Haymaking, step by step
Interactive lesson: when to cut, mowing with a scythe and a mower, drying the hay, building a stack and bales, and preventing spontaneous combustion.
Free sample Chapters 1 and 2 (9 steps) are free. The full lesson comes with the Haymaking module. Already bought? Unlock
This lesson is general guidance, not professional training. Local regulations and expert advice always take precedence. Read our disclaimer.
The whole lesson as text
1. When to cut
Grass has the most nutrients before flowering and the most bulk after flowering.
- Grasses at first heading — Cut grasses when the first heads appear. Later you get more bulk, but much poorer hay.
- Clovers at first flower — Clovers and lucerne (alfalfa) are cut at early flowering, when the first flowers show.
- Lowland, upland, hay meadow — In lowland UK and Ireland meadow hay is cut from mid-June to early July, in the uplands and hills in July; species-rich hay meadows traditionally from mid-July.
- Forecast before cutting — Cut when the forecast gives at least 3, better 4 days without rain. Use the Met Office or Met Éireann, in the US the National Weather Service.
Why: Hay is a compromise between the two. Cut too late and you get straw. Let it get rained on in the field and it loses a third of its value.
- The aftermath, the second cut, comes 6–8 weeks after the first.
- In unsettled weather cut a smaller area that you can get in, or make haylage instead.
2. Mowing
The scythe is still the best tool for slopes, edges, orchards and small fields.
- Mow in the dew — Mow early in the morning, from dawn until about 10 o'clock. The swath falls to the left in a straight row.
- Swing from the hips — Stand with your feet apart and swing the scythe in an arc by turning your body, not with your arms. Step forward 10–15 cm with every stroke.
- Whetstone on your belt — Hone the scythe with a stone every 10–15 minutes. The heel of the blade glides along the ground and the edge cuts horizontally.
- Wellies and gaiters — There may be adders in long grass in the UK, rattlesnakes and copperheads in North America. Carry the scythe with the blade turned away from your body and pointing down, and check yourself for ticks after work.
- Mower: walk the field first — Before mowing clear out stones, wire and stakes. Cut at 6–8 cm, slowly, from the middle of the field out to the edge.
Why: Wet grass cuts more easily, which is why mowing starts at dawn. Once the grass dries and turns wiry, the blade goes blunt and the work gets hard.
- An experienced mower cuts roughly 0.2–0.4 ha (½–1 acre) a day; a beginner much less, so plan realistically.
- Never clear the mower's cutter bar while the engine is running. Switch off and pull the spark plug cap.
3. Drying · Locked
Buy the Haymaking module and you get the PDF to download and print, plus lifetime access to this interactive lesson: all 6 chapters, 25 steps.
4. The pole stack · Locked
Buy the Haymaking module and you get the PDF to download and print, plus lifetime access to this interactive lesson: all 6 chapters, 25 steps.
5. Bales and the hay barn · Locked
Buy the Haymaking module and you get the PDF to download and print, plus lifetime access to this interactive lesson: all 6 chapters, 25 steps.
6. Spontaneous combustion · Locked
Buy the Haymaking module and you get the PDF to download and print, plus lifetime access to this interactive lesson: all 6 chapters, 25 steps.