Finding Barley

Hi All

Anyone know where I can get some decent quality barley? Not the stuff from the bulk barn but real seeds that haven't been messed with. I've been seeing a lot of stuff on youtube about growing fodder and since I've got rabbits, I thought it would be a fun experience for the kids.

I've seen ads on permies.com for Peaceful Valley Farm, and after reading some reviews of the products they have, it seems like they have very good quality products. The link is connected to a search for their barley seeds.

Thanks for the link. I was hoping to find something more local to save n the shipping but if all else fails then I'll know where to go

I found two more local companies for you:

Salt Springs Seeds is based in Canada, and here are their barley seeds.
West Coast Seeds also has barley seeds.

Some more Canadian Organic Seed companies can be found here.

This is the time of year to go collect it wild. And the vulgare in the name Hordeum vulgare means "common", so it's out there and you should be able to find it in many locations. When I lived in Colorado, the open space at the end of the subdivision had barley that was naturalized. Every spring it would grow back and in summer there was a crop of heads ready to harvest. Keep your eyes open to the fields you pass by in your travels and you will probably come across some.

I'm keeping a diary/logbook of all the plants in the area that I might have a use for in the future. Some are wild like the daylilies in a ditch by the side of the road, there are formerly domestic plants, like the apple and peach trees that are in a lot that is now vacant, since the house was torn down, and then there are landscaping plants like the the plum and the bald cypress at the shopping center. I think there was some barley last year near the pedestrian overpass over the freeway; I'll have to check that the next time I am in that neighborhood and see if there is any this year. Collecting from the wild is a tactic that Permies should avail themselves of, but these days, even that is not a guarantee that seeds haven't been "messed with".

I'll have to keep an eye out. unfortunately my area has been developed for a good long while and the dominant crop that seems to grow in the open space is all planted corn. My wife told me we had wheat growing in the yard but when I got there the chipmunks had taken it all.

Go on google and type in feed stores your area.  The Co-op is one of the most widely spread.  You can buy a 80 pound bag of barley for around $15.      

H John

I’m just in the early learning stages.  I’d love to find a cold zone perennial grain, but so far have only found the research work in that area.

After some logging this winter, I’m wanting to plant some pasture and grain in a portion of the logged area.

How did you make out on the barley?

Cheers
Woodchuck