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HARDY PLANTS

Rye harvest

Thunderstorms are forecast for July 12, with the possibility of hail. Last year, hail ravaged the rye crop (among others) on July 7, just before harvest. So on July 11, we harvested to bring in the grain and put it under cover.

The area to be harvested is small, perhaps 50 or 60 square metres in all.
All you need is a sickle.
We cut low, just a few centimetres above the ground.
Terrace-edge rows are convenient. You can work standing up and avoid bending in half.
As we go along, wreaths are laid.
Tie them tightly with a long thread, then hang them up.
Each row yields 3 to 4 sheaves.
The sheaves are very light but bulky, so it’s best to transport them one by one.
The sheaves are hung upside down, dry and protected from the rain. They need to stay that way for at least 5 weeks for the grain to dry out completely.
It’s a fairly straightforward job in itself, but it quickly becomes exhausting in very hot weather.
At the end, all that’s left to do is use the brush cutter to chop up the remaining stems. It’s a good green manure. What’s more, the soil in which the rye was grown has become very loose, right down to the surface: the roots penetrate one to two meters into the soil.
30 sheaves in all, the dryer is full, we couldn’t fit many more. In a few weeks, we’ll see the rest of the process, with de-stemming, cleaning and milling.
The storm did arrive the next day, quite violent, but fortunately no hail.
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