Hi guys! Long time, no post for me. My garden's going pretty well, I think there's been a spring flush from all that weird wet stuff falling from the sky lately.
I have a wacky idea of growing plants for fibre to knit and weave, so I could get fibre organically and cheaply for my hobbies. This is just a thought experiment right now, I don't actually have the organisation or land to do it. Any thoughts? Has anyone done it? Is it a reasonable thing to do?
I'm thinking cotton would be good because of all the pesticides and poor working conditions I've heard goes into conventional cotton, and organic cotton is hard to find and expensive. I don't know anything about growing it, except from reading Grapes of Wrath in high school (yes, we read it in Australian schools too) which suggested it's really hungry and thirsty.
There's also flax, which my dad thinks would be suitable for a temperate and wet (when not in drought) climate like where I live. And there's bamboo and pineapple, which I find fascinating, but I don't think that would be appropriate. Is there anything else? Corn, maybe?
-
rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
-
applestar
- Mod
- Posts: 30543
- Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
I grew cotton for fun this year. A long staple naturally brown cotton and long staple naturally green, because, like you, I thought it would be interesting to try spinning the fibers. Not a whole lot, just for experiment, so something like 8 plants of green and 10 plants of brown.
They were not hard to grow at all. With the long season required, I started them indoors under lights along with my tomatoes. I planted them where there tends to be more moisture when irrigated, though with the drought we had this year, the were kept on the dry side. I didn't fertilize them, but did mulch heavily with alfalfa mix hay. The bolls are starting to pop open now and I'm starting to harvest them.
Do you have mulberry trees? Have you considered silk? I believe there is a way to extract the silkworms without killing them if that bothers you. I believe the traditional way was to plunge the cocoons in boiling water.
Flax would be interesting, but I saw a Japanese National Treasure program about a very old woman who was processing flax in the traditional way. You have to ferment the plant material off the fiber -- very stinky, I understand. She had a deep fast running clear mountain stream to wash the fibers in....
They were not hard to grow at all. With the long season required, I started them indoors under lights along with my tomatoes. I planted them where there tends to be more moisture when irrigated, though with the drought we had this year, the were kept on the dry side. I didn't fertilize them, but did mulch heavily with alfalfa mix hay. The bolls are starting to pop open now and I'm starting to harvest them.
Do you have mulberry trees? Have you considered silk? I believe there is a way to extract the silkworms without killing them if that bothers you. I believe the traditional way was to plunge the cocoons in boiling water.
Flax would be interesting, but I saw a Japanese National Treasure program about a very old woman who was processing flax in the traditional way. You have to ferment the plant material off the fiber -- very stinky, I understand. She had a deep fast running clear mountain stream to wash the fibers in....
-
Ozark Lady
- Greener Thumb
- Posts: 1862
- Joined: Tue Jan 05, 2010 5:28 pm
- Location: NW Arkansas, USA zone 7A elevation 1561 feet
Cotton is a very pretty plant, and you don't have to grow a whole field of it. I see gas stations with cotton growing in small strips, in areas of the country where cotton is not commercial. You don't have to grow it with all the chemicals. Farmers don't have time to pick off bugs and pamper individual plants so they use chemicals.
Perhaps you can grow more than one thing on your list, but only 2-3 of each, cotton is the only one that I am familiar with.
Normally it follows Soy beans in a farmers rotation and is followed by wheat. I saw cotton everyday from the schoolbus, it was hoed to get weeds in early spring, and picked when it was very hot weather.
Perhaps you can grow more than one thing on your list, but only 2-3 of each, cotton is the only one that I am familiar with.
Normally it follows Soy beans in a farmers rotation and is followed by wheat. I saw cotton everyday from the schoolbus, it was hoed to get weeds in early spring, and picked when it was very hot weather.
-
katylaide
- Cool Member
- Posts: 85
- Joined: Sun Jan 03, 2010 10:12 pm
- Location: Adelaide Hills, Australia
Wow, that's really cool, thanks for the quick response. Good to know it can be done. Hemp and silk which doesn't kill the worms (yes it does bother me) are now on my imaginary list of fibres to try to grow/raise. Speaking of silk, I had no idea it was possible to make silk without killing the worms, that's good to know!
As mentioned above, cotton is easy with a long growing season. My cotton plantation is all of 4 plants in a container on the deck. This is brown cotton. Started a bit late, and may only get a couple of good bolls. Hopefully this is seed for next season. I find it to be an average feeder, loves long season and sun, and enough rain/water. Starting early inside is a way to extend the season.
I am in weevil eradication zone, and really not supposed to have any cotton, but I figured a container on the deck is OK, and not near any cotton fields!
Flax is relatively easy to grow. The difficulty is in retting, then processing to ready for spinning.
Growing hemp depends on locale (regulations), then you have the same challenges as with flax of retting and processing.
Cultivation silk worms do-able, but labor intensive. As I understand need temp control area, and constant feeding.
I am in weevil eradication zone, and really not supposed to have any cotton, but I figured a container on the deck is OK, and not near any cotton fields!
Flax is relatively easy to grow. The difficulty is in retting, then processing to ready for spinning.
Growing hemp depends on locale (regulations), then you have the same challenges as with flax of retting and processing.
Cultivation silk worms do-able, but labor intensive. As I understand need temp control area, and constant feeding.
-
Ozark Lady
- Greener Thumb
- Posts: 1862
- Joined: Tue Jan 05, 2010 5:28 pm
- Location: NW Arkansas, USA zone 7A elevation 1561 feet
I got cotton seeds from the government, and I also got a letter:
If a single boll weevil appears, you must destroy the entire planting.
So, I figure why not grow it in a cage like those used to stop cross pollination, and simply hand pollinate, then how can a weevil get there?
I killed the seedlings though, so need to try it again.
If a single boll weevil appears, you must destroy the entire planting.
So, I figure why not grow it in a cage like those used to stop cross pollination, and simply hand pollinate, then how can a weevil get there?
I killed the seedlings though, so need to try it again.