Archived News

17th April 2008

Grain maize needs temperatures of at least 12 degrees to germinate, so we are reliant on a warm summer to be sure of harvesting by mid November.  This year we have hired a contractor with a maize drill which has been adapted to apply a biodegradable plastic film on top of the soil.

The plastic creates a little micro climate in which temperatures rise more quickly than outside the plastic, so the grain maize should germinate earlier than usual.  As the plant grows and pushes through the plastic it can make more use of the summer sunshine. Harvest should be late September, the crop will be drier and easier to harvest, plus we hope that a different crop can come in behind it.