Update on Wheat Growing

  On January 22, 2013, here is how things are progressing at Maggie’s Farm.  It has been three weeks since the last visit, with many nights below freezing.

The first plantings of Sonora, Red Fife, and Glenn, on November 29, 2012, are very lush and green.  Many Sonora plants are more than 15” in height.

They continue to seem very crowded, and are matted down in some areas.  The Red Fife and Glenn are more than a foot in height and are more erect.  Not quite as dense.   This first planting shows three leaves, with a fourth leaf emerging strongly, but still curled around the stem, so not sure whether it counts yet.  A majority of the plants have tillers emerging, though none yet with their own root systems.

The wheat planted on December 11th includes two varieties of Spelt, here shown about 40 days since planting.

Oberkulmer Spelt             &               Maverick Spelt

Oberkulmer, an older classic on the left, and Maverick, a newer cultivar on the right.  Both plots have thin areas where no germination is yet seen.  The Maverick seems better filled in than the Oberkulmer Spelt though individual plants of the two seem equally vigorous.

On the far western plot, the second planting of Glenn – on about December 12, 2012 – has sprouted quite well, with heights of 3 to 4 inches.

Glenn --  planted about 12/12/12

It is much more uniform in appearance than the Spelt plots.

Our small test plot of older varieties and some lesser known more recent cultivars continues to grow at what seems a slower pace.

Test Plot

Clear White

India-Jammu

India-Jammu and Clear White show most promise, with plant heights of 5 and 6 inches.  Also good progress by JD, Kelse, and Glee.  Some of the older varieties like Surprise, Poole, & Marquis are quite thin, with heights of 2 or 3 inches.  Almost all of the varieties in the test plot are at the 2 to 3-leaf stage.

It’s nice to see a green blush over all of the fields that Maggie’s Farm has set aside for our local wheat.