Grains and Pulses

Black Beluga Lentil
Small, shiny black lentils. High in protein. Grow lentils similarly to peas; direct sow in mid-spring (May, three weeks pre last frost) and harvest the whole plant when the pods are mostly dry. Hang the plants under cover to dry, and then thresh the whole bundle, pods stems and all to extract the seeds.
Sow 1/2 – 1 inch deep with 3-6 inches of spacing between plants when soil temperature is 10-15 degrees.
Sow 10-12 seeds per linear foot, thinning plants to 4-5″ in rows 12-18″ apart.
Take 10 days to emerge at a soil temp 18-20 degrees.
To increase yields in areas where lentils have not previously been grown, use an inoculant to introduce rhizobia bacteria into the soil. While they will self support if grown in a block, you may provide a short trellis to keep them upright. Keep weeded as they do not play well with high weed pressure and will succumb.
They can tolerate light frosts when young, and prefer cool weather. They climb to around knee high, and self support if planted densely. Sow seeds about 1 inch apart in rows, or 2-3 inches apart in dense beds. Plant like peas, but a bit closer together. The plants will intertwine as they grow, and eventually bloom in mid-summer with lots of subtle blue flowers. Tiny pods will follow, and as soon as the pods turn brown they’re ready to harvest. The pods are so small we don’t mess around picking them off the plant, we just pull the whole plant and hang them to dry in bundles. Pull the plants when 75% or more of the pods are brown and dry. It’s hard to get them 100% dry in the garden, but any green pods will finish developing and mature while drying in the barn.
Thresh the whole plant.

Sunflowers, Corn, Tithonia and Sorghum

Rox Orange Syrup Cane Sorghum
110 days. They transplant quite easily, so start in plug trays about a month before planting out, starting early May for an early June planting.