Flax Weeding is Done – Now Growing is the Focus

Update on the Gale Woods Linen Flax Crop 

I visited the plot at Gale Woods Farm today. No more weeding is necessary! The crop is filling in very nicely. Grasses around the area have been mowed, so it’s easier to see the plot from the entrance road. It has been raining nearly every other day, in fact, almost too often, so watering the crop hasn’t been needed for a while. We are expecting some warmer days ahead (80+ Fahrenheit), and it will be interesting to see if the crop bolts in height during that period or slows down.

I remembered to bring my yardstick to check the actual height this time. There are various stalk heights, with the differences being roughly between 14 and 21 inches. This makes sense since some sprouts didn’t emerge until about a week after the first seedlings. If they grow at a rate of one inch a day, which I have been observing, that seven-inch difference in height would be expected. I suspect the heights will even out as they grow and mature.

A very pretty Damselfly, the Enallagma, seems to be attracted to the stalks. These damselflies (Bluets) have also been visiting my flax and sitting on the stalks, which is a good thing since, from my research, I have found they eat aphids, mayflies, and small flies that are harmful to plants. The things you learn when growing flax!

 

Other than that, there isn’t any significant news to report. It’s simply time for the crop to grow and eventually develop flower buds—although that will be several weeks from now.

 

Update on My Personal Linen Flax Plot 

With all the rain we have been experiencing, the trees around my plot have become even denser. Therefore, there is even less sun hitting the plot than last week. There has still been growth, though. The tallest stalks are around 25 inches, with a range between 20 and 25 inches.