I Need Advice for Planting Amaranth, Quinoa and Hull less Oats!

[lesa]

Only have chickens-but they do enjoy it...

 

[Mickey328]

I've gotten into herbal remedies and such, so last spring I put in 3 patches of oats in the front yard, planning to harvest the green tops and then the straw. Well...then we got chickens and discovered they absolutely love oats! I cut the tops off them all for feed, and then kept a bit of the straw for tea and the rest for litter for the chickens. The plants are quite pretty as well, so there will be more going in next year. I also got some winter wheat and rye, which we'll put in soon, and some alfalfa which will go in come spring. We have a >1/4 acre residential lot, so can't plant fields of stuff, but I'm hoping to supplement the chicken feed as much as I can. It's all going in little patches in both the front and the back, maybe 3' x 4' or thereabouts. I'd never grown any sort of grain before and it was more in the nature of an experiment than anything, but it worked out quite well...just really sort of looked like ornamental grass growing out there.

Should the stubble be tilled under now or in the spring?

We de-sodded the entire front yard a couple years ago (oh my, did we hear it from the neighbors!) and mulched it heavily. Since then, we've been putting in various perennials here and there and, while it doesn't look like everyone else's, it's actually shaping up to be quite nice looking, IMO. So we now have a pretty decent "structure" with a couple of small, but well established trees, and lots of flowering plants as well. So, it's time to start filling it in with plants of a more practical nature. I'm thinking a lot of the grain will go out there as well as some herbs...put in 2 comfrey plants and they've taken off! I didn't realize how big those leaves get! Good thing the chickens like them, and we'll also be using them for compost activation.

At the same time, we removed the grass against the fencing in the back yard to a depth of about 8 feet. We've been filling that border with various perennials as well, so it's time to fill in the spaces with something besides weeds, which seem to really like the good topsoil we put in there, LOL. Our native soil is mostly clay so it needs a lot of amendment. When it's wet, it weighs a ton and when it's not it's like concrete. To plant our maple, apple and plum trees we rented a power auger. I happened to look out the window and there was DH (who's a biggish boy at 6'1/245) leaning on it while it spun him around in circles, the auger itself not budging an inch into the soil! After we took the grass out, we brought in a couple loads of decent topsoil to sort of jump start our amendment. We have 2 active compost bins and a couple of slow composting piles, and have access to lots of bunny poo, so we're getting there, but it's certainly a work in progress.

The actual "garden" isn't very big, and we're planning on expanding it greatly next year. Plus, I intend to put in veggies in the borders...no reason you can't grow beets in alongside flowers, right?

 

[digitS']

Mickey, there is good reason to think that veggies will grow along side flowers .

The sooner you get the oat stubble turned into the soil, the better the decomposition will be thru the winter. You may also want to just pull it and add to the compost pile. That would leave you with a good seed bed for the next crop. Any sprouting oats at this time of year should be killed by your winter temperatures, there in CO.

It may be best for you to get the next cereal grains in soon because of those winter soil temperatures. Kind of a rule of thumb is that winter wheat will need a temperature above 40F or it will not sprout. With adequate moisture and that warm Colorado sunlight, the seedlings should get a good start.

Steve

 

[897tgigvib]

Quinoa would look nice at the back of a flower border too. Mickey, looks like you have been busy. That preparation will pay off in beauty and bounty!

 

[Mickey328]

I try to do the companion planting as much as I can...have garlic all over the place...especially roses and 'maters. Lots of herbs too...they're pretty as well as tasty.

So, Steve...think I can put the wheat and rye in where the oats were this year? If so, we'll dig those roots and get the seed in this week. We've had a couple good hard frosts...tomato and grape plants are toast, but it'll probably be in the 60's or 70's in the next few days....still cool nights, though...in the 40's probably.

I have some quinoa and amaranth I'd bought a while back at a health food store...I'd intended to use it for bread, but have some left. Suppose that would sprout for me?

 

[digitS']

Okay Mickey, you are talking about the quinoa and amaranth for next spring, right?

If you can get some balanced fertilizer on the wheat & rye at some time, I don't see a problem with planting them after the oats.

I'm afraid we may have seen the last of our 40-degree nights - unless we finally get some rain. There's a good chance that when the precipitation actually begins to fall here - finally - it won't be liquid .

Steve

 

[Mickey328]

Absolutely for next spring! I guess I'll try it come May and see what happens....I stuck some Red Clover in this spring, and it took off, so...can't hurt to try with the others, right?

I've got some nice brown compost we can use to beef up the soil...should be just the ticket. Now, just have to clear another few patches and we'll be good to go.

Thanks fer the advice!

 

[hoodat]

I grew all 3 of these this year.

Amaranth is easy, almosrt too easy. It likes it warm, does not mind hot or cool spells, can't freeze though, and only needs to be harvested carefully so you do not spill the seeds and let them turn into weeds.

The Oats are also easy. I suggest a kind of corral around and maybe through them of twine and stakes to make sure they don't lodge. Only a few of mine flopped over. I do not know when the best planting time for oats in your area is. Might try some now, and planting some more every 6 or 8 weeks to discover the best time unless someone else knows for sure.

Quinoa. My May 5th plantings did real well. The variety I grew was supposedly the most forgiving variety, called Colorado Quinoa. By Late July and August my pole beans were providing some afternoon shade for them. Oh. A few of them kind of leaned over. A corral setup might have been good for them. You have a hotter earlier season down there...thinking...If you plant Quinoa 3 months before it hits 90 degrees for a high, and make sure it gets afternoon shade by then, and if it is the forgiving Colorado Quinoa, I'd think you can grow it to seed. Oh, Quinoa gets thirsty, and will need watering every day when it gets hot. That also helps Amaranth grow tall.

Don't plant Amaranth any closer than a foot apart, or else the plants will be shorter than their potential. My Colorado Quinoa grew about the same whether it was a foot apart or 10 inches apart. Tall Amaranths maybe could use some staking, but I didn't.

Oh yes, Hulless Oats are still hard to thresh. Mine are still in the box waiting for me to figure out how to thresh them. I got a good crop of them, the Quinoa and of the Amaranth too.

Next year more kinds of Quinoa, and more space devoted to it. No Oats next year, and will add one more variety of Amaranth.

Best of luck, and, photos. Quinoa in south Texas. I think it is possible! Water them on the hot afternoons, and set them up for afternoon shade on those hot days over 90 or so.

Marshall, where did you get that Colorado Quinoa seed? I can't find it listed in any of the seed catalogs.

 

[897tgigvib]

Bountiful Gardens has it listed under grains, Grains Amaranth to Quinoa.

Here is their link:

http://www.bountifulgardens.org/products.asp?dept=238

I think you'll enjoy perusing through their whole site and seeing what they are up to in the world.