Below is growing information on Oats. We all need to know how to grow this precious grain. Forage Oats are able to be harvested or used by animals in 56 days!! That’s fast.
How Much Space Do I Need?
Oats can produce 36 pounds per bushel.
Gene Logsdon states in his book, Small Scale Grain Raising, that one bushel of raw oats makes about fourteen pounds of rolled oats. So you don’t have to grow a lot of plants for a big harvest.
You can grow five bushels on 1/12 of an acre, which is 60×60 feet. If you break that in half you can grow two and a half bushels of oats, quite enough for a small family breakfast needs, in a 30×30 garden space.
(This info above is what I was searching for! Yay!)
Hull-less Oats
Hull-less oats,
Avena nuda, are sometimes called “naked oats”.
Technically, the plants still have a hull, but it’s not as firm and easier to remove than the standard hull. It takes 100-120 days for this plant to reach maturity.
Look for varieties like Streaker, which is resistant to crown rust. Plant it at a rate of three pounds per 1,000 square feet.
Common Oats
Common oats,
Avena sativa, is a white oat that has a tough hull and needs hand or machine threshing. It grows to maturity in 100-120 days. Common oats grow well in acidic soils and will out-compete many weeds.
They also have a lot of biomass if you want to use them as a
cover crop. This variety is high yielding.
Forage Oats
Forage oats,
Avena sativa, are a winter hardy variety that you can use as a cover crop or as winter forage for livestock or wildlife like deer and turkeys. They’re incredibly disease resistant, with a softer stem than common oats.
Look for varieties like Reeves, Niagra, and Everleaf. These varieties mature in 49-56 days.