Post-Snow Barley Plot: No Harm, No Foul, February 16, 2011

Our neighbor removed the fallen fencing and bush from the barley plot about 3 days ago. Being under the fence and bush does not seem to have hurt the barley at all.

The bare spots in the middle of the plot were there to begin with and I think they will be filled in as the barley grows and "tillers" or puts off side shoots which themselves can produce barley heads. You can see in the close-up photos that the tips of some of the barley leaves are a little pale from being under the snow. I have seen this each year I have planted barely and it does not seem to matter. As the weather gets warmer, the barley should really take off.

Barley Plot After the Snow Storm, February 8, 2011

The snow is mostly melted from the storm in late January. In these photos you can see the fencing and bush that fell on the malting barley plot. You can also see that the barley weathered the snow very well and looks green and healthy.

It is a little hard in these pictures to tell where the barley starts and the lawn ends. The barley is brighter green than the grass. The difference will become obvious in early April when the barley starts to take off. By the time I harvest in mid-June it will be 3 feet tall.

Barley Plot in Snow, January 31, 2011

On January 26, 2011 Northern Virginia was hit by a big snowstorm. Many had power out and many, many trees fell under the weight of the snow. One of our neighbor's Leyland Cypress's knocked down two sections of his fence and it all fell onto the barley patch. The fencing and bush covered about 20 percent of the plot. I am assuming this will not result in much damage if it is all removed when the snow melts. The neighbor is a great guy, so I am not worried.

Barley Plot, January 18, 2011

This is the barley plot on January 18, 2011. A light snow fell a few days ago. The barley looks much like the lawn -- green but not growing. Just waiting for spring.