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Post by caledonian on Jul 24, 2012 20:58:26 GMT -5
Have you considered Amaranth? You've said you can't import grains, but there are several decorative cultivars that are generally listed as 'flowers'.
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Post by kwilds on Jul 24, 2012 21:26:52 GMT -5
I've been growing grains in my garden for several years. I did grow wheat a couple times but mostly I grow rye. I use it to supplement my bread flour. I have also grown flax (not really a grain I know but it also goes into the bread flour!) I tried hulless oats a few years ago and even after repeated attempts (with the same seed) I found it terrible to thresh. I grew a different hulless oat this year and just finished pulling all the heads off to thresh. After a small handful I could tell these were MUCH easier! So much easier in fact that I suspect the seed I had before was not actually a hulless variety . . . I also grew tibetian hulless barley this year and LOVE it. It was as easy to thresh as any wheat or rye.
I doubt I will ever be able to grow enough on my small suburban lot for all my family's needs but I always have some space set aside for my grain patch - even if it is just space for me to educate myself in how best to grow and harvest the different grains.
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Post by mountaindweller on Jul 25, 2012 1:58:55 GMT -5
I'll give Amaranth a try. I grew leaf amaranth in subtropical climate, but no grain amaranth. I don't know weater it likes cool climate - but we can import these seeds! Quinoa seems to like more the cold but the seeds are tiny. They are offered here in the food coop. Corn seems to be the best for the backyard - would we have more varieties. Sunflowers would be nice too, but I think the birds get all of them.
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Post by mountaindweller on Jul 25, 2012 2:09:51 GMT -5
I'll give Amaranth a try. I grew leaf amaranth in subtropical climate, but no grain amaranth. I don't know weater it likes cool climate - but we can import these seeds! Quinoa seems to like more the cold but the seeds are tiny. They are offered here in the food coop. Corn seems to be the best for the backyard - would we have more varieties. Sunflowers would be nice too, but I think the birds get all of them.
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Post by oxbowfarm on Jul 25, 2012 5:00:07 GMT -5
In my personal experience, modern dwarf small grain varieties don't work as well for garden scale grain growing. The dwarf genes makes them much harder to harvest by hand, the weeds grow up right to the grain, and they are easier for birds and rodents to access and harvest ahead of you. If you are going to grow small grain grow an old fashioned long straw type.
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Post by mountaindweller on Jul 25, 2012 5:15:57 GMT -5
I have two sources for grain seed: the local coop - the grains are organically grown and maybe more traditional varieties and home garden seed catalogues which sell "wheat" "rye" and so forth, no variety name, no hint for which climate (I really don't know why they don't put a little more effort in that). That means I can far cheaper go in the coop.
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Post by oxbowfarm on Jul 25, 2012 5:25:38 GMT -5
Is wheat on the restricted list for Australian import? I've got several you could try.
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Post by raymondo on Jul 25, 2012 5:57:11 GMT -5
Is wheat on the restricted list for Australian import? I've got several you could try. There are heavy restrictions on the import of all Triticum species, not surprising really given that wheat is one of our major exports. Big ag wants full control! That doesn't mean interesting wheats aren't available here. There is a government run wheat germplasm collection though I have never tried accessing it. You could just write to them and ask. Most of the older wheats are available from various health food stores. Try Santos Trading for an online source of Khorasan and Spelt. They aslo sell grain amaranth which you could sow. There are plenty of farmers growing older wheats. Find them and I'm sure they'd be more than happy to give you a sample. |
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Post by bvillebill on Aug 15, 2012 14:48:40 GMT -5
If you're looking for an overwintering crop have you considered fava beans / broadbeans? Here in western Oregon I plant them in October and harvest in May and June. They grow all winter and are out before the rains quit in late June / early July most years. This year I only grew a small patch of 100 square feet to multiply out some seeds and I got 20 pounds of dried beans from the 100 square feet. They produce really well per square foot since they grow 5-6' tall and have bunches of pods most of the way up and of course are legumes to help fix some nitrogen.
I grew a variety of oats called "Black Oats" this year over the winter. It was easy to thresh but only yielded about 3 or 4 pounds for 50 square feet (another seed growout).
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Post by mountaindweller on Aug 16, 2012 23:41:09 GMT -5
I had just sown ca. 3m² of oats, it's still winter though. And I have a very small patch of broad beans from autumn (aquadulce) flowering now.
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Post by raymondo on Aug 17, 2012 2:51:11 GMT -5
I'll be sowing a similar area of barley towards the end of September. Are your oats hulless?
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Post by mountaindweller on Oct 2, 2012 4:44:07 GMT -5
They are named nepalese hulless, so they should be hulless. They come from the "lost seed" which is a company in Tas. But I have bought some rocket there (I wanted to save the seeds) and it yet runs to seed before reaching even ten cm! So I cannot tell weather the quality is great (I bet not).
Anyway these native ducks are prolific they grazed on the oats and come now with their new ducklings. Last year they had seven. Hopefully the oats grow still and hopefully they don't like cabbage or peas!
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Post by bunkie on Oct 2, 2012 7:58:00 GMT -5
I grew some Ethiopian barley (hulless) last season and was delighted with the ease of threshing. I'll be putting in a decent patch this season.... i grew the Jet Hulless Barley a couple yers ago and it did wonderful also, and was very easy the thresh. |
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Post by mountaindweller on Oct 2, 2012 15:09:29 GMT -5
Raymondo, what do you make beer with the barley? Is it hull less?
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Post by raymondo on Oct 2, 2012 17:00:07 GMT -5
Raymondo, what do you make beer with the barley? Is it hull less? Yes, the barley I have is hull less, though that description isn't entirely accurate. It does have a hull but it's very loose and the seed is very easy to thresh. I don't have enough barley yet to use. Last year I was just bulking it up. This year I should get enough to use. I'll just use it to make porridge or cook like rice. I'll also try making rejuvelac, a fermented probiotic drink. I will also have enough to share I think but I'll post about that this coming summer. |
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