Homesteaders

[OrganicFarmWife]

I do!  I was gifted over a dozen 40# tins of red turkey wheat that had been sealed up back in the 70s for the year 2000, and also an electric wheat grinder.  The wheat is just as fresh as if it were grown last year and makes such good bread that it is truly a gift to us.  I'm going to try and plant some of the wheat next fall so I can start to replenish my stores. 

It really does grow easily.

 

[KlopKlop]

It really does grow easily.

How do you harvest it? I've watched all kinds of you tunes and read articles but never worked up the gumption to try it. Would be fun to try, but labor intensive

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

How do you harvest it? I've watched all kinds of you tunes and read articles but never worked up the gumption to try it. Would be fun to try, but labor intensive

Harvesting would not be too hard, you could cut it easily enough, not a lot of work assuming small batches. The hard part would be removing it from the stalk and husking it. I know it comes off if you just rub it in your hands, but, i do not know how to do large quantities of it by hand. I am certain they have a way. Then a grinder takes care of the hardest part.

 

[KlopKlop]

Harvesting would not be too hard, you could cut it easily enough, not a lot of work assuming small batches. The hard part would be removing it from the stalk and husking it. I know it comes off if you just rub it in your hands, but, i do not know how to do large quantities of it by hand. I am certain they have a way. Then a grinder takes care of the hardest part.

Yeah getting the hull off is the hard part. Cutting it isn't hard, if only time consuming.

This was my favorite video. There is a second part where he makes the bread from it.

 

[Beekissed]

Yeah getting the hull off is the hard part. Cutting it isn't hard, if only time consuming.

This was my favorite video. There is a second part where he makes the bread from it.

Good vid! I'll likely be doing a lot of research before harvest on all the details of getting the grain fit for storage and use, but this vid was a nice little start on the beginning of it all.

 

[KlopKlop]

Good vid!  I'll likely be doing a lot of research before harvest on all the details of getting the grain fit for storage and use, but this vid was a nice little start on the beginning of it all.

I may plant oats this year as a cover crop then see what I can harvest. It would be used for milling chicken feed but still might be fun

 

[DustyDave]

I've  never really heard that the wood shavings in the bales are bad. I've used them to mulch my first garden and they're long gone. Can't see why they'd break down any different than any other. I dump them right in the compost with everything else.

I've used the chickens cleanings to mulch around trees with no trouble. Except for the chickens scratching them all up. I've even dumped the coop cleanings fright into the raised beds, Covered with garden soil and have had no trouble.  Though I do add peat moss and aged horse manure too. 

Course a good wet winter helps break things down. m I've dumped the coop cleanings around a tree, planted "road  lillies " and they've come up fine. 

I've also read that pine shavings are good around Raspberries too. 

Raspberries enjoy a couple-inch layer of mulch. Good mulches for use in the home garden include leaves, lawn clippings, and wood chips or shavings, because they are usually free of weed seeds.  From the Minnesota extension page. 

Of the top of my head, there's a couple problem, but how much varies widely. As BYC members, you of course know that chicken manure tends to be "hot.". Composting ages it to a suitable use... Level, though I don't personally know level of what. On the other hand I do know that feces is not steril and composting uses soil microbes to digest that.
Pine has a problem with PH, but that depends on what you're trying to grow and if your soil needs amendment to change it's existing PH. I think it has some minor chemical like walnuts give off which inhibit growth around the tree but I could be wrong there.

 

[DustyDave]

It never occurred to me to contact a tree service about mulch. after my chickens are gone I will still need shavings or want them to mulch around my raised beds. Too I 'd like to make a path down to the creek. starting from this door or seeon to be door.

I hear there's a website coordinating people with lawn & tree services. Chipdrop.com If I wanted less composted chips I'd just circle the neighborhoods generally ask the first working crew's boss I find.

 

[MoonShadows]

Just so anyone interested doesn't go crazy trying to find it, the site is https://www.chipdrop.in

and, on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Chip-Drop-180443532293367

 

[Chicken girl 15]

Just so anyone interested doesn't go crazy trying to find it, the site is https://www.chipdrop.in

and, on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Chip-Drop-180443532293367

awesome site. I'm signed up. The amount of mulch/woodchips we use is insane. If I can help someone get rid of their great. I use them to fill ruts in my yard where the ground is eroding then top with soil and grass seed. Thank you SO much.