Maybe I should grow Rice

[DoubleDogFarm]

I've been doing a little fall / winterizing around the homestead.

My brother is always concerned about to much of my duck pond water getting down to our 1/2 acre pond. So before the steady rains and water movement, I pumped out the duck pond.

[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Orchard/DSC02889.jpg[/img]

Filled the swales in my Orchard.
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Orchard/DSC02877.jpg[/img]

Then the ducks get involved
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Orchard/DSC02897.jpg[/img]

They turn it into a rice paddy
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Orchard/DSC02873.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Orchard/DSC02878.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Orchard/DSC02876.jpg[/img]


Eric

[webmaster]

Nice pics. Does anyone grow rice in Washington state?

[DoubleDogFarm]

Thanks,

No one that I know of grows rice. With SRI method, I suppose its possible. Not sure the heat unit required.


Eric

[The Helpful Gardener]

Fukuoka-sensei only flooded his rice for about two weeks; grew it dry mostly. I think it could be done...

HG

[Gary350]

I bet that green algae water would be good for the garden soil.

If you throw some sheetrock scraps in the pond it will prevent algae.

[The Helpful Gardener]

Or barley straw.

[DoubleDogFarm]

At our local farmer's market, one of the vendors was selling barley straw in onion bags. They are used for small goldfish ponds.

Eric

[The Helpful Gardener]

I've seen big bales in big ponds too...

[applestar]

Do mushrooms grow in barleystraw, or do whatever the enzyme that helps to prevent algae also suppress fungal growth? Maybe you could float a bale of barley straw that has been inoculated with mushroom spawn....

Eric, in Japan, some of the "best" rice are grown in the northern prefectures of the main Honshu island and Hokkaido Island. I don't think heat units would be an issue.