Crazy About Grass

Over the weekend we had about 5 inches of rain that fell over Our Maker's Acres Family Farm. During a momentary break in the precipitation, I hustled out there to check on the status of the rye grass that we planted on October 22nd and discussed in THIS POST.  Our previous experiments with planting rye grass by over-seeding without working up a seedbed with a plow were met with dismal results.  This year I changed up a few things and wanted to see if the new process worked. 

I got down on my hands and knees and surveyed the situation in the pasture. Whoa!  What is this I see?  I tried to contain the joy at what I saw!  Little sprouts! Rye grass was shooting up through the grass clippings that I had mowed on top of the broadcast seed.  Oh, the inhabitants of the barnyard are just gonna love this this winter when everything else is dead and brown!  Can you see the tiny green shoots?

Oh for joy!

As I was rejoicing out on my hands and knees in the pasture, I began to think how odd I must look to passersby with me out in the pasture on the ground on all fours. I bet I looked like Old Nebuchadnezzar as described below from the Book of Daniel:

Daniel 4:33 (NASB)

Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled; and he was driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.

I hope I don't look like that!  I got up from the ground and sheepishly walked out of the pasture. Although we grow many fine vegetables that we enjoy, I also get a thrill out of growing good grass that the cows, goat(s), chickens and guineas can enjoy, especially during the winter when in prior years they have had to make do primarily on hay and a little feed.

It is still a little early to pronounce success on the 2015-2016 rye grass crop.  I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch.  I'll wait a few more weeks until we really can see what type of a stand I have out there, but the initial reviews look promising - at least better than in prior years.

The grass is always greener

There were still a few minutes of daylight left, and I had a bit more energy in me, so I decided to do one more experiment.  I went and got my little Scott's Fertilizer Spreader that I planted the rye grass with and I got a bag and a half of Fertilizer made with pelletized Chicken Manure.  I quickly filled the spreader and began broadcasting the chicken manure on the rye grass.  The fertilizer I had wasn't enough to finish the entire rye grass plot, but I marked where I ran out.  I want to see if I can tell a difference where I fertilized versus where I didn't.  Since our chickens are constantly "broadcasting" chicken manure on the pasture, I want to see if broadcasting more fertilizer yielded incrementally beneficial results.  In a few weeks we'll be able to tell.

As I finished the sun faded, ushering in darkness and swarms of hungry mosquitoes ready to feast on my blood.  Time for Ol' Nebuchadnezzar to go inside for supper.  My wife has something prepared that is much better than grass for me to eat!