Dumb question about harvesting

[Jon5566]

Hello all

Apologies in advance for this daft question, but I was wondering what time of the year various types of crop are harvested?

Just for context - I'm a geologist in the oil industry and have taken the year off to wait for the oil price to pick back up again. I posted on here asking advice about the best places to live in Norfolk (as I really like the county, plus I love to metal detect and Norfolk has a very rich history).

Anyway, I got some great advice from this forum and eventually moved to a little village just outside of Sheringham, and after much letter-writing, now have about 3000 acres of land that I've been given permission to detect on by some super-friendly local farmers.

However! I think out of all that land, only two fields are free right now (they're going to have beans planted on them in July). Hence the dumb question: Is there a certain time of year that different crops are harvested? I think the farms have potatoes (got planted in the last month), oil seed rape (looks like its been growing for ages), maize/wheat, and probably other stuff but I dont know what it is.

I'm kind of hoping things will begin to be harvested next month as I've moved myself and all my belongings to Norfolk for a year, but timed it a bit badly! There doesn't seem to be any pasture in the whole county, so I'll have to wait for the crops to come off (I don't mind really, it was amazingly kind of the farmers to give me permission - just wondering when it might happen).

Many thanks for any advice.

Jon

 

[llamedos]

Hello Jon,

I have moved your post to a more prominent position, where it will get more replies.

 

[spin cycle]

i remember your mailshot.....come late july you should have winter barley stubbles...then plenty to go at from there on in

 

[bovrill]

In Norfolk the barley will start to burn up soon (they seem to like growing it up there) and they'll probably start cutting that in six weeks time or so, if we have hot dry weather from now.
Rape won't be too much later, then everything else.
Hasn't Sheringham got a beach!?!

 

[Princess Pooper]

oilseed rape and barley will be harvested July/Aug, wheat Aug/Sept, Potatoes a longer period any time from late June to Dec, maize Sept-Dec (most will be for industrial use in Norfolk I would have thought). Keep an eye on the cropping threads on this forum and that will give you a heads-up. If you are on the lighter sandier land - seem to recall there is a fair bit of that nr Sheringham, then earlier rather than later.

 

[Jon5566]

Thanks for putting the post in the right place Llamedos.

Also - thanks all, for all the info!

So, in summary:

July-August: Barley
August-Sept:Wheat and Oil Seed Rape (although I'm told you need a suit of armour to detect in oil seed rape stubble)
Sept-Dec: Maize and Potatoes

I'll keep an eye on the cropping forum, thanks for the tip PP. I think the soil is all light and sandy round here, so hopefully it'll only be a few weeks before I start to see fields harvested. The land I've been given permission to detect on it mostly around Sheringham and Sidestrand (with amazing coastal scenery which is a bonus!). I tend not to detect beaches though, it's difficult to find anything older than Victorian unless there's been a big storm.

Many thanks again

Jon

 

[Brisel]

Winter sown barley mid July - end of July. Generally sown with oilseed rape from mid August
Winter oilseed rape Late July - early August. Sown with wheat September/October
Spring barley Early - mid August. Following crops vary from oilseed rape to spring root crops
Winter wheat Early August - early September. Following crops vary but likely to be in stubble until spring
Vining (fresh) peas June - August. Wheat sown in September
Broad beans August - September. Wheat sown in September
Linseed August - mid September. Wheat sown in late Septmeber/earlyOctober

Potatoes June - November
Sugar beet September - February
Maize September - December
Vegetables - all year round for brassicas, onions - August/September, leeks/carrots/parsnips in winter

 

[Jon5566]

Wow that's brilliant - thanks Brisel, that would have been half a day on google and I still wouldn't have got half that much info!

Looks like I don't have too long to wait then

Spin Cycle - I just realised what you meant by mail shot. Did I write to you? Sorry about the unsolicited letter, I didn't know anyone in Norfolk when I got here last March.

Best regards.

Jon

 

[Princess Pooper]

There used to be a brilliant website called uk agriculture which had all this sort of info on but unfortunately it has been taken down because of funding issues and they didn't want to leave increasingly dated info up.