How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It - James Wesley Rawles [49]
One of our preferred grains for growing on small acreage is barley. As a general rule, you should plant winter barley in regions where winter wheat is grown, and spring barley where spring wheat is grown. If you live in deer country, you will probably find their depredations on your grain fields unacceptable, so you will need to erect some substantial fences. If you can’t afford to install tall fences around your grain fields, one alternative is to plant bearded varieties of barley. Deer generally won’t eat the awns of bearded barley.
If you have any ground that is swampy from spring to fall on your property, consider planting domesticated wild rice in those areas. Technically, wild rice isn’t really rice at all, since it is in the grass genus (Zizania) rather than the rice genus (Oryza). As with other grain growing, planting wild rice will attract waterfowl and other birds, which can be a mixed blessing. So consider a shotgun and beaucoup shotgun shells to be part of your assortment grain-growing essential tools.
TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT
Raising grain takes not only seed stock but also the proper tools and equipment. Buy the best quality equipment that you can find. Concentrate on nineteenth-century technology. This is low-tech and easy to maintain. It is amazing what you can find on eBay if you check the site consistently. Unfortunately, however, some practical items such as scythes and hand mills are now sold as “decorator” antiques. Yuppies and retirees who merely want to adorn their homes have driven up prices—but keep searching, since these tools are worth owning.
PLANTING
A seed broadcaster is a must. Get an adjustable hand-crank seed broadcaster that you can strap around your waist. For really big fields, you might need a wheeled (push) row seeder. Even on a small scale, a one-wheel “dial-a-seed” planter is a huge laborsaver. These are all available through Lehmans.com. One a large scale, horse-drawn or tractor-pulled equipment is called for. (That goes beyond the scope of what I’m writing here, but it is described fairly well in Logsdon’s book.) When to plant varies depending on the last frost-free day in your region. Look at standard references for planting depths, frequency, and crop rotation.
HARVESTING AND PROCESSING
For corn, you will need a couple of corn knives and some husking pegs (to strap to your palm). For wheat and other small grains, you will need at least a hand scythe for reaping, but for any decent scale of production, you will need a large, cradle-type scythe. There are plans for building a small grain-threshing machine in Logsdon’s book. In a pinch, you can thresh grain by hand on a large, clean, concrete barn floor.
There are a variety of hand-cranked machines made specifically for hulling (“pearling”) rice and barley, pressing oil, and shelling corn, peas, and so forth. If you grow sorghum or cane sugar, you will need yet another type of hand-crank press. Finding these machines may take some searching, because small hand-cranked machines are now essentially obsolete outside of the Third World, but they are eminently practical for folks like us, who are preparing for TEOTWAWKI. Used machines that are still in good working order can sometimes be found on the Internet, but if you don’t mind paying a premium price for brand-new machines, I recommend Lehmans.com. See Chapter 5 for more details on mills.
STORAGE
Whether for human consumption or for livestock feed, your harvested grain will need to be properly stored for protection from spoilage and vermin. If the moisture content is low enough to prevent mold, then plain galvanized trash barrels (bought brand-new) will suffice for small-scale grain storage. On a larger scale, a prefabricated storage shed, such as those made