Papahoa Fibreworks Linen Grow Along - Preparing The Ground and Seed Sowing
Hello friends,
With spring now here, it was finally time to sow my linen fibre seeds as part of the Papahoa Fibreworks linen grow along. But first, I had to choose a 1 m² patch of the vegetable garden to grow them in, and prepare the soil for seed sowing.
Space is at a premium in my garden this growing season for many different reasons, so I squeezed the plot in close to the back of our house, next to the bed where I'm growing my sugar beet plants, and alongside the beds where I'm planting our potatoes.
With the garden bed chosen, the next step was to prepare the bed for seed sowing. I took the advice from the linen grow along, and created a false seed bed, encouraging the weeds to germinate so I could remove them before the linen seeds are planted.
I removed weeds from the area and raked it flat, and then watered it well to encourage the weeds to grow. Within a week, the weed seeds on the surface germinated, and I hoed the patch of ground to kill the weeds which had grown. I repeated this process three more times over the following weeks, since apparently this patch of garden had many weed seeds in the top few centimetres of soil.
With the weed seeds all taken care of, it was finally time to sow the linen. Hand-scattering the seed over the 1 m² patch of soil didn't take very long at all, using the four-pass method recommended by the grow along. The aim is to distribute the seed evenly and densely in a cross-hatch pattern, encouraging the linen seedlings to grow upwards and produce long, straight stems rather than branching. These long stems are what contain the linen fibre that will eventually be harvested. The packet from Papahoa Fibreworks contained 10.3 grams of seed, which was enough to sow the entire 1 m² patch.
I then gently raked the soil over the linen seeds and used the back of the rake to lightly tamp them into place. After giving the bed a good watering to get germination started, I covered the seeds with netting to stop our local birds from eating them.
With the linen seeds finally sown, all that's left to do now is wait for them to germinate and start growing. I'm looking forward to following the linen through the growing season and seeing how it performs in my garden, while learning more about growing and processing linen fibre along the way.
Hopefully, with a little help from some spring sunshine and rain, I'll have a healthy patch of linen ready for harvesting this summer. For now, the linen grow along has officially begun.
Have a wonderful day
Julie-Ann
If you'd like to continue the conversation, you can find me on Instagram, Mastodon, Bluesky, and Facebook.
Papahoa Fibreworks 2026 Linen Grow Along
Hello friends,
I've been growing my own linen plants (Linum usitatissimum) for fibre production for many years, using the 'Essene' variety I purchased from Kōanga Institute in New Zealand. While there are other varieties better suited to producing textile linen, these aren't available in New Zealand and are difficult to import due to our strict biosecurity rules. So, working with what I have, I sow my own 'Essene' seeds each year, growing the plants both for linen fibre and to produce a fresh supply of seed for future seasons.
As you can see from these photos, our neighbour's cat Maisie is always very fond of my linen patch, and spends many happy hours playing, sitting, and sleeping among the plants. Luckily, linen bounces back into shape quite easily, so she doesn't do too much damage—and she's so cute that I just can't say no to her shenanigans.
Papahoa Fibreworks is a Canterbury-based Aotearoa New Zealand fibre business focused on developing locally grown, traceable natural textiles. They grow their own 'Essene' organic Linum usitatissimum (flax/linen) at their farm in Tai Tapu, where the plants are harvested and processed by hand to produce long-line linen fibre and tow for spinning. They also grow natural dye plants and operate a natural dye house, bringing together linen growing, fibre processing, natural dyeing, and textile production.
This year, Papahoa Fibreworks has started a Grow Along using their 'Essene' linen seed, following the plants from sowing through to processing, and I've decided to join them. I'm looking forward to growing their seed alongside other growers around New Zealand and joining their Patreon community over spring and summer. Plant growing can sometimes be a lonely learning experience, and I've found it's much more enjoyable when you can learn alongside others, and share tips and tricks along the way.
My seed packet from Papahoa Fibreworks has recently arrived, and contains enough linen seed to grow a 1 m² patch of plants.
The next step is to prepare the ground for sowing, and then work out the 100-day growing season, so I know when to sow and when to harvest the plants. My plan is to grow the linen to the stage where I can harvest it for both fibre and a fresh supply of seed. I'm looking forward to following the journey from seed to harvest and seeing what I can learn along the way.
Have a wonderful day,
Julie-Ann
If you'd like to continue the conversation, you can find me on Instagram, Mastodon, Bluesky, and Facebook.
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