Wheat Growing Guide
- 1). Prepare a sunny growing area in the autumn or in the spring, depending on the wheat variety you will plant. Plant winter wheat at the end of September or the first half of October. Plant spring wheat just after the final spring frost. Cultivate the soil down 6 inches with the garden spade and add 3 to 4 inches of compost over the soil surface. Work the compost in well with the spade and rake the soil level.
- 2). Scatter the wheat seeds evenly over the soil surface, using 3 oz. of seeds over 100 square feet of soil. Rake the soil lightly to cover the seeds and water the soil to saturate the soil evenly.
- 3). Provide water throughout the growing season to prevent the soil from drying out. Pull weeds by hand to keep the growing area free of weeds.
- 4). Harvest winter wheat in June and spring wheat in late August or early September. Wheat is ready for harvest when the wheat stalks turn gold with stray green lines remaining. Cut the stalks off at soil level with the scythe.
- 5). Bundle the stalks together in 3 to 5-inch bundles, tying them together at the middle and bottom with lengths of twine. Stand the bundles upright in a warm and dry location until the wheat dries to a gold color.
- 6). Untie the wheat and thresh it to separate the wheat from the stalks. Grasp a handful of wheat by the bottoms of the stalks and beat them inside the bucket or barrel to get the kernels to fall from the stalks.
- 7). Pour the kernels between two buckets or barrels to winnow it. Set up a small fan or winnow the wheat outside in a breeze. As you pour the kernels back and forth between the containers, the breeze will separate the lighter chaff from the heavier kernels.
- 8). Store the wheat kernels in sealed containers in a cool and dry location.
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