Occasionally we get a long spell of settled weather when we can make hay at full pace. Our early hay making was like this, with about 1.5 acres in the barn by the end. Right now we are in a patch of unsettled weather, a few dry days interspersed
Tag: hand hay making
Scything on Coast and Country (ITV Wales)
Back in August we spent an enjoyable day with Andrew from Coast and Country (ITV Wales), talking about scything and hand hay making. The piece will be going out this Friday 14th October at 8pm on ITV Wales. If you live outside of Wales, the programme will be available at
Wind blown windrows
Following on from good grass growing conditions in the spring we are doing well with our hay harvest. A heavier crop per acre combined with pushing the making during a good spell of weather in June means that the stacks have been pretty much full for a couple of weeks
Peening to Keep Mowing
Whilst mowing this morning both Phil and I were sharpening more frequently than usual to keep our blades mowing well – time for a peen. Here is Phil working on my 75cm Profisense ready for tomorrow morning’s mowing. Permaculture Magazine are featuring an article by us on peening in their
Saving the Hay
National Meadows Day last Sunday saw us spending a fair part of the day out in one of the Trust’s meadows, saving the hay. This is grass that was cut in the rain on our last scythe course. We would not normally choose to cut hay in such weather, but
Making Hay while the Sun (briefly) Shines
We sneaked in a bit of hay making in the last little patch of good weather. The hay, cut on Wednesday morning, was racked last night to protect it from the showers that arrived over night. I didn’t get any photos, but have come across this interesting film from 1942,
A Good Start Made
This last week of beautiful weather has given us a good start on the seasons hay making. Phil has mowed every morning from Saturday 28th May until Friday 3rd June. The cut grass has been spread and rowed daily, taking about 3.5 days to dry. The first hay was bought