mature Millet seed head
As part of our overall holisticgoal for the conservation farm, Semilla Besada, we consistently manage for ongoing sustainability. This means not only ‘cutting our coat according to our cloth’ but contributing to our consumption. Although we are probably 80% self-sufficient in food, we generate very little of what we probably eat 60% of …. grain! To move us towards greater self-sufficiency, we have been growing Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum) for the past two years.
We began with a small packet of seed from Nicky’s Nursery, variety Lime Green from which we were able to germinate 10 plants in modules. These were planted out after all danger of frost had past. (at Semilla Besada this is about the middle of May) They performed well and generated enough seed to enable us to plant 300 plants this year. They grew very well, and produced mature seed heads by the middle of August. This makes them a star performer in a short-season, dryland environment.
On the 13th August, we noticed that about 20% of the seed heads had been eaten. So, we harvested all the seed, and some we put into our outdoor produce dryer and the remainder we placed on a mesh bed to dry indoors. In the dryer, the seed matured more quickly, and is now ready to strip off the plant stalks and store. The rest is quite dry, but some of the seeds are still green.
Aspen signing off from Semilla Besada, the first farmstead in Europe under Holistic Management.
