The fiber flax seed is broadcast thickly onto the prepared bed and then firmed in by walking on it.
Flax seed available for sale.
| The flax plant produces linen in its stem. At Joybilee Farm we grow special varieties of Flax that are longer stemmed and finer than the flax grown for oil seed production. |
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| We prepare the bed for linen by
tilling deeply and removing all weeds. The bed gets a generous
dressing of ashes before planting. The fiber flax seed is broadcast thickly onto the prepared bed and then firmed in by walking on it. |
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| Once the flax is 8 inches high, the bed is thoroughly weeded by hand. If the flax is stepped on at this stage it will recover. | |
| The flax flowers about 80 days after planting. The linen is ready to harvest once the plants have stopped flowering and two thirds of the stalks are yellow to brown. | |
| Flax is harvested by pulling the stalks up by the roots, bundling them and putting them in a sheltered place to dry. The flax seed will continue to mature after the stalks are pulled. | |
| Once dry the seed heads are
separated from the stalks in a process called "rippling". The
seed heads are crushed to separate the seed from the chaff and then
winnowed in a breeze to clean the seed. It is ready for planting
next year. Flax seed available for sale. |
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