Self reseeding grains

Does anyone out there have experience with growing grains from volunteer plants with minimal replanting? I'm currently growing rye/vetch for pigs on about an acre. It would be advantageous for me if I could do so without having to save seed or buy more every year, or at least minimize the amount that I have to save or buy.

Rye is the only grain in my area that reliably reseeds itself.

Joseph Lofthouse wrote:Rye is the only grain in my area that reliably reseeds itself.

Can you rely on it to reseed completely or do you have to supplement what is reseeded with other seed?

My experience with grains is that wheat, rye, barley and oats will reseed as long as you don't harvest every head of grain.
You have problems with reseeding when there is a long period between when the grain is harvested and replanted for the next year's crop.
I hand harvest so it isn't hard for me to leave full heads standing every few feet.
If I were mechanically harvesting there would be less likely hood of many seeds making it to the ground to re-sow the area.

Redhawk

I'll be using an old sickle mower and hay rake. I know for sure that if I wait until the heads have fully ripened and dried in the field that some will be "wasted." What I dont have is a rough percentage to go on. Maybe there are too many variables.

hau Joe, With a sickle mower and hay rake I would expect a 30% "loss" of seed in the process of harvesting.
What that would mean is that you would end up with a fair amount of regrowth from self seeding but not the average planted density.
I would think that for home use, that would probably be a decent amount of new grain from self seeding but I don't grow grain for flour.

Redhawk

Thanks Redhawk. It sounds like I could get away with planting half the amount I would plant into a new field.

Joe Barber wrote:Can you rely on it to reseed completely or do you have to supplement what is reseeded with other seed?

At my place, rye is tremendously weedy. It reseeds far in excess of the planting densities that a monocropping farmer would plant, even with my best good faith effort to harvest every seed. It grows feral throughout the community, maintaining itself for decades.

Around here, rye is the only grain that has gone feral and thrives. Occasionally I see another grain growing in the badlands, but they don't persist long term.

Does coriander count only ever had to sow once in the past three years

Joseph Lofthouse wrote:

Joe Barber wrote:Can you rely on it to reseed completely or do you have to supplement what is reseeded with other seed?

At my place, rye is tremendously weedy. It reseeds far in excess of the planting densities that a monocropping farmer would plant, even with my best good faith effort to harvest every seed. It grows feral throughout the community, maintaining itself for decades.

Around here, rye is the only grain that has gone feral and thrives. Occasionally I see another grain growing in the badlands, but they don't persist long term.

Beautiful grain I'm jealous! I would encourage you to get into grazing pigs if you aren't already.

David Livingston wrote:Does coriander count only ever had to sow once in the past three years

Buckwheat does the same in my yard except for the areas the chickens are allowed in.  They love buckwheat seeds.

Pseudo grains but amaranth and California chia reseeded for me last year.