planting oats, wheat, barley???

[ohiogoatgirl]

i would like to plant some oats, wheat, barley (all or just one or two). but i don't know what kind i can grow here (ohio) and if it would be too difficult to do by hand. and i don't know where i would buy the seed or how much i should plant or how much i need...
i want oats and wheat for eating. and all three for animal feed.
can anyone give me any tips/suggestions/etc.???
thanks!

 

[FarmerJamie]

In our gardening challenge thread, Wannabefree and BarredBuff are asking the same questions.

 

[freemotion]

Hmm, my dad and I did the calculations once...can't remember....but we decided that I could rotate grains through one of my big gardens and grow enough for the use of both households to last for about three years. If I made another garden, we could do wheat one year, oats the next, and then combine corn, barley, and buckwheat the next. Properly stored, whole grains keep quite well.

This wouldn't cover the animal's needs, however.

And threshing would be a challenge...not so much for the wheat and barley, but for the oats and buckwheat.

 

[FarmerDenise]

I had purchased some of the grains last year for making breads and just the other day decided to plant some in the chicken yard. I am hoping some of it will come up and grow, before the chickens go back in there for the summer. It seems the wild birds have discovered it though. We'll see.

I planted some wheat (I think it was winter wheat) last spring. It gre into some nice dence grass, but never made any wheat heads. It might be trying to do so now, but the animals have discoverd it and keep eating it down. Oh well, I did plant it for them.

Buckwheat is a neat looking plant and I will plant it again this year. I just had three seeds last year. They grew well and I saved the seeds. I hope to get at least 1/2 row planted.

I just use whatever seeds I grow to supplement the purchased feed. It feels good to be able to provide my critters with at least some of their grains. I keep trying more and more stuff every year.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

yes yes yes it will work!

run dont walk over to amazon and get:

Small-Scale Grain Raising
Gene Logsdon

http://www.amazon.com/Small-Scale-Grain-Raising-Gene-Logsdon/dp/0878571477

Gene keeps a blog at
http://thecontraryfarmer.wordpress.com/

he's here in ohio so he'll absolutely have the best info for you (and he's a great guy).

then check out Harvery Ussery's info on growing your own feed here:
http://themodernhomestead.us/article/Growing-Poultry-Feeds-1.html

we'll be taking another run at this in the spring.

 

[MsPony]

Thanks OFG!! I found a community garden I'd like to do this at (since my hens eat everything including my cactus gardeb I've had for years, and the italian cypress!!)