Topic: Anyone growing linseed?

[compostmonkey]

Hi all,great site you have here,I couldn't find anywhere to say hello.

I've experimented with a couple of rows of linseed which have done well but I'm not sure when to harevst them. Some of the plants have browned pods but still green further down the stalk.... Any idea?

Many thanks :)

[Digeroo]

Welcome to A4A Compost money.   Sorry I know very little about Linseed except that I like th blue fields.   I spoke to a lady who was growing flax on Saturday.  I did not know they were different varieties of basically the same plant.  Seems they are much taller. 

There is a sicky thread un the shed for people to introduce themselves if they wish, so they can do as you have done and post a thread.

[lincsyokel2]

Linseed is seriously dangerous.

I worked once as a sampler, going round farms climbing to the top of piles of wheat and barley, taking samples for the lab. We were warned about linseed

Grains form piles because the individual grains are  rough, and dont slip or slide against each other.  If you take a tub of linseed and pour it, it wont form a heap. The seeds are small smooth shiny and hard - the stuff flows like  water.

Consequently, Linseed is stored in silos. Now, whereas you can stand on the top of a silo full of wheat, on the wheat surface, if you climb into a silo full of linseed, it behaves like water, you'll simply sink to the bottom and drown on it. Approx one person a year in the UK dies like this.

[goodlife]

If you are not sure with harvesting or the weather is not on your side..as long as the seed pods are brown..you can then finish the drying indoors..hang up in bundles, upside down over sheet ..and once everything is gone crispy then you need to thrash them on the sheet to get seeds out..and then you need to clean the seed from the other bits..but that is another story..will you know how to carry on?
Now I assume you are growing for the seeds?...or for the stalks too?

[compostmonkey]

Thanks goodlife,I hadn't thought i may have to thrash them,more hoping they'd just fall out of their pods into paper bags :D

I'm growing it foremost for the seeds(we all love em on our cereal) but will have a play with the stalks too.
To seperate the seeds,I'm guessing the debris might just fly off with a gentle blow?

Many thanks

[goodlife]

how much is are you actually growing?If you only have little amount,,yes you could try squeezing the pods with hands but it is easier if you have couple of those 'rubber buckets'..put towel on bottom of one of them put crispy bundle in bottom and give it a good bash with something like wine bottle or even stomp with your feet/shoes...once everything is really well battered..remove all larger bits with your hands and then pour the small stuff into other bucket with towel on bottom (towel stops seeds bouncing around) ..keep the bucket higher up so wind (you have to be outside for doing this ::)) can blow all rubbish away and you will end up with clean seeds on the bottom of the bucket..you may have to do pouring few times..and put sheet on floor as you will have to learn correct height for this..you will have few accidents first.. ;) ;D
If you decide to do this heavy handed way like described you are not going have much stalks to left to play with..if you want both well then you need to pull the seed pods by hand or 'comb' them off if you have lots..but you will need something heavy duty for than..piece of wood with nails (like comb) maybe?

[Digeroo]

I have not tried it with linseed but I have managed to take the chaff out of cress.  The seeds are considerably denser than the material you are trying to remove.  For a small amount of seed I put it in a plastic pot quite a deep one and then kind of work it with my fingers to break up the seed pods and then on a breezy day take it outside and gently blow on it.  A face mask is a good idea.  The chaff rises up and is blown away.  In the end you end up with pure seeds. 

It would be easy to worry with Roberts bucket method that the seeds would get blown away but they are normally so much heavier that this does not happen.   

Brassicas are easier you put them on a tray and gently tilt it and the round seeds roll to the bottom push any non round pieces back up to the top.  After about three times you end up with pure seed.