The other day I posted some pictures on my twitter of my hull less oats being planted.
I've planted these as plugs. But plugs I grew myself.
I did this for a few reasons, I only have a handful of seed saved from last year and grown in this way they have the best possible chance against everything that wants to eat them and to out grow the inevitable weeds.
I aim to grow a bigger patch of oats in the future and I certainly won't be doing it like this when I do! This is a very labour intensive way of growing a small amount of grain, but ideal to build my seed bank!
But on the post someone asked where I got my plug plants from. It's very rare that I'll ever buy a plant, I'm far too tight for that! So I grow my own plug plants, with different modules for different plants or how long I think it'll be before they're planted out.
The picture above shows my Kohl Rabi at the stage I plant it out. As you can see they have a good amount of leaves and roots and will romp away once they're put into a bed to grow out.
I love this type of planting. it enables me to see what I'll end up with, and I can tend to the tiny seedlings and young plants in the safety of the greenhouse rather than direct sowing and thinning out.
Who else grows their own plugs like this? Or do you prefer to direct sow or use another method?
I follow the same practice too for most things I grow Kev. I feel more in control and get fewer losses. Interestingly enough, last year when I attempted hullless oats I decided to broadcast sow, not even in rows. Alas, hardly any gemrinated and whilst I was continuing to wait with hopefulness, weed seedlings sprung up and there was no way of retriving the situation.
ReplyDeleteI think the trouble with hill less oats is that they're hull less! Everything wants to eat them! Last year I started out with a good amount and put them into plugs and mice ate them all even in the greenhouse!
DeleteHow big of a plot were you sowing? I wonder how I'll get it to work if I plan to grow a bigger area.
Look at the roots on those puppies! Amazing! Where in the world do you find hull-less oat seeds? I've never heard of them before. And what is the advantage? Do tell...
ReplyDeleteHull less oats are easy to process by hand. Otherwise you need to remove the hulls before eating which is really tricky to do. Downside is that everything wants to eat them!
DeleteI agree Kev - almost everything I grow is in modules these days, so much less slug damage than direct sowing, and also easier on the back with the thinning etc. The only problem is sometimes with small seeds it's difficult to do single sowing.
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