Growing Wheat or _______, UPDATE 4

Bryce Frazier · Apr 7, 2014

Alright, so I have come to a realization... I don't think I am going to be able to have my wheat in by the end of the month like all of you kind souls around me have said I should, so I am snooping around for other options.

Mom told me today that she thinks I should grow rice?? So what I want to know, is this, which crop below has the shortest growing season, and likes rich black soil, clay, and water?

Rice (I know it likes water, but how do I plant/harvest it?)

Brown Rice, Same as above??

Wheat

Barley

Oats, I know they grow quickly, but I don't have way of rolling them??

Oat Hay, what could I sell a bale of it for?

I would love any or all of the information that you might have to offer! THANKS!!! Bryce

Janicholson · Apr 7, 2014

How about a crop of Pumpkins or Pole beans, or Peppers. Contract with a produce seller, or grocery to take the crop. Wild rice is a flood based crop with earthen dams and you will not find seed for the machinery grown type as it is controlled. Threshing the crop (if wheat, barley, rye, or oats, will require much physical training (PT), or a combine. Good luck, Jim

GordoSD · Apr 7, 2014

How about sweet corn? you could get 12-14,000 ears from that size field. What's it sell for there $4 a dozen. Do the math.
You will want to plant once every week for a month.
And you get to PLOW!

Bryce Frazier · Apr 7, 2014

Ohhhh, I have tried to grow corn many times in raised beds, but we get a cold fog every night, and it kills the plant before they completely mature. I have probably tried 6 years in a row, and I finally gave up last year.

My neighbor (200 ft higher than us) grows fantastic corn, and that is what encouraged me to, but I never could... Can't grow tomatoes either, but that's okay!! Bryce

Richard G. · Apr 7, 2014

My dad said they grew upland rice when he was a kid.
He was born in 1915. Check into that.
Richard

Mark-Mi · Apr 7, 2014

Bryce, might be a fungus problem on the sweet corn with all the fog. Check and see if your neighbor is using fungicides. You need a labor intensive vegetable crop to make some real money.

DeltaRed · Apr 7, 2014

I think rice needs a longer growing season than you have. That may be why its all grown down south.And it needs to be flooded..Plant oats.Put them in a small square bale.I put all my oat hay in a small square.In fact,I am planting 10 acres of oat hey this spring.Alfalfa will seeded'under' at the same time.Should be 3-4 dollars/bale.Cut em still green 'in the milk'.Oats make a lot of bales. Plant in April/May,Harvest in July/August. Then plant yourwinter wheat in Sept/Oct

Bryce Frazier · Apr 7, 2014

How many do you think I would get off of an acre? Bales that is?? Everyone around me plants Timothy and Oats at the same time of 5 or 6 years, they harvest "oat hay" the first year, then leave the ground, and the grass will come up into a FANTASTIC hay field the next year.

When would I plant winter wheat? In parts of my meadow where I would want to plant, the seedlings would probably be submerged in water come spring?? I am not sure if that would work or not.... Bryce

DeltaRed · Apr 7, 2014

We have told you many times, "Plant winter wheat in the FALL"!Sept/Oct/Nov Not in the spring.As long as the wheat sprouts in the fall it will grow and mature.I planted a field(22 acres) of wheat in Nov when I was your age.It snowed on em,snow melted,2 weeks later the ground froze.Wheat survived and I made some money that I used to buy my first tractor (JD 730 diesel). Water standing over seedlings will drown them.Oats as a 'cover crop' for hay is a common practice.I do that when I plant alfalfa/grass. Oats grow fast.Seed is cheap.I buy cleaned feed oats from the elevator/feed store.Oats will give the most 'bang' for the buck.You have all the equipment to harvest. Mower behind a SC,a rake, a baler and two strong arms to stack with.Let some mature,thrash it and grind for flour.Oat flour makes great cookies!Oatmeal..... . Go for it!

DeltaRed · Apr 7, 2014

Plant oats now,you get to plow the field TWICE this year.Spring for oats,Fall for wheat!

Bryce Frazier · Apr 7, 2014

Alright, I think I'm sold! I am still going to try to do a small plot of wheat in the original spot, just to see what it does, but I can get in and rototill it tomorrow if I want to!

On the oats, mom has multiple grinders, both electric drive, and 15 year old boy drive...

I would plan on grinding most of the oats for flour, and then dispersing it throughout the family, could I use my dads LETZ buhr mill to grind them? And also, would I have to roll them before grinding, or is it just when they are mature, shake em off the plant, and grind em up??

Bryce

DeltaRed · Apr 7, 2014

Dont know if the Letz will or will not work. try it and find out...Just leave some oats stand when you cut the rest for hay.Let them get dead ripe. cut em then shell em out.Rub en between your hands,then blow the chaff away.Dont blow too hard,you dont want to blow the grain away!LOL Cut green for hay.Let em get dead ripe for grain.

DeltaRed · Apr 7, 2014

Bryce,Whats your altitude? How long a growing season? Average first and last frosts.Some times the lower areas freeze sooner because the cold settles DOWN to the lower country.You could just be in a cold 'micro climate' that is just plain too cold for corn. That phenomenom is prevalent here in our western colorado valleys,mesas,canyons...

gene bender · Apr 8, 2014

If you are make oats flour you will need to hull them first do you have an oats huller you need the hearts to make the flour then what are you going to do with the hulls and how are you going to harvest the crop then there is the straw what will you do with it. You dont need to roto till ground to plant oats just disc the ground.

DeltaRed · Apr 8, 2014

Peel em like a potato??LOL Yep,make a straw hat from the straw!

Bryce Frazier · Apr 8, 2014

What does "hull" mean? Is that like the skin on the grain seed or??? I knew you had to roll them if you wanted them to store, but I figure if I ground the directly without rolling them that the flour would store for 4-5 years after we remove the O2 from it. Bryce

Bryce Frazier · Apr 8, 2014

Our growing season is pretty good, but it is a little shorter than some...

Basically, we have hills (3-400 feet+) on three sides of us, and then a lake on the fourth side. The lake doesn't help us stay warmer at all. My grandma lives about 50-75 feet higher than us, and literally right next door! And she can grow O K corn and super Tomatoes, we can grow neither... My Aunt lives on the property above her, another 75 feet, and she can grow fantastic corn and tomatoes, but she can't grow snowpeas like I do.. I actually have one of the best crops of snow peas in our local gardening community! Bryce

formenwhogrow · Apr 8, 2014

Plant oats.

GordoSD · Apr 8, 2014

Might be time to plant a small apple orchard?

ih_bug · Apr 8, 2014

for what you want to do I would see if you can get some hulless or naked oats. still make hay but you wouldn't have to dehull for flour.seed may cost a little more thou. but you may also make a little more on the grain side.

Bryce Frazier · Apr 8, 2014

Sorry, I forgot my altt.. 2200 FT

paul · Apr 8, 2014

Winter wheat or rye gets planted in fall, about 60 days before you freeze up.

Oats is a good cheap crop to play with, see how good you are at growing things, you won't be wasting anything if it fails. Will leave the ground nice for any crop you want to try next year, or this fall.

Rice is funny, I presume you are having fun with us. Some years I wonder if I shouldn't get into that crop up here too when we have such wet springs.

Paul

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