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 with showery or rainy days. Using various techniques, such as hay racks and haycocks, we … Continue reading Hay Making during unsettled weather
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 it is an interesting challenge to save it despite the less then favourable conditions. The … Continue reading Saving the Hay
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, shot I believe in Switzerland. I only understand a little of the commentary but the … Continue reading Making Hay while the Sun (briefly) Shines
Right- windrows mown in the morning, Centre- Phil spreading hay mown the day before, Left-Hay racks Since our last Introductory Scythe Course on 18th August we have been hay making again, although in a different fashion to earlier in the season. The weather has not been classic settled hay making weather. We have had bright sunny days alternating with cloudier days and the threat of … Continue reading More Hay Making with Racks
As promised, here is a guide to how we stack our hay racks! Racks are used to save hay from bad weather when is not yet dry enough to bring into a barn. The design of the rack allows the hay to continue curing while the outside layers of hay shed the rain and protect the rest from damage. We start with a wooden frame, … Continue reading Using Racks Part 3 – building a rack
Building hay racks yesterday evening The weather is definitely on the turn now and we are drawing towards the end of this session of hay making. But there is still plenty of work to do to save as much as the crop as possible. We have dried and carted all the hay that was cut prior to the Social Mow on Sunday, except for the … Continue reading Using Hay Racks