Umm, what's a mangel?

thiers a big sugar beet industry here so if mangles and sugar beets are the same you can grow them in the north. (might depend on varity)

Saw them feeding out Mangles to cattle at Sturbridge Village in MA (a recreation colonial village). It was a long time ago, but I remember that they had a tool to chop them that was a long handle (like a digging shovel) with a sharp "S" shaped blade at the bottom of it. They chopped the beets up by putting the beets into a wooden bucket and hacking away at it with the chopper-sort of like they were plunging the toilet (the bucket) with the chopper. It worked well when they did it.

He also said that they wash the beets before they store them so that the cows teeth don't wear with the dirt.

I have always thought that growing mangles would be an easier way to grow my own winter feed than grains. Still don't have animals to feed though. Maybe some day.

Peace-Cathryn

Yellow Intermediate mangels are available at Seeds of Change, www.seedsofchange.com

Martin

Heirloom Acres sell mangel beets. I know a farmer in Maine that grows them, so they are not just a southern crop. Good luck

Thankyou Martin and Whisperwindkat; I will check out both Seeds of Change and Heirloom Acres.

You won't have time to grow them this year. Could wait until I perhaps again offer to get them in the spring. Right now I can get Mammoth Red and Golden Eckendorf from Jung's at cost; half-ounce and 4-ounce packets. Weren't many in stock last week but may buy all they have in December before the racks are cleared.

Martin

You don't think so? I'm going to try resowing some in the next couple days. (I goofed some stuff up and doomed the first batch.) They say 70 days, and we have at least that before frost here. I'm not sure where the previous poster was located.

Kayleigh

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Or Trebuchet eh?

Both Mammoth Red and Golden Eckendorf are listed as 110 days in Jung's catalog. My goldens have been in the ground for 2 months and just now showing some swelling. Reds last year didn't begin to size up until well into August.

Martin

I guess I'm out of luck then. I'll put a small row in just to see how much size they can get, but I guess I have to wait until next year to get anything of substance.

Kayleigh

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110 days to maturity is for use as a stock beet. 70 day size is for human consumption.

Martin

I am growing some from seeds I got on ebay this spring...but I am wondering how to store them for the winter usage??? Can I just dig and store them in a feed sack or do I need to layer them in wet sand like carrots??? Thanks!

I believe that storage was possibly covered earlier in this thread.

Martin

Mangels are a TYPE of "sugar beet", but there is a more common beet known as a Sugar Beet

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You may find that it's just the opposite. Sugar beets are a type of mangel. Mangels/fodderbeets were developed first and then the sugar beets were developed from them.

Martin

Martin, when you get ready to offer mangel seed in the spring, I'd like to be on your list, please? Thanks!

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good thread. i am liking this site alot. as well as finding other animal feeds i found the name of a plant in my yard,lol. which coincedently makes good forage for animals and bees and enriches the soil. yeaa! birdsfoot trefoil

I thought that was a Mangl-er

I found a funny site about mangels. mangoldhurling.co.uk/index
My kids loved it. Apparently mangels are called mangolds in the UK.