Homestead mailing list

[Clansgian AT wmconnect.com]

> I wanted to plant some hulless oats this year, just enough to learn
> and grow seed for a larger planting next year. Didn't get around to
> it. Around here (south central Virgina, zone 7), oats is planted in
> the fall.
> 
---------------------

Rob, I'd largely ignore the 'grown in the fall' thing.  Here is my experience 
with small grains:

Here, a bit south of you, barley is a fall crop.  I planted experimental beds 
of it in March and June and both made plenty of grain.  I also had some hard 
winter white wheat, 'winter' being the operant word.  I planted it in April 
and had plenty of wheat to harvest in late July.

Where I have hauled in raw horse stable litter, it has sprouted with 
volunteer wheat and oats, both out of season.  They have headed up nicely and 
we are 
going to harvest the grains for a few loaves of "manure bread".

Experiments and observations tell me that the cereal grains (but not corn) 
will grow any time of the year they have a chance and circumstance.  If it 
gets 
cold before they are done, they go dormant and winter over.  But they don't 
have to.  I've never had a small grain plot fail because I planted it the 
wrong 
time of the year.

In my hard corn plot, the Bloody Butcher plot by the bye,  I planted all I 
want and I have a 40' x 40' area left over.  I'm going to plant that in 
barley 
or oats the first week of June.

I suspect the seasonal schedule of small grains is a hold over from the 
agribusiness model where some provisos and constraints obtained and doesn't 
necessarily apply to the subsistence farm.


James
   </HTML>