[toaster]

I have about 1.5 acres of long weedfree grass. My local paddock maintenance chap advises its not really worth trying to find a contractor to deal with baling such a small area
He is happy to top it for me though
Is it possible to gather up at least some of the grass and dry it in 'boxes' made from pallets with solid roofs?
We only used about 6 bales of hay last winter so if we could make a similar amount ourselves we could be self sufficient in hay
Or is it just too much hard work?
 
 
 

[lachlanandmarcus]

you could certainly make a few more than 6 bales before getting exhausted and abandoning the rest. But I would be tempted to cut it by hand (with a scythe), as toppers arent hay mowers (more violent and dont cut as close to the ground as a hay mower) and they bruise the grass quite a bit, which can lead to problems if you try to make hay as fermentation can be rapid.
Makes sure your bale containers are (i)raintight and (ii) allow a lot of ventilation (tricky balance to achieve outside of a building)
But theres no reason at all why you shouldnt make nice hay, much better than the stuff you can buy.

[jaykay]

Ok, I am interested in this.

More the scythe than the hay (I use too much to make hay by hand myself, though I like the idea of making some 'treat' bales for the goats  )

But I am very sick of trying to start my petrol strimmer and then the noise when I use it, which I find stressful.

Can anyone recommend a good scythe for a 5'6" female and how hard is it to learn to do?

[FiB]

Oh yes I can Jay Kay.  I love my scythe - its beatifully light and totally set up for me (Im 5' 4")  Didnt take long to get the hang of as it comes with a really useful booklet (I wish I could afford to go on one of his courses mind you).  It's from http://www.thescytheshop.co.uk and Simon will sort you out with the right handle and blade/blades for your purpose (ideally a different blade for haymaking / rough weed choping).  I recon I could cut an acre or 2 no problem - but the turning and stacking would be a killer for me - but with a few mates (beer and a barbie for bribery).  Once youve got into a rythm (and as long as you stop to sharpen quite regularly), its very satisfying and theraputic. 

[jaykay]

Oh yes  thank you 

I'm going to get one. Mainly it'll be weed chopping for me too, I can't tell you how much I loathe that strimmer. I'm a real fan of quiet 

[deepinthewoods]

thanks for the link fib.

[Crofterloon]

I remember as a young child 1950's in Ireland my friends mother, Father and uncle cutting hay with a syth (spelt wrong) and building hay stacks by hand. It was a small meadow only a few acres at the most.
As it looked hard work for the adults, my friend , his sister and myself made cages ot of reeds in which we put small frogs. The frogs were all released.
I suppose its possible but if you got the cash buy in.

[clydesdaleclopper]

I got my Scythe from the scythe shop too. It's fabulous. I just spent an evening topping docks with it. I like that I can just take out the dock in a clump of grass and leave most of the grass intact and can wander about the fields in blissful silence 

[Fleecewife]

Toaster - I can't quite picture the 'boxes' you mention.  The usual way to make hay is to leave it where it falls, whether mown with a scythe or a powered mower, then to turn it each day with a pitchfork or tedder until it's dry.  Once dry you can either stack it loose or bale it, either by hand or machine.
If you are making hay by hand it would be best not to be too ambitious about the area you mow in one go. 
 
 So far this year it doesn't look as if we will ever get enough dry weather to make hay here - we usually make ours in late July.

[MAK]

I posted something about making hay and bales by hand not so long ago. I used a large cardboard box ( light to carry about) and layed 2 lengths of string in it before packing the hay in. after tieing it of I tipped it out and tied it length ways. I made 10 in about 40 minutes I guess. Hot work though. The grass was very tall so and I think that the long grass made the job easie - less effort to turn and fork up into the box - and it baled well (tight)

[suziequeue]

I'm interested in making a hay stook like they still do in places like Romania. Amazing things. But try hard work.


I too have an Austrian scythe from Simon Fairlie. They are fantastic and very contemplative.


http://www.leafpile.com/TravelLog/Romania/Farming/MakingaHaystack/MakingHaystack.htm

[chrismahon]

Does no-one watch the Victorian Farmer series then? Shame on you. A real wealth of information for those who shun (or can't afford) much mechanisation. Apart from that, power equipment is so noisy it upsets our chickens.

[rockstar]

we are going to make about half acre of loose hay, cut the grass with long handled hedge cutter rake and fork about for a few days . I shall stack it loose on pallets and cover to keep dry.so all we need now is some summer weather and cider!

[lachlanandmarcus]

Does no-one watch the Victorian Farmer series then? Shame on you. A real wealth of information for those who shun (or can't afford) much mechanisation. Apart from that, power equipment is so noisy it upsets our chickens.

Some of the topics on V Farm are available as clips on youtube too. Altho I guess for totally hand harvested hay we would be looking at the first (and best) series, Tales from the Green Valley, which was set in the 1600s in the reign of King James. By far the best, esp the voiceover and music, which is wonderful! (and the amazing setting)

[clydesdaleclopper]

Some of the topics on V Farm are available as clips on youtube too. Altho I guess for totally hand harvested hay we would be looking at the first (and best) series, Tales from the Green Valley, which was set in the 1600s in the reign of King James. By far the best, esp the voiceover and music, which is wonderful! (and the amazing setting)

Do you have a copy? Could I borrow it