[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Greeneyes; (I think this interests you!)

Here is a link to a post on the SHTF thread regarding Scythes, including a link to a store in Maine that sells custom fitted sythes.

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3959006/posts?q=1&;page=51

It includes a video about harvesting a small wheat field using a scythe. (No point in owning a John Deere Combine to harvest your 12’X 48” patch of barley or wheat!!)

I do not have enough room in my yard to raise grain, but maybe someone else has info about sowing, threashing and winnowing. (I know there are videos on You Tube!)

[greeneyes]

Thanks. I only use about 100 sq. ft. in the winter to grow grain, and I harvest it by hand-simply grab a handful of stems and snip it with shears.

Then I stick it in the Green house to finish drying. Use the 5 gallon bucket to winnow and separate the wheat from the chaff.

That 100 sq. feet is so close to the Black Walnut tree, that it’s not useful for much else. If the toxin doesn’t get it(tomatoes and potatoes are a no go), then the shade does. And there’s something in the soil that kills squash, melons or cukes.

So the best thing I get out of that patch is Wheat or Rye. Ha.

However, if SHTF, I would need to up that to about 300 sq. ft.— which would be easy to do - we easily have about 1000 sq. ft. already available(winter time growth here in Mo.), and could increase for even more sq. footage if we needed to.

That Scythe would then be quite handy. And we could maybe grow enough to help out the neighbors, or barter or something in a TEOTWAWKI situation. 😎

I try to grow a lot of corn, wheat, and rye, because I want the compost potential in addition to the produce.