Before the flour comes the wheat, and we all know that flour has many uses in your kitchen. After all it is the main ingredient in most if not all baking recipes. So why wouldn’t you want to know how to grow wheat in your own backyard garden? I see no reason why one could not at least try. I read a blog post today that detailed the whole process. Instead of using the high yielding modern wheat varieties, Mark opted to experiment with an ancient Italian variety called Frassinetto. This particular one is perfect for making flour for your homemade pasta.
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Here’s What You’ll Need:
- Wheat Seeds
- Stakes
- Twine
- Flail
- Rake
- Wooden Board
When you have prepared the area you are going to plant your wheat, you can go ahead and place the stakes equally spaced around the plot. When planting in the Fall, aim for 8 to 12 weeks before the first frost. Plant in a big block instead of rows and rake in the seeds about half an inch to an inch in to the soil. The twine is tied at two different heights above the ground, that is 18″ and 36″.
This whole network is supposed to be support your tall wheat so the wind does not blow it over. Water about 1 inch every week until the rain season begins. With modern varieties of wheat you can expect to harvest about 14 to 17 pounds of grain from a small 100 square foot plot. You will know when its time to harvest when the heads turn yellow or tan/brown. Use a simple hand mill to grind your wheat into flour.
You can follow Mark’s experiment on the Planter Tomato blog, here…
Growing Wheat In Your Garden
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