Interactive lesson

Small grains, step by step

Interactive lesson: wheat, rye, barley and oats, from choosing the grain, preparing the soil and sowing, through care without herbicides, to dangerous grain and ripeness.

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The whole lesson as text

1. Which grain for what

First decide what you need: bread for the house or grain for the animals.

Winter or spring — Winter wheat, spelt and rye are sown in late September and October. Spring barley and oats as early as the soil allows in March.
Wheat and spelt — Wheat needs better, deep soils, pH 6–7.5. Spelt tolerates poorer and colder soils, but the grain must be dehulled.
Rye, barley, oats — Rye likes acid and poor soils and is hardy to frost. Barley dislikes acid soil, while oats tolerate acid and wet soil.
One for bread, one for livestock — On a small field choose one bread grain and one feed grain. Two crops are easier to manage through rotation and threshing than five.

Why: Winter grains are sown in autumn and must go through winter before they form ears. They give a bigger and safer crop because they make better use of winter moisture. Spring grains are sown in spring.

From 1,000 m² (about a quarter of an acre) you get bread for three people or grain for about ten hens.
Spelt, rye, barley and oats are not gluten-free. People with coeliac disease must not eat such bread without medical advice.

2. Rotation and soil

Grain gives its best crop after a crop that left clean, fertile soil.

The best previous crop — Potatoes manured with farmyard manure, beans, field beans, peas or clover. Pulses leave nitrogen.
Not after maize — Maize is harvested late, and its residues carry ear fusarium. Grain after grain brings root diseases and weeds.
Dig in good time — Plough or dig 2–4 weeks before sowing, 15–20 cm (6–8 in) deep. In dry weather roll it or tread it down.
A crumbly layer — Just before sowing: rotavator, cultivator or rake, 5–8 cm (2–3 in). Surface level, no clods bigger than a walnut and no weeds.

Why: The previous crop should clear the field early and leave it free of weeds. Grain needs firm soil below and a crumbly layer on top. Loose, freshly dug soil settles over winter and tears the roots.

If the pH is below 5.5, lime a year ahead. Rye and oats tolerate acid soil.
On light soils and after potatoes it is often enough to level the surface with a rake, without ploughing.