Naked, or hulless, oats (Avena nuda) are an oat that lose their husk naturally during the normal harvesting and threshing process. Because the husk is discarded, you are left with nothing but the highly nutritious oat kernel. This has an advantage for smallholders as they don't require the large machinery required to process the more common hulled oats.
Naked oats are the perfect choice if you want to roll your own oats. They can also be cooked whole but require a lot more cooking than porridge oats from the shop which are already par cooked by steaming and rolling. They are also a good choice if you want to grow your own chicken feed.
Oats grow and ripen very easily in Ireland. I sow in rows at least wide enough to get a hoe through. Once they get going they will outcompete weeds and need no more attention until harvest.
