What would you plant?

tickranch · #1 05/03/07, 06:52 PM

I live on 20 acres on the side of a really big hill, north side at that. It is heavily wooded and very rocky.

I have 30 chickens, 5 ducks, and 3 goats. There are 2 adults and 4 children in our household.

A friend, 3 miles down the road, has 5 acres of bottom pasture that he said I could grow some crops on.

If you were me what would you grow?

I know I'd like to grow some wheat, just not sure how much. Maybe some field peas, or sunflowers, or corn, or some kind of combination.

Thanks

montysky · #2 05/03/07, 07:21 PM

First Question how long is your growing Season? and are you planning on feeding the critters your family or both on it?

tickranch · #3 05/03/07, 07:32 PM

I live in zone 5/6. We have all 4 seasons.

I have a small garden, a few tomatoes, peppers, beans, etc...

I was thinking mainly feed for the animals, but maybe something everybody can use also. I just don't know, that is why I'm asking.

Old Vet · #4 05/03/07, 07:39 PM

Before you plaint anything find out what kind of alotment for crops is. Wheat cprn cotton rice and most other crops is regualted by the government. You don't want to plaint anything and having to disk it up before you harvest it.

MaineFarmMom · #5 05/04/07, 05:57 AM

I'd start with growing your food first.

Zone doesn't tell us about your growing season, only the coldest average temp in winter. When can you start and stop planting? Do you want to plant all at once or start "as soon as the soil can be worked?" Do you want to use season extenders like low tunnels?

Rocky Fields · #6 05/04/07, 06:29 AM

Hey.

See what your neighbors are growing, then talk to them to see if it's viable.

RF

RACCOON · #7 05/04/07, 07:03 AM

fruit trees

Batt · #8 05/04/07, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Vet

Before you plaint anything find out what kind of alotment for crops is. Wheat, corn, cotton, rice and most other crops is regulalted by the government.

What??? I think there are a lot of qualifiers to this statement...Tobacco, Yes, Hemp, Yes, Perhaps if we were talking 1000's of bushels and with price supports and insurance. But 5 acres for personal use?

FreeRanger · #9 05/04/07, 08:18 AM

I think this person is looking for a crop or two not analysis of the land.....so I would suggest Bloody Butcher corn or some other corn that can be eaten fresh and/or as flour. Both you and the animals can eat corn. Easy to store as well on the cob.

I would grow your tomatoes and cucumbers at the 5 acre site so you can put more of the high value plants at your home garden, like pepers. Then can the tomatoes and pickles.

Goats and humans eat pumpkins and you can easily sell them. They take up a lot of space. If you end up with too many from planting 2 acres, then donate them in bulk to your local church youth group to sell. Tax write off. That's what we did one year.

So there is a couple of crops to think about.....

Up North · #10 05/04/07, 08:30 AM

I would lean towards growing some form of a small grains crop to provide grain for your livestock. Perhaps Wheat, Barley, Oats. Talk to your county extension agent or local farmers to see what crops do well in your area, and which would be most likely to do well on the specific bottom ground you have in mind. Also, find out in advance if someone will come in and custom harvest the crop for you.
5 acres is a lot to do without a combine.

**GREENCOUNTYPETE** · #11 05/04/07, 08:36 AM

potatoes, corn that one free ranger talked about sounds interesting but not knowing about it i would do some feild cord some sweet corn for the family althou it may be best to keep the sweet close to home then lots and lots of winter squash they stre well and goats people and chickens can eat them not shure about ducks
maybe some wheat but with what i have hear the bushle price for wheat is it may be cheaper to buy it and not have th problem of harvesting it unless you had a fenced
area to plant it and just brought the ducks to the wheat

as for your hill graze what you can the goats will clear under brush for you if you have enough of them you could peobabley do pole beans at your place the wouldn't mind the noth side of the hill a bit later in the season

Old Vet · #12 05/04/07, 11:37 AM

Adron If your neighbor has any other crops or animials on his land the alotments are there and their are no way you can get rid of them. You can grow anything on that land but you may be in toruble if you do. Call the county extension agent and ask him.

Jim S. · #13 05/04/07, 03:14 PM

Marijuana!

(oops...are the feds watching this site?)

pixelphotograph · #14 05/04/07, 03:31 PM

OLDVET could you please explain this further I dont think I understand........You said "If your neighbor has any other crops or animials on his land the alotments are there and their are no way you can get rid of them. You can grow anything on that land but you may be in toruble if you do. Call the county extension agent and ask him."

What is the definition of alotments?
How can you get in trouble for growing things (other than illegal drugs) on your land?

I'm sorry if I sound a bit confused just trying to understand Thanks Mike

montysky · #15 05/04/07, 04:08 PM

Mainefarmmom is right, zone will not tell as about the growing season, something real important in maine or montana. But since you have a garden on your place I would use the 5 acres for feed for the livestock and not put a lot of money into the land.

who knows next year your friend could need the land..... so check the growing season first, But I would go with Corn, Sunflower seed and fieldBeans or soybeans.

FreeRanger · #16 05/04/07, 05:36 PM

I'm not sure what OLDVET is talking about but if land is in a program, like the conservation reserve program (CRP) then you are restricted on what you can do. For example my steep hill side is NOT in the CRP but a different conservation program that pays me not to grow row crops (corn/beans). I have to leave a 100 foot buffer strip between the row crops. This why you see farmers in Wisconsin with strips of hay/corn/hay/corn on the hillsides. They pay you what they think you are loosing in money by growing hay instead of corn or beans. Every Spring I have to report what I have planted and they check by arial photo in the Fall.

This is a simple explaination but one way the government may restrict your choice of planting. Personnally I think it's a bad program because I wouldn't row crop the steep shallow hillside anyway. Since buying the land, I have converted all of the strips into hay/pasture and have NO row crops. They still pay me every year

Forerunner · #17 05/04/07, 07:05 PM

I would grow sweet corn on the larger plot, for several reasons.
You mention that it is bottom land. In the event of a short duration flood, corn stands a better chance than most other crops for survival.
Corn is the one grain that can be planted, cultivated and harvested by hand with any degree of reasonability.
Sweet corn commands a decent price in farmer's markets and obviously had great value as a home staple, as mentioned, both fresh and for flour. Sweet corn kernels will dry down like any other corn and make excellent sweet flour that is hard to beat for cornbread, pancakes and southwestern type flatbreads.
The best reason for planting sweet corn may be in the value of the green fodder as the ears are picked throughout the season. Goats and cattle can live exclusively on corn stalks and leaves, if introduced to them gradually at first.
Such a crop grown in summer, combined with a dry forage for winter, such as alfalfa or clover, could eliminate the need for fencing and expanses of pasture that might be better utilized in a compact operation.
A small shredder would also quickly convert the corn stalks into highly palatable silage. Just pack in an airtight container such as 55 gallon plastic drums with sealable lids, or pile on a large sheet of plastic and roll up the sides and seal by weighting down the loose ends after tromping all the air out of the "bag" this created. Silage making is a bit of an art, and practice makes perfect. One other use for sweet corn stalks, if you're a homesteading and resource utilizing purist.....is to grind them finely and squeeze out the juice to make a very serviceable from of molasses for home use as well as livestock supplement. The residual grindings, after pressing out the juice to be boiled down, can still be packed and sealed to make silage.

Happy small farming.
This is one crop the growing of which would produce next to zero waste for the effort.