So far, it's been a very dry summer this year, we're very low on water already and what rain we have received barely dampens the soil around our plants... but on the upside of things, it's perfect weather to make hay.
Myself being a DIY kinda guy, someone who will give anything a go once, I decided it will be easy enough to make my own hay. Putting a side the fact that I suffer from really bad hay fever allergies... but if the early settlers to NZ could do it with hand tools, so can I! So here I go:
Ingredients To Make Hay:
> 1 Paddock Full Grown Grass,
> 1 Kind Neighbour With Tractor To Cut Grass,
> 1 Worker With Rake & Barrow & Homemade Contraption To Bale Grass
> Sunshine & Dry Weather
After the grass was cut, I left it to dry by hand turning it with the rake, and then raking into rows. After two days out in the sun I raked it into piles and collected it and made it into bales.
Initially I was just going to leave the hay in a big pile in the corner of the garage, but I really needed to compact it down due to the quantity of hay and space it takes up when it is all loose.
In the above picture, I made a wooden box, but the top and bottom are open ended, and by using some planks of wood and trailer tie downs, I was able to sandwich the hay into compressed manageable bales which I then tied with twine.
The bales ended up being about the same size as a standard hay bale, but just not as nicely trimmed and cut as a professional bale... but it worked as in the below picture.
I could have made plenty more, as there was so much more cut grass, but my allergies to the grass was making it unbearable, with running eyes and nose, I couldn't stop sneezing, and I had the rash on my legs, arms and chest... so I had to call it quits.
Note to self, next year, I must cover up, wear a mask and take more/better antihistamines.
