New...interest? (Obsession?)
So some of you out there (is anyone out there?) know of my curiousity/interest/obsession with hay vs. straw (eating vs. sleeping...please do ask if you want or need to know more. I've got facts, a bibliography, and I'll make time.)
My current agricultural query is thus...there are two kinds of wheat, winter wheat and spring wheat. Um, what? Wheat can't grow in the Red River Valley in winter...to quote Beth's gift to Heidi, what gives?
I suspect it has to do with when it's planted, not when it's harvested, but this will require some more investigation...
posted by bookgirl @ 11:31 PM
4 Comments:
Winter wheat is actually planted in the fall. It begins its growth cycle, sprouts and develops a root system, then goes dormant for the cold weather. Snow is important, both for insulation from the really cold blasts and for proper irrigation come spring melt, when the growing begins again. Harvest comes in summer.
Spring wheat is planted in the spring. It grows like the usual spring-planted crop. Harvest comes in the fall.
Check with your extension office for more cool facts about wheat--the many different kinds, protien content, futures markets, etc...
Isn'y it awesome that there actually is a plant that survives the northern plains winter? And that it's a tasty one?
Thanks for confirming my hunch regarding the when of wheat. Who needs an extension office?
Although now I have to worry about the ramifications of the lack of snow on the poor little winter wheat sprouts...
in related agrarian news and history, you should consider reading the book "Tinged With Gold." it's about hop culture, cultivation, and rural architecture. the author, michael tomlan, was nate's graduate school advisor at cornell.
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/
booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?r=
1&ean=9780820313139
haven't read it myself, so i would be interested in hearing what you think of it. that is, of course, if you read it.
(btw - you may need to cut and paste the link above.)
grrr... that link in the previous post needs to be cut and pasted line by line, even though it's one thread.
couldn't get the hotlink to work.
Post a Comment
<< Home