Growing Tips for Barley
I couldn’t have said it better. The good folks over at Heirloom Organics have a “How to Grow Barley” guide. They’ve got all the information you need in a nice easy to follow format. Here are the highlights:
- Barley grows best in cool ground–ideal temperatures are close to freezing.
- Summer barley is different. For winter barley, early-to-mid-October is the best time to plant. For spring barley, plant at the first of the year.
- Plant the seeds in rows ensuring that there are twenty to twenty-five seeds per ft^sq of space.
- Grow barley as you would wheat–some varieties are spring planted and some are fall planted. Barley ripens sooner than wheat ,though, so you’ve got to watch out. Spring-planted barley ripens in 60 to 70 days, fall-planted barley about 60 days after growth begins. Barley fits well into a double-cropping scheme and a variety of crop rotations.
- Barley is harvested the same as wheat: cut, bundled and shocked to dry. Wear a shirt when harvesting barley as the awns can irritate your skin. Barley may be stored in the bundle and fed to stock without threshing.
- Keep out weeds by weeding by hand for a small crop. An application of herbicide may be necessary for a large crop to keep out the weeds.
- Barley does not require too much watering. Too much watering can lead to decomposition.
- As always, pick the best workwear possible when planting to minimize chaffing and discomfort. We prefer Dickies Workwear…but Carhartt Clothing works as well.
Seeds
- 1 – 2 days, 34F to 36F
- 2 Years
- Well Drained
- Full Sun
- 20 – 25 seeds sq. ft.
- 10″ to 12″ apart
- 40 – 55
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