meaning they have long fibers sticking out from each berry that can be very hard to remove and separate from the grain, along with the normal husk. If you have enough you might find a local mill with an old thrasher who could do it for you. Wheat is a popular ornamental decoration in the fall and winter, you might sell the dried plants for more than the grain value and then just buy your grain already thrashed and cleaned. |