Oats

Oats are a cool-season food and feed cereal that prefers moisture-retentive, well-drained soil near pH 6.0–7.0. Choose hulless oats for easier home processing or plan to remove the hull from ordinary oats.

Sun

Full sun

Water

Keep moist through establishment and grain filling; avoid waterlogging

Spacing

Dense grain stand; use cultivar-specific row spacing and seeding rate

First harvest

90–120 days

Tips

• Sow into a firm, weed-free seedbed; use the seed supplier’s depth and seeding rate, generally about 1 inch deep for small grains.
• Use a soil test for fertilizer; excess nitrogen promotes lodging and can lower grain quality.
• Keep weeds down early and water during heading and grain filling if rainfall is insufficient.
• Inspect heads for ergot, smut or mold; segregate suspect grain and seek testing before food or feed use.
• Cut when kernels are firm and mature, then thresh, clean and dry to the crop’s safe storage moisture.
• Wheat, barley, rye and triticale contain gluten; oats require appropriate purity controls for gluten-free use.

Spring oats are usually sown as soon as soil is workable; winter forms suit only appropriate mild-winter regions.