Grains & Cover Crops

99 days. [Heirloom sent to us from R.C. Mauldin of the Southwestern Seed Service Lab in Waco, TX. Reintroduced by SESE 1997.] One of the earliest sweet canes introduced to American agriculture. It was supplanted by 'Redtop' which has a higher yield. Used primarily as a syrup sorghum. As a silage...

30-45 days as a green manure crop, 80 days for grain. Wait until grain heads form if you want the crop to re-seed itself. May also be used as a nutritious cereal grain or pancake flour. Young leaves may be added to salads. The deep root system of buckwheat is good at mining subsurface minerals and...

110 days. [1991, Virginia Polytechnic U.] Similar to Dale, good disease resistance, makes mild light syrup. A week earlier than Dale, with more variable stalk height (10-12').

(A. hypochondriacus) 80 days A high quality Aztec grain amaranth. Reselected by SESE in 1993 for uniform color and height. Stalks and leaves are golden yellow with bronze gold seed heads. Stalks average 6' tall. Can be used as a dry land/irrigated amaranth. In the far north areas long days...

Growing your own oats is easy with Pennuda. Sow in early spring as soon as the ground can be worked. Harvest in mid- to late summer, thresh, and winnow. Pennuda lacks the indigestible husk of common oats. Grind into oat flour or crack in a grain mill to make oatmeal. 1 lb. sows 350-500 sq. ft....

125 days. [Heirloom] Another Sand Hill Preservation Center variety introduced to us by grower Merlyn Niedens. A very sweet sugar cane type, about 9' tall with nice, thick, juicy stalks. Moderate tendency to tiller.

(A. cruentus) 90 days. Beautiful maroon-flowered, black-seeded variety. [From Sonora, Mexico] This black-seeded amaranth is a very vigorous variety with sturdy stalks. Primarily used for grain or to make pinole and atole. The leaves may also be used like spinach. The stalks, leaf veins, and...

[Mennonite heirloom from Jamesport, Missouri region.] This old fashioned cane sorghum is used for making a light-colored syrup on pancakes or waffles. Stalks are tall and thick. The red-hulled seed may be ground to make flour, especially for pancakes. Pkt.

110 days. Gorgeous ornamental. 7-8' tall mix of colorful sprays of red-bronze, brown, black, and burgundy, plus natural straw color.

(biennial): (Trifolium pratense) Rapid growing green manure crop sown in the spring or fall for turndown to incorporate organic nitrogen into the soil. If sown in summer use buckwheat as a nurse crop to aid germination of clover in summer heat. The clover will grow slowly under the buckwheat...

Traditional Asian variety yields good harvests from 4-5’ tall plants. Pkt (7g, 236 seeds) Culture: Rice needs nitrogen-rich soil. Rice does not need to be flooded -- flooding is traditionally used for weed control -- but plants will need an inch of rain/irrigation per week. Direct seed or...

115 days. Sturdy 7-8' stalks, early and reliable, very resistant to lodging. Orange seedheads, makes light syrup.

110 days. One of the earliest-maturing varieties for the South, and one of the most widely grown varieties in the southern mountains. Grows 9-12' tall; susceptible to lodging if not harvested early. Used for early syrup production of very good quality syrup. Pkt

Rye cover crop is great for controlling erosion, adding organic matter, enhancing soil life, and suppressing weeds. Its extensive root system makes it among the best green manures for improving soil structure. It is an excellent soil renovator and pioneer crop for new fields. Rye is very good at...

[Developed 1953 in GA as an early winter rye with superior performance in the SE piedmont and coastal plains. A selection of the much older Abruzzi rye.] Rye cover crop is great for controlling erosion, adding organic matter, enhancing soil life, and suppressing weeds. Its extensive root system...