>>2737583>This is the first year I'm growing rye, I kind of need advice, when should I harvest rye?Ah, well it goes through stages. The seeds form, and they go from liquid, to milky, to like a doughey to hard seeds that you can't dent with a finger nail.
The earliest I know that you can harvest them and leave them to dry is at the dough stage.
If they are already hard to the point of you can't dent them with a finger nail, they are completely ready.
On one hand you want to leave it for as long as possible so it fully develops and possibly dries. But I had a poor experience of drying it in the field completely, some stalks break off due to being dry. Some critters will start nibbling on them.
So if I was you, I would wait until the doughey stage and keep a more active eye out there as the harvest time is getting close.
You can also check the tips of the stalk, that connect the seed head formation to the stalk. I noticed that part dried out completely and became straw at the connection point.
Logic follows if the connection to the plant is cut off, it's not going to ripen any more and it's just drying. That would also be a safe bet to cut the stalks, hang them to dry somewhere and use the space for something else.
>>2737624>Do either of you guys know much about other grains and have an idea of how much space you would need to get a reasonably good harvest for at least 1 person to use for 6 months? Big space. Entire fields. I'm speaking very roughly here, but a 6foot by 6 foot space will yield you enough grain for maybe 1 loaf.
>it seems like to make grains work you need to dedicate a lot of space to them. Yes, they take up lot of space, they are space inefficient.
You can use them for many things, but unless you have a tractor, survival upon them is questionable.
You'd be smarter with potatoes.
