Post by FrostyTurnip on Mar 28, 2023 8:29:57 GMT -6
Presently growing my 3rd planting. First planting doesn’t count. That was years ago for fun and I didn’t harvest. But I planted Hard Red Winter wheat (HRW) in the fall of 2021 and harvested in summer of 2022 for educational purposes.
I did nothing correct or proper that season, it is just easy to grow. I’m certain I harvested a bit late as the berries were shriveled. Much of it succumbed to the drought. As usual, when I grow most new varieties, I like to see it perform in tough environments. I rarely watered the plot. The drought was severe that winter for which 2/3rds of the plot succumbed. In the end, a 3’ x 5’ plot remained. With that, I harvested about 3/4 to 1 lbs. of wheat berries.
Harvesting was difficult. I did it by hand. I will need to look into harvesting semi-mechanically in future larger harvests. Was it worth it? Yes! The ultimate goal is to make whole wheat bread or some other yummies for fun. My grinder is still in its box. But I quickly discovered its use as chicken feed. Wheat berries are like chicken crack!
_______
I’m sorry to say that this season’s (fall 2022) planting came late, about late November. I’m happy to report that a couple beds are just fine!
The third bed held the sweet potato plants the prior season and I did not amend this bed for nutrients and I also didn’t level the grade. Many of the berries didn’t germinate from lack of soil contact and the stand that is there is weak in color suggesting nutrient deficiency. This is providing the opportunity to learn how to feed the plot. Like I said, I don’t know what I’m doing. It’s easy to grow here with good seed. These plots contains seed I purchased from True Leaf Seed, btw. I was in a hurry to nab some berries before the industry sold out. They have intermittently re stocked some berries among the distributors but much has already sold out again. The berries one can find are usually extremely expensive on their own or shipping is too expensive.
I am looking forward to growing Hard White Winter (HWW) wheat that I have in #10 cans, eventually and also
Kamut, an imported Egyptian spirulina (US distributors were sold out at that time.) That will be for pure fun as I have no way of making pasta. It probably will end up as chicken crack.
To date I have learned
1) Proper seed/drill spacing in the garden beds
2) Proper watering requirements
3) Timing of feeding
4) Need to determine nitrogen quantities
5) Need to determine proper drilling (seeding out) timing
6) Need to determine how to handle pest issues that have yet to arise.
7) Appropriate harvest timing and methods.
1 - Drilling by hand at a spacing of 2” is preferable to avoid lodging and better yields. Time may not allow this and scattering is sufficient but any attempts at thinning can prove unfruitful. After cutting, they grow back and having been stunted, they don’t harvest well. All the while they are competing with nutrients among the healthier plants. Pulling the plants is not advisable so as to avoid disturbing the interwoven roots.
2 - This is seasonal. No brainer on a such a small scale. I just need to be mindful of soil moisture.
3 - This requires study of plant growth.
4 - Needs study. At what time of growth and in what quantities. Is too much nitrogen possible? Urine versus nitrogen tea from foraging or grass clippings?
5 - Timing of seeding can be critical because of potential pest and disease pressure. What type of disease? What type of bugs? When do the bugs usually arrive in Oklahoma? How many bugs and what lifecycle throughout the season?
6 - The answer is determined via # 3 and #5.
7 - Needs study.
_____
So, next up will be the harvest for Seed Saving in 2023. This winter will be application of sowing from the berries harvested in 2023 on a larger scale as if for human and/or animal consumption. For educational purposes, of course.
I did nothing correct or proper that season, it is just easy to grow. I’m certain I harvested a bit late as the berries were shriveled. Much of it succumbed to the drought. As usual, when I grow most new varieties, I like to see it perform in tough environments. I rarely watered the plot. The drought was severe that winter for which 2/3rds of the plot succumbed. In the end, a 3’ x 5’ plot remained. With that, I harvested about 3/4 to 1 lbs. of wheat berries.
Harvesting was difficult. I did it by hand. I will need to look into harvesting semi-mechanically in future larger harvests. Was it worth it? Yes! The ultimate goal is to make whole wheat bread or some other yummies for fun. My grinder is still in its box. But I quickly discovered its use as chicken feed. Wheat berries are like chicken crack!
_______
I’m sorry to say that this season’s (fall 2022) planting came late, about late November. I’m happy to report that a couple beds are just fine!
The third bed held the sweet potato plants the prior season and I did not amend this bed for nutrients and I also didn’t level the grade. Many of the berries didn’t germinate from lack of soil contact and the stand that is there is weak in color suggesting nutrient deficiency. This is providing the opportunity to learn how to feed the plot. Like I said, I don’t know what I’m doing. It’s easy to grow here with good seed. These plots contains seed I purchased from True Leaf Seed, btw. I was in a hurry to nab some berries before the industry sold out. They have intermittently re stocked some berries among the distributors but much has already sold out again. The berries one can find are usually extremely expensive on their own or shipping is too expensive.
I am looking forward to growing Hard White Winter (HWW) wheat that I have in #10 cans, eventually and also
Kamut, an imported Egyptian spirulina (US distributors were sold out at that time.) That will be for pure fun as I have no way of making pasta. It probably will end up as chicken crack.
To date I have learned
1) Proper seed/drill spacing in the garden beds
2) Proper watering requirements
3) Timing of feeding
4) Need to determine nitrogen quantities
5) Need to determine proper drilling (seeding out) timing
6) Need to determine how to handle pest issues that have yet to arise.
7) Appropriate harvest timing and methods.
1 - Drilling by hand at a spacing of 2” is preferable to avoid lodging and better yields. Time may not allow this and scattering is sufficient but any attempts at thinning can prove unfruitful. After cutting, they grow back and having been stunted, they don’t harvest well. All the while they are competing with nutrients among the healthier plants. Pulling the plants is not advisable so as to avoid disturbing the interwoven roots.
2 - This is seasonal. No brainer on a such a small scale. I just need to be mindful of soil moisture.
3 - This requires study of plant growth.
4 - Needs study. At what time of growth and in what quantities. Is too much nitrogen possible? Urine versus nitrogen tea from foraging or grass clippings?
5 - Timing of seeding can be critical because of potential pest and disease pressure. What type of disease? What type of bugs? When do the bugs usually arrive in Oklahoma? How many bugs and what lifecycle throughout the season?
6 - The answer is determined via # 3 and #5.
7 - Needs study.
_____
So, next up will be the harvest for Seed Saving in 2023. This winter will be application of sowing from the berries harvested in 2023 on a larger scale as if for human and/or animal consumption. For educational purposes, of course.