Growing Wheat

You may not produce much, but you'll have fun growing wheat. In order to produce enough wheat for a family of four, you'd need to devote most of your backyard to the effort. Still, you can get several loaves from a modest garden-and how many people can say they've made bread from the ground up?

Growing Wheat In Your Garden

Variety: Common Wheat Triticum aestivum
Zones: Grown as an annual
Soil Type: Organically rich, well-drained soil
Soil pH: 6.0 to 6.5
Sunlight: Full sun
Availability: Sold as seeds/grains. You'll need about a pound of grain per 200 square feet.
When to plant: Planting time varies by variety of wheat. Generally, wheat should be planted in early fall in southern locations and early spring in northern locations.
Planting Method: Wheat sees should be planted like grass seed: finely till the ground and then rake to remove rocks and other debris. Seed should be broadcast over the planting area and then rake about ¼" of dirt over the seeds. A cover crop of clover will hold the soil in place until the wheat has a chance to grow.
Watering: Water evenly, keeping the ground moist, but not overly wet.
Fertilizing: Wheat shouldn't need additional feeding if the soil has been properly amended with organic material.
Harvesting: Wheat planted in the fall will be ready to harvest the following spring. Wheat planted in the spring will be ready to harvest in late summer. Wheat will turn yellow and hard when ready to harvest-bite a grain and if it's still soft, wait a few more days to try again. To harvest, gather the wheat shafts into handfuls and cut with a scythe or large clipper about 2" off the ground. Bundle the cut shafts together with string.
To thresh the shafts, place a bundle in an old pillowcase and beat against a brick wall to separate the grain from the shafts. Pour the grain in a container and compost the shafts.
To separate the grains from the chaff, place a large, shallow container on the ground outside. With a breeze or the help of a portable fan, stand on a chair over the container and pour the wheat into the container. The breeze or wind from the fan will blow away the chaff, but the grain will fall into the container.
Collect the grain and store it in an airtight container. You can grind the grain into flour using a hand grinder or clean coffee grinder.
Diseases: Unless you're growing wheat near large, commercial fields, the chances of typical wheat diseases is slight.
Mildew: Usually caused by limited airflow around the plant, mildew appears as a powder on the edges of leaves. Proper plant spacing will hinder the formation of mildew. An application of fungicide will also combat mildew.
Pests:
Aphids: Small, soft-bodied insects that suck moisture from plants. Ladybugs are a great way to control aphids. Consider insecticidal soaps as an alternative to pesticides.
Thrips: These tiny, yellow or tan insects eat new plant growth. An infestation of thrips can lead to undersized or malformed grain. Remove infected shafts and treat plants with insecticidal soap.
Slugs and Snails: Black or dark gray gastropods with or without shells. Slugs and snails eat new leaves and the edges of mature leaves. Top dress planting areas with sharp sand or rough bark mulch to ward off slugs and snails.
Saving Seeds: Ripe, threshed grain can be saved for planting up to two years.