Upland Rice growing in North East...

Hi!
I'm new to the forum and am trying to get info on upland rice growing (non-paddy) so I can develop techniques that can be passed on to other backyard farmers. (gardeners...) I've found one source at Fedco for a Russian rice, and heard of Blue Bonnet rice, which apparently is Mayan. Too hot, and needs too long a season. I need long day, short season varieties... I've discovered that research is being done, but mainly in Asia which is not zone 4-5... Any ideas?

Andy

I'm trying out Duborskian Rice this year. The Wikipedia page on upland rice indicates that planting is done similar to other grain crops, on either level or sloped ground. Rainfall requirements start at a minimum of 40 inches per year (up to about 4 times that.) Since we're below that here in Ithaca I'm expecting to need irrigation.

The folks who are testing out paddy rice in the Northeast say that one of the values of flooding is to reduce plant shock from temperature fluctuations early in the growing season; rice likes a more consistent temperature than we get around here.

So I have two thoughts about what to do. One is to use a level recessed bed instead of a raised one, maybe edge it with something to retain water, flood & paddle like it describes for the paddy rice, then let it drain out before xplanting and between waterings. I figure that would allow an occasional deep (really deep) watering instead of more frequent waterings -- so far it's shaping up to be a dry year up here. The other thought is to xplant into a regular bed, pre-warmed with plastic mulch, and use a heavy straw layer to conserve moisture & damp out temperature fluctuations. Which would be easier. Though the child in me would really enjoy mucking about in the mud. Or maybe I'll split up the tablespoon or so of seed I have and try it both ways.