I searched high and low for this text which has become somewhat of a legend. I was not alone in my pursuit. The original print goes for around$60 used. As luck, or perhaps a change in the direction of the winds of change. A second edition was printed. I found myself on a waitlist 2 months ago and yesterday, my copy arrived.
Small Scale Grain Raising by Gene Logsdon was well worth the wait, and every ounce what it is hyped as. The content is arranged by crop and follows a clear pattern of how to prepare a field for X, planting, common problems, harvesting, storing, and a few recipes along the way.
The true value (not that the content itself should be taken lightly) is Mr. Logsdon's shall we say, wit and wisdom. Having read The Gardeners Guide to Better Soil, and Successful Berry Growing, I was accustomed to his style. He is folksy and casual without being cliche or anti-intellectual. Small Scale Grain raising is no black sheep in that regard. In fact it was a puzzlement to my wife how a book about grain could make me chuckle every few minutes.
Mr. Logsdon speaks as one who understands the science of the task at hand, and does not withhold what the "specifications" for use of say certain fertilizers for certain crops, but also has a wealth of practical experience to reassure the neophyte that in some regards, close enough is ok too.
There are brief peeks into a subject I suspect the author may elaborate on elsewhere and that is his opinion on the state of modern farming. While I have suspicions, he probably has evidence. Its one thing to hear about how a farmer has to constently get bigger or get out, its entirely another to see the numbers in front of you. There are moments that made me a tad uncomfortable, as I am perfectly content to point the finger at subsidies and giants like monsanto, Logsdon feels that farmers who have been "duped" into believing that bigger is better, take out a loan and buy more land and a bigger combine...are as much to blame. Perhaps the availability of easy credit, the cult of more more more, the dependence on technology and cheap oil have not just affected the dregs of consumers but the noblest of professions as well. Perhaps rather than look at it as just another industry, we should look at the state of food production as the true litmus test of not only the health, but the mindset of society.
I must say in closing that I have only one disappointment, the immutable laws of nature. I was hoping to incorporate a grain crop as a bed rotation. As it takes roughly 1090 square feet to make one bushel of wheat, and a healthy bushel of wheat weighs on average, 60 pounds, a single garden bed in my yard (50') will only produce about 2.5 lbs. or around 10 loaves of no-knead bread if my math is right. At 5 lbs I might consider it, but it doesn't seem likely...yet. Who knows, as the size of the mowable part in the yard shrinks. At what point do we decide its not worth keeping a mower, and if we decide its not worth keeping a mower, when do we finally commit the rest of the lawn to more productive use?
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2 comments:
Interesting thoughts. I have seen estimations of yields using that source as a reference.
I have also wondered what the best source of carbs would be if we wanted to grow our own. I am growing some potatoes this year, but wonder how they will store. I also have a sample square of quinoa and lentils which we eat a lot of around here, and amaranth which I admittedly have never eaten. And then there is the issue of getting it off the plant and into a usable form. Threshing and grinding?
I think people have recommended hull-less oats or something like that, but have not researched it deeply.
I am in Iowa, so corn is always an option. I read a message board post where someone said they got 100 ears of corn out of a 4x4 bed. Seemed like a lot.
ali
100 ears is quite a haul from a 4x4 plot.
As for subsistence growing. Potatoes are the most space effective calorie intense crop. Check out my review of One Circle hereApparently it is possible to grow a full diet in less than 1000 feet, but I have to tell you, it ain't pretty.
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