After our land Sabbath last year, in Autumn, we decided to plant wheat again, using the wheat we harvested back in 2012, which has also been used to supplement the chicken scratch.
Here is one of the sacks of wheat:
And then in the grain drill:
Here’s the prepared field:
And then me out there planting the wheat seed:
We did it shortly after a good rain, so it sprouted pretty quickly; and here it is growing well about 10 days after planting:
The Winter weather had some pretty good cold snaps this year, and not a lot of moisture, and we weren’t sure anything was even going to grow. I also didn’t do a very good job of making the ground even when I plowed it, so there are quite a few bare spots. Here it is near the end of March,:
But here it is again almost a week ago, and thankfully there is some wheat growing:
Also back in 2012, I planted turnips next to the wheat using the grain drill, and those actually worked out fairly well. With our mulch garden beds though, I thought I’d try planting turnips in there. Here are the rows ready for planting, dug out using a rake:
I had noticed that, the hay, pee and poop from the goat sheds, and the area around them, after time, rain and being trampled, turned into what looked like really nice compost, so I thought I would add that to the mulch-bed rows. Here it is:
And then in the rows:
I planted the turnip seeds in the rows, and thought I’d try just scattering some on the non-row area left in the mulch-bed garden, but it appeared that with the cold snaps, the turnips, even though some germinated, just couldn’t get going. I have a feeling I waited too late in the year to get them planted. And so, the rows basically looked like that after Winter. Bummer.
Still, we’re thankful to the Lord for granting the wheat He appears to be granting, and we look forward to perhaps being able to harvest it in due time, according to His will.
— David
Hello David, I'm sorry to hear that your crops aren't as plentiful this year. It's been a funny summer here for us in S E Australia. My husband planted our regular pumpkin patch out and it was a dismal failure. We grew only 2 pumpkins and usually we have at least 95 to carry us and our friends through the year. Now that our cooler weather is upon us they are starting to grow although they won't amount to much once it gets colder. Our tomatoes weren't marvellous either but we've had bumper crops of sweet potato,beans, capsicum, eggplant and chokos. We are always so grateful for the the abundance of food we are able to grow here on our 2.5 acre blog. We are able to freeze, can and dehydrate most of want we will need during the year and because our winters are mild we are able to grow many winter vegetables as well. God is so good.
I pray that you have a good summer growing season.
Blessings Gail
Hi gail,
It is interesting how things seem to grow differently from year to year, at least around here.
Thanks to the Lord for the provisions He's granted you all, and may He continue according to His will.
Thanks for saying hi, for the prayers!
— David
I am confused. If your land sabbath was in 2013 why did you plant in autumn of 2013. Is not the land sabbath a whole year? -Thomas
Thomas,
We started the land sabbath autumn 2012.
— David
Oh ok. I thought it had to be a year like all of 2013, or all of 2012. Makes more sense now. Thanks