The Joy of Scything

Long before we came to live at our smallholding there was talk about scything as a method of cutting back the years of overgrown vegetation.  Whenever the subject was raised it was met with fear and warnings of how dangerous it was.  When we arrived at the smallholding we tried petrol strimmers on the mix of nettles, brambles, rushes, reeds and bracken with limited success.  We decided to enroll on an introductory course at Scythe Cymru a local permaculture farm running courses in scything for everyone from beginners to experienced mowers looking to improve their technique.  After a day’s training we went home with two Austrian made Fux scythes with Styria Ditch blades, a Profisense Grass Blade and a peening kit.

Our tutor, Phil, had been scything for 12 years and taught us a mowing technique akin to Tai Chi, bending the knees shifting weight from the right foot to the left while the blade completed a semi circle right to left on the ground with minimum effort.  This technique created a windrow of cut vegetation on the left of the swath of mowed vegetation as progress was made forward.  It is a neat method, almost therapeutic.  Like most things being practiced when you first start out there are moments when you relax into a comfortable form and flow but as soon as you become aware that you have the desired swish swish you lose the rhythm.

Our first mowing session back at the smallholding involved setting up the scythes, which had been dismantled at the end of the training course, followed by half an hour’s mowing the ditch and path between the house and the polytunnel with good results and much satisfaction.

Our second session of mowing two days later was even more satisfying.  We mowed beyond an area we had trimmed back with the petrol strimmers with more ease and more success.  Although the scything was almost effortless moving several large wheelbarrows of cut material was exhausting and something to bare in mind when we start mowing the fields.

Not only is scything efficient, rhythmic and satisfyingly effective, it is not as dangerous as other mowing methods. It is relatively difficult to hurt yourself with a scythe while mowing as the blade archs away from your body at an arm’s length.  Caution is needed when adjusting, honing and cleaning the blade but holding the blade by the back opposite the sharp edge is safe. Compare this with a strimmer that flings cut debris everywhere and requires safety clothing, a harness to save your back and fuel to operate.  We can see why scythes are gaining popularity in smallholding circles.

August 19th, 2017