Growing Malting Barley, Recieved my seed this week Options

[damoller]

I will try to grow some malting barley this spring. I purchased 50# of robust seed. I am going to plant 1/2 this coming week and then trying some in a fall planting. Probably wont work but what the hey it will look cool hops trellis,s in a barley field! I have wheat the grows and comes back every year from the roots. I plan to expand that also!
Any hints as to growing barley?

This post has been edited by damoller: Mar 30 2008, 11:30 AM

[REM]

Texas was way out of the range of barley. OK might be close enough to make the cut, I dunno.

The photo opportunities alone are worth the risk, imo. A beautiful hop trellis, or arbor out in the barley at various stages would be great cover material.

[consumes]

how do you plan on malting your harvest ??

This post has been edited by consumes: Mar 30 2008, 03:51 PM

[hooky]

U of Minn paper on growing spring Barley. http://134.84.92.126/distribution/cropsystems/DC2548.html

If my math is right, you'll want around 20 plants/sq ft. Good luck.

Also, wheat doesn't grow from last years roots. It's an annual. It's either dropping seeds and growing from those or it isn't wheat.

[ramfan]

How harsh are the winters where you are? If it gets reasonably cold, I doubt that a spring barley will overwinter very well at all and will likely die off if fall planted. I think the spring planting is your best bet.

I do know that there is a wheat breeder at Washington State University that is trying to develop perennial wheat, but in general it is true that wheat doesn't grow from last years roots.

[damoller]

U of Minn paper on growing spring Barley. http://134.84.92.126/distribution/cropsystems/DC2548.html

If my math is right, you'll want around 20 plants/sq ft. Good luck.

Also, wheat doesn't grow from last years roots. It's an annual. It's either dropping seeds and growing from those or it isn't wheat.

Thanks for the link
yeh I know it is supposed to be an annual but I have had it around for 14 years without doing anything except planting the original seed. Probably reseeding itself huh? I guess that means it should malt ok since it germinates on its own!

I will malt it in the winter in my 2 150 stainless tanks or my 310 gallon tank with mixer. If you germinate it cold it will germinate more uniform without having to screen it too much!

[jusbrewin]

check out this article from BYO:

http://www.byo.com/feature/284.html

there was also an episode on basic brewing radio about this same topic.
would be interested to hear your results.

J

I will try to grow some malting barley this spring. I purchased 50# of robust seed. I am going to plant 1/2 this coming week and then trying some in a fall planting. Probably wont work but what the hey it will look cool hops trellis,s in a barley field! I have wheat the grows and comes back every year from the roots. I plan to expand that also!
Any hints as to growing barley?

[Onthekeg]

I have farmed all my life, and this is something that I won't accomplish. I could raise a great crop of barley, but the malting is something that I feel needs to be left to the pro's. Good luck in your endeavors!

BTW volunteer wheat is from seed that has shelled from the crop either while in the field or during harvest. Any volunteer wheat due to the differing light patterns of the seasons (diurnal) will not yield or will the quality of the crop be close to the original seeding. In your local it may be close to the original crop, but at our latitude, it is quite stunted if it is able to grow until the killing frost.

[Yeasty Boy]

Robust is 6-row, right?
I'm lookung all around for some Metcalfe, Copeland, Harrington, Conrad, Scarlett, Klages, Craft - anything, can't fins where to buy.
Any help much appreciated.
Looks to me like an 8'x8' plot should yield about one good batch of beer each fall.

[ewanzel]

damoller, if you haven't seen it already...this previous thread has some good links in it that may help you out with this prject.

Best of luck!