Flax (linseed)
Linum usitatissimum
Sky-blue flowers, then seed for oil and bread and stems for linen, the cloth of Egypt.
Hardiness: zones 3 to 10
Light: full sun
Size: about 3 ft tall, 0.5 ft wide
Harvest: June to July
From: Fertile Crescent
Drought-hardy once established
Here: Hardy in the Lake Erie shore climate (zone 6b to 7a), so it can live outdoors in the ground.
Good for: food, pollinators.
Native to: Sahara & Arabian deserts, Mediterranean, Temperate Europe. Hardy in zones 3 to 10.
The story
Flax gave the world its first linen. It was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent about 9,000 years ago, and Egyptian mummies were wrapped in linen made from it. The seed, linseed, was eaten and pressed for oil, and still is.
Planting
Full sun, light drained soil. Sow thickly in early spring, a quarter inch deep, as soon as the ground can be worked.
Growing
Keep weeded while young; flax needs little water once up. Its sky-blue flowers open each morning and fall by afternoon. Grow it thickly for fibre and more widely spaced for seed.
Harvest and use
For seed, pull the plants when the bolls are brown, dry and thresh. Grind the seed fresh into porridge or bread. For fibre, pull earlier, soak (ret) the stems until the fibres loosen, then dry, break and comb.
What to watch for
Weeds early on; raw seed is best eaten ground or cooked, in moderation.
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General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home