be predicted. Fields are cultivated as the weather and sea-
sonal conditions allow, including the sowing of seeds, reg-
ular care and of course the harvest. Other work includes
the feeding of the animals, care and maintenance of the
machines and the marketing of the produce in the farm-
shop. The sorting of eggs, potatoes etc. and office work
round off the day.
Flax, or linseed, is a versatile
plant. What happens with the
flax after it has been harvested?
For food production, it is processed
into oil or seeds. The oil also gets used
in lacquers and paints. The remaining
parts of the plant get chaffed and
ploughed back in the field.
How often is linseed grown on the same field, is
there a crop sequencing that determines which
plants are grown and at what time?
Linseed is grown every fifth or sixth year, the sequence
being determined like this: trefoil grass, wheat, potatoes,
rye, peas or oat, linseed.
Bernd Barnstorf-Brandes, born 1952, organic farmer since 1984.
Left to right: Linseed plants a few weeks after sowing. The buds grow to the size of peas. The blossom colour
ranges from a pastel tone to shiny lilac. Harvested seeds before oil pressing.
Linseed oil - From sowing the seeds to the harvest
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