Growing Flax for Fiber: part1

Fiber crops for self sufficiency

For the homestead enthusiast in warmer climates cotton is out, for anyone in the USA hemp is out for some reason, and while it is possible to use nettles, the crop which caught my attention was flax. Flax was cultivated for millennia in Europe and the Middle east, most famously in Ireland up until the 18^th century. The bast fiber, once separated from the harvested plant can be spun into fine linens, damask, or strong cordage often used in bowstrings. The purpose of this experiment is not particularly grand, simply to grow a small stand of flax harvest the fiber, and using simple means spin the fiber into a length of twine.

The first step of course is planting, something I got to later than I should have. Once I decided to grow flax it was well into May, and I really should have sown in early April. But I got the seed from Bountiful Gardens and it arrived promptly. Like most plants the recommendation is for loamy rich dark perfect well drained soil. I have none of that so I worked a little compost into the clay and planted. When growing for fiber the recommendation is to plant closely to prevent branching, mine was about 1.5-2” centers and it seemed to work. Yesterday Aug 18^th I pulled (not cut) the flax. The imperative is to pull it out because maximum fiber length is key. Most sources I could find say to harvest just after flowering, when the base of the stalks starts to yellow. Just after flowering the stalks were still green on mine, so I used that as an indicator, not flower timing, and it would appear that the seed was starting to set by the time the base was yellowing, as you can see in the picture below.

The inclusion of the toe was entirely intentional, to show the amount of flax produced from 1 full packet of seed. I totally meant to do that.

next time I'll talk about ripping, retting, scutching, and what the heck they mean.