Thatching

[jph]

At the end of last week i went on a 2 day course to learn how to thatch using long wheat straw. We learnt in 2 days what it takes 7 years for an apprentice to learn :-\ :-\
There were 10 of us on the course and we took over from where the previous years students had finnished.  The lighter coloured straw is what we put on.

I think I learnt just about enough to have a go on a small garden building, only trouble is after last years bad harvest thatching straw is fetching up to £1000 per ton. We think we may try growing a couple of acres next year. I have started to look on ebay for a reaper/ binder.

John

[Dodgy Loner]

Very cool, thanks for sharing.  What kind of straw is used for thatching?

[LeeB]

At the end of last week i went on a 2 day course to learn how to thatch using long wheat straw. John

[Dodgy Loner]

Sorry, guess my question wasn't specific enough :D.  What I meant was, what is so special about the straw used for thatching that causes it to be priced so high?  Is there a specific harvesting technique required?  I assume there must be something different about it than regular wheat straw, since it costs $1/lb.

[LeeB]

Can't help you with that one D.L.  :D

[jph]

Thatching staw has be 90 to 100 cm long, that means using old varieties of wheat. Very little nitrogen is used when growing . Combine harvesters cause too much damage to the straw so the crop is cut with an old fashioned reaper /binder. It is then left in the field to dry before being threshed in an old threshing drum. The whole process basically uses machinery from the 1930s