A couple photographs of an test plot of barley at our Western Washington State farm. The barley we purchased was Purple Prairie Barley (Tibetan Purple Barley). What grew we believe is a cross between the 2-row Purple Prairie barley variety and an unknown 6-row barley variety.
We bought our seed stock from a local, private seller. Our first mistake as we are having difficulty now trying to get a refund on the cross-contaminated seed stock. However, it was our first test plot with any barley variety on our Western Washington farm and we learned that barley grows very well here--despite the later than normal planting date due to rainy, cold weather like we experienced this year.
The barley will soon be ready to harvest. While we won't be able to save the seed for future Purple Prairie barley crops due to the presence of the 6-row barley in the test plot, we should be able to add the grain to our homemade chicken and pig feeds. We could also save the barley for human consumption and grind to flour as needed to try making our own bread.
Upper Photograph: Test plot of barley growing well in wet, cold Western Washington. Photo taken in late August. Planting date was May 31, 2011.
Lower Photograph: Shows the cross well between Purple Prairie Barley and an unknown 6-row barley. Purple Prairie barley should only have 2-rows and is normally a much darker purple color.
