An Update on Growing Mangels for Animal Feed

AnnieinBC · #1 09/25/08, 10:37 AM

I was surprised yesterday when I tried to access Homesteading Today, it actually worked! I had not been able to access this site since about April of this year....

I had posted earlier this year that we were going to try to grow mangels for animal feed. I was fortunate to find seeds. Well, we planted them, they grew and our pigs and chickens Love them!

If you want more info, please check out our blog here:

http://countrylivinginacariboovalley.blogspot.com/

If you go to the labels on the right, you can click on the word Mangels there, and it will bring up all the posts about Mangels.

We had good success also with Sugar Beets, altho something has been eating them...not the mangels tho, even tho they are in the next row!

(Edited to add) We will be keeping some mangels over the winter to replant in Spring, so that come Fall 09, we will be able to gather our own seed....

mrs fluidp (Annie)

PS Thank you again, Martin (Paquebot) for your kind offer a few months ago! We appreciated your spirit!

missysid · #2 09/25/08, 12:43 PM

Great to hear you had success with them. I was one that followed the thread early this spring but did not try them this year. I think we will plant a row and see how they do for us.

kabri · #3 09/25/08, 03:40 PM

I tried them here in W WA. They grew fine, but we were kind of hoping for a dual purpose beet - one we could eat too. Not very tasty, DH was ok with them but not me. I ended up using them in zucchini bread. Our sheep ate all the peelings and leaves, so no harm done, except I planted too many seeds and they ALL grew!

Theresa Lipe · #4 09/25/08, 05:05 PM

Mangels have really worked for us. Last year we grew about 3 acres and let our sheep graze all winter with very little shell corn use and we had the cleanest fleeces ever and the healthiest sheep ever. This year we are using them again as well as Barkant turnips and canola.

Homesteader at Heart · #5 09/25/08, 07:54 PM

I enjoyed your website. Nice pictures.

Homesteader at Heart · #6 09/25/08, 07:56 PM

Theresa, how do you feed the sheep? Just let them have access to a small portion of the field each day?

Paquebot · #7 09/25/08, 08:42 PM

Despite my helping others get mangel seed since 2001, I'd never grown them. I kept back about 20 seeds from one packet to grow some this year. Them buggers get big! Probably didn't give them enough room but still have some which are about 5" wide and a foot or more long. Pulled one several weeks ago and just letting it lay on a garden bench for observation. Unlike a regular beet that would shrivel up under those conditions, that mangel is still as solid as when pulled. I'll be saving them for treats for the horses at the garlic farm. Still haven't gotten around to eating one yet but that's still in the plans.

Martin

nancy237 · #8 09/26/08, 09:50 AM

I had to open this thread to see what type of animal a mangel was LOL

Mare Owner · #9 09/26/08, 12:25 PM

Glad to hear they worked well for you!

I tried them this year but they didn't grow at all (but I wasn't good at keeping things weeded either!). Will try them again next year.

greenhart · #10 09/26/08, 04:01 PM

I planted 3 rows to try them out. But my wife cooked some and liked then so well that she canned all the rest. So may be next year I'll plant a lot more.

AnnieinBC · #11 09/28/08, 11:12 AM

Thanks for your comments....for feeding, all we do is dig them up and throw them to the hens and the pigs...I think ours are about the same size as yours, Martin. I thinned mine about 3 times in total, and left plenty of room between the plants.

I was very diligent about spacing when I first seeded them.....then I found out that the seed is in a cluster, so they had to be thinned anyways, lol (like a beet)

We had read that mangels can get to 15 - 20 pounds, that was not our experience this year. But, they did perform well enough that we will grow them again next year.

We had hoped that we could grow enough to really offset the feed costs, BUT....we learned that we didn't plant enough extras. It looks like we will have to enlarge our "animal gardens" a fair bit to to really be able to put enough food away for the animals to use during winter and early spring.

I haven't tasted them, but my hubby did and he said they were very very sweet....no wonder the pigs eat them so quickly!

HomesteaderatHeart....thanks for your comments about our blog!

Greenhart, how did your wife process the mangels? Same times as for canning beets?? I am even thinking of cutting off the leaves and just sticking them in big plastic bags in the freezer, then feeding off to the hens so they can have fresh greens during the winter.

Annie (mrsfluidp)

Beaners · #12 09/28/08, 11:18 AM

It seems like they are awfully hard to get seed for. I've checked a bunch of places and most didn't have them. I really want to give them a try.

Martin, are you going to be able to help people get them this year?

Kayleigh

ceresone · #13 09/28/08, 12:39 PM

I did a search, and most seed companies list them--least they list red mangels
Rareseeds.com, shumways, jungs, to name a few.
I wasnt ordering, so perhaps they're sold out.

Paquebot · #14 09/28/08, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beaners

Martin, are you going to be able to help people get them this year?

There's a real good chance that I will be able to get them. Jung's/Shumway is the only large company to stock mangels and they've had them for years. I'll check the store yet today and see if there's any left. Initial stock is usually close to what was sold the previous year. Manager had to request more twice this year. Last time, several ¼# packets came down and someone else bought them. Thus there are some around here who are also growing them for stock.

If you want big mangels, start out with good space and then thin. Like beets, they may also be transplanted. I did that with the thinnings and never lost a plant.

For eating, I kept looking at those leaves and seeing chard. The first one to come home had the leaves and stems steamed. Since they are indeed just a different version of chard, they were good. I might add that the deer also found them equally tasty!

Martin

Paquebot · #15 09/28/08, 01:36 PM

The store is out of the Mammoth Long Red. Only had the smaller Golden Eckendorf which only one HT member requested this year. Thus we'll have to wait until next January to know if I can be of help again.

Martin

LMonty · #16 09/28/08, 02:10 PM

I would love some seed if you find any, Martin. If you find enough to go around I'd take several packets.

this is a great thread. I'm very seriously going to try growing more of my own animal feed this coming year. Since I cant do small grains on a large scale, I'm definitely looking at alternatives. My head spins when I'm looking at catalogs and trying to find out what varieties are the best for storage and feed, instead of the usual "garden varieties". OP is definitely good too, since I want to be able to produce my own seed. Think I'll start a thread on that, hope y'all will contribute to it.

greenhart · #17 09/29/08, 05:40 AM

fluidp, she processed them just as a beet.