How to Grow Grain in Your Home Garden

Grain crops are a vital part of every culture, providing 48% of human caloric intake. Whether ground for flour, eaten whole as porridge or used to make bread, grain crops can take your home garden to new levels of nutrition and increase your food security. Best of all, most grains are tolerant of poor soil conditions. That makes them an important addition to any vegetable garden and a worthy contender for a dedicated space.

Depending on the type of grain you choose, it can be grown in either warm or cool climates. Those that prefer cool weather include barley, oats and wheat, which can be planted in the fall and harvested in spring or winter. Other grains, such as rye and spelt, germinate well in cooler weather and ripen just as the days are warming up, making them an excellent early spring crop. Finally, buckwheat and quinoa (of the Polygonaceae and Amaranthaceae families respectively) are technically not true grains, but they do fill valuable agricultural niches, especially in areas with cool climates.

The first step in growing grain is finding a good location. Choose a sunny spot and till the soil to a depth of 6-8 inches. Add some compost to the soil, if necessary, to improve the texture and fertility of the planting site. Then, broadcast the seed at a rate recommended by the package – generally in pounds per 1,000 square feet.

When the seeds are sown, water them regularly until they germinate. After that, the plants will be quite self-sufficient. Unless it’s an unusually dry season, you won’t need to water the crop again until the heads are ready to be harvested. To harvest, you will need a sharp scythe or shears and some sort of container to collect the grain. Threshing or removing the grain from the seed head can be done by beating it with a stick and winnowing (removing the chaff) can be accomplished using a simple household fan. Once the grain is collected, it can be tied into bunches and hung to dry in a shaded, wind-protected area for two weeks or so. When it’s dry, it can be stored in jars or bags for future use.

While most gardeners think they need a lot of space to grow grains, it is actually fairly easy to do. A backyard garden can produce enough wheat to bake about 90 loaves of bread. It’s also worth considering grain as a cover crop to help protect your vegetable beds in the fall and winter. Legumes and grasses like oats, field peas, rye, and calamagrostis (commonly known as reed or fountain grass) draw photosynthesis and build up the nutrient bank in the soil, releasing the nutrients to be used by your vegetables in the spring. Adding a quick cover crop of grasses or legumes in the fall will reduce the time and labor required to grow your vegetables, as well as keep weeds at bay throughout the season.