Lentils

[New Puritan]

Hi all,
I've had a search through the forum so hopefully I'm not asking a question that's already been answered elsewhere. There's some mention of them here: http://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/i-dont-give-up-easy-2015-soya.58170/page-10, but it's mainly abut soya.
Has anyone got any experience with growing lentils they are willing to share?
I'm not planning on growing a huge area of them, it's more of an experiment, but I'd appreciate other members' thoughts or wisdom on this.
I've grown lentils and chickpeas on a very small scale as a gardener for years, but am attempting to grow them at field scale this year. The variety is called "Blonde lentils de Saint Flour".
I'm in a fairly southern location (about 3 miles from the sea on the Sussex / Kent border), clay soil, certified organic. I have an inkling they prefer not to be on clay, but I can't do much about that in the short term.
My main line of thinking is that I'm interested to see how they get on, and if they fail they'll have fixed a bit of nitrogen in the soil while they were doing it.
Thanks,
NP.

 

[Great In Grass]

@dontknowanything

 

[dontknowanything]

I've grown them with OSR, but planted in the autumn and designed to die off in winter frosts (seems to need about -5C). They seem to establish fine and grow well, would be interesting to try in the spring. I wonder if there is a market?

Don't have any more experience than that unfortunately.

 

[DrWazzock]

Supposed to be good for getting rid of internal body fat.

Could be onto a winner there OP.

 

[New Puritan]

Just to update - they are growing. They look alright so far, they got off quite quickly in late April. They're not too weed competitive, but I did a stale seed bed and that seems to have fended off the worst of the weeds. As I'm only growing a half acre of them as a trial, I've been hand weeding a few thistles and docks as well - though not sure I have much appetite for scaling that sort of thing up...

 

[spin cycle]

Just to update - they are growing. They look alright so far, they got off quite quickly in late April. They're not too weed competitive, but I did a stale seed bed and that seems to have fended off the worst of the weeds. As I'm only growing a half acre of them as a trial, I've been hand weeding a few thistles and docks as well - though not sure I have much appetite for scaling that sort of thing up...

he who dares

 

[New Puritan]

Took a photo today. The "buttercup undersowing" technique might not have been such a good idea. Actually, I got rid of a lot of that with the hoe today - it felt very wholesome...

 

[The_Swede]

I take it that is hoe in the hand held sense? Explored the concept of tractor mounted hoe's at cereals last week - certainly interesting but not cheap in any guise.

 

[New Puritan]

Oh yes - very much ye olde hand held hoe... Good for the soul, or something. On half an acre it's acceptable, I wouldn't want to do too much more than that. I've got a Jalo wheel hoe in the shed too, but even with something like that the lack of precision would start to take its toll.

I'd love to have a tractor mounted hoe, but like you say, they're not cheap. What did you see - was it the kind that has someone sitting on the back steering it?

 

[The_Swede]

Well, we had a look at everything from camera guided type ~£38k + through to old school steerage hoe option (now hydraulic through a steering valve and wheel) and the new Einbock blind rotary hoe ~£14k.

Brother in law is a very good engineer - net result of these prices is some fabrication being in order for a tractor steered front linkage machine as a trial... Can drill at 25cm - 30cm spacing's with existing drills to accommodate and see how it goes.

 

[New Puritan]

@Jason - keep me posted on what you come up with... If you fancy building a rear mounted one as well of course, I'd be even more interested!

The lentils are almost at the point where any mechanical control won't work, once they get about as high as they are now they lean into each other and get tangled. The dry spell we had stopped the weeds early on, but the last week of alternating warmth & sunshine with rain has brought a flush of weeds out. Hopefully the lentils have got a good enough head start for it not to matter all that much now.

 

[Flat 10]

@Jason - keep me posted on what you come up with... If you fancy building a rear mounted one as well of course, I'd be even more interested!

The lentils are almost at the point where any mechanical control won't work, once they get about as high as they are now they lean into each other and get tangled. The dry spell we had stopped the weeds early on, but the last week of alternating warmth & sunshine with rain has brought a flush of weeds out. Hopefully the lentils have got a good enough head start for it not to matter all that much now.

Come to east Anglia, any number of 6 row hoes for less than £500. Probably get a front mounted one so no one needs to sit on it. Please put up some more lentil pictures as they occur.

 

[TelesnaAg]

Lentils are hot item at the moment..plenty of demand..u should packnow and sell to a supplier who sells to health shops and restaurants etc...they love them...I would like to try them and chick peas as spring crop...

Need carbendazime..fungicide but..

Ant...

 

[newholland]

Combining lentils will give you nightmares......

 

[TelesnaAg]

If you have smaller fronts that can comb the land u will be fine..flex front is preferred..on your land thats been ploughed for 600 years...you wont have that many dramas...just need to roll paddocks...not un common to roll when lentils are established here...all for harvestability...

Ant..

 

[newholland]

That's what the farmers says to his harvest contractor

 

[The_Swede]

Come to east Anglia, any number of 6 row hoes for less than £500. Probably get a front mounted one so no one needs to sit on it. Please put up some more lentil pictures as they occur.

Spot on, adapted one of these or a chopped about old KKK will be the basis as we stand... Likely a winter project though.

 

[New Puritan]

Thanks all... I just had a look on ebay, and sure enough there are a few on there for not much but all front mounted.

Yeah I've heard the combining of them can be challenging. @newholland, have you grown them before then?

 

[MOG]

Some good friends of mine grow them in Southern Germany. Also organic. They have been very successful and have developed a brand and currently have about 50 other farms growing lentils for sale under their brand name. Unfortunately their website is all in German but google translate may help if it interests you. I am sure they would be happy to chat (they speak English) if you had any specific questions about growing them.

http://lauteracher.de/unternehmen/alb-leisa-erzeugergemeinschaft.html

 

[Flat 10]

Thanks all... I just had a look on ebay, and sure enough there are a few on there for not much but all front mounted.

Yeah I've heard the combining of them can be challenging. @newholland, have you grown them before then?

Most of them have their own primitive front linkage that you bolt to the front tombstone so no bother