| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Katie Kynoch |
Hay making or just back breaking?I rent a field to keep my native (Dales) pony on and there's always too much grass through the summer which is left to get too long though he manages to munch it down over winter. The field is partitioned off by electric fence tape so the area I could get some hay from is only about an acre thus not really viable for mechanised mowing, turning, baling etc. (assuming I could tempt, cajole, persuade a local farmer to do the job for a sensible price!)This is where I became interested in experimenting with hay making by hand and found some excellent info about scything. However, would I be wasting my time and energy ... the grass quality isn't brilliant and buttercups, yellow rattle, plantain and some other as yet unidentified wild flowers are in abundance. Even if not worth taking for hay I would welcome any advice about the type of scythe and blades to use as I would still like to behead the buttercups! |
| Dogwalker |
Hello
Have you seen this article. http://www.downsizer.net/Projects/A_sustainable_world/Hay_Making_by_Hand/ I'm sure some experts will have advise soon. I've just bought a scthe from here http://www.thescytheshop.co.uk/ |
| gil |
I have made hay. I found it was not so much the mowing that was hard work, but the raking and turning and carting afterwards. I wouldn't like to do an acre by hand on my own.
However, I have thick grass [PRG with a lot of tough weeds, dead grass and moss], and your meadow with yellow rattle etc sounds as though it would not be as thick or hard to mow and make hay from. |
| goosey |
I have just posted a welcome and described my scythe, I didn't know you were all talking about them over here 
I have made hay , about a quarter acre when I kept a few sheep. I made tripods to finish drying it. I agree the scything was the easier part of the process gil. I have horses, Katie and I find hay bought from farmers is very marginal in quality. If I had an acre, I would make it for them with their help. You have a marvelous resource with that Dales. S/He could help you with the raking and carting. Dales are brilliant. Not all those plants are weeds surely? Mixed herbage has got to be healthier than the blasted ryegrass monoculture hay I get. Good luck with it 
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| Katie Kynoch |
Many thanks for your encouragement Goosey! Hopefully the high volume of Yellow Rattle won't detract from the palateability of whatever end product I produce but there certainly is a great deal of it, plus buttercups and plantain aplenty (thankfully NO ragwort whatsoever though)
After today's drenching the patch of grass will need a little time to recover ... time I will spend getting sorted with the appropriate scythe - luckily there's a farm supply outlet in the village that stocks hay rakes so I just need to provide the (wo)man power. Will update with progress in due course!! |