[nefaeria]

Hello all! I'm in a rather cold climate (hardiness zone 4), and I am a part of a group who wants to get a small urban farm (a few acres) and community plots up and running.

I was wondering what your grain suggestions would be for a small urban farm to grow? We are especially interested in heritage/heirloom varieties.

Thanks!

 

[dilligaf]

in a small urban farm with just a couple acres , none!It is simply not enough yield to justify the space it takes up, the work involved and the yield. I think in your situation it would be more beneficial to keep to veggies and fruits rather than grow grains. The price they are in stores and the labor involved really does make them easier to buy.

If you really are set upon growing grains i would suggest amaranth. The greens are edible and on some of the veg amaranth the greens are edible all summer long where as grain amaranth tends to be just when they are smaller plants .

If you are trying to grow as supplemental feed for some critters as well as yourself it is a bit more worth the efforts to grow but not really..In the long run you really are better growing veggies to sell or trade rather than use the space for grains on a small scale..

Golden grain amaranth is a nice grain/ green variety, lovelies bleeding is a pretty and messy variety

 

[dunappy]

Well there is always corn. you can get some of the heirloom non-sweet corns to make corn flour and corn meal.

Native Seeds Search

And amaranth

Native Seeds Search

 

[MotherEarth]

You might try using some of the cover crop grains in the fall/winter to both help the soil and maybe harvest some of the grain. It depends on if you want grain for people food or for your animals...by cover cropping, you'd also have use of the area during the main growing season for other crops.

 

[StillStanding]

Well, you can experiment with oats or wheat if you want. Not worth it except for any lessons it might teach.

There are no hybrid small grains, to speak of, so any varieties are heirloom in the sense of growing true from harvested seed. The old varieties are susceptible to diseases that are now endemic and are therefore no longer practical.