Wheat Grass
My brother Josh came by last week to pick up some wheat kernels to plant wheat grass. (I have a large supply. I really love wheat grass and picked wheat up in bulk awhile back. Feel free to come by for your own bag.) I was so happy for a reminder that it was time for this activity — which is practically a spring ritual at our house.
Super easy and very gratifying. Early in my marriage, I learned how to do this from Lisa at Oh Judy. I've had success in glass containers with pebbles at the bottom for drainage and in traditional ceramic containers made for plants. I've had success in low-light and right in front of a window.
If you plant your seeds today, you'll have gorgeous wheat grass in about a week. In fact, mark your calendars now for the perfect day to plant some in time for your Easter displays.
Easy directions:
-Fill and level your container with potting soil. Leave about an inch of space at the top.
-Place an even layer of wheat kernels on the soil. It should be a pretty solid layer with only a little bit of dirt showing.
-Water daily. Keep the soil pretty moist. For a 6-inch container, I would pour in a glass of water each morning.
That's it. You'll see sprouts in about 48 hours. And wheat in about a week. The wheat won't look great for ever — some people trim it with scissors to extend it's life — but I prefer to just replant. Apparently you can also juice it. But in my life, its beauty benefits outweigh its health benefits.
two pics from flickr
posted by Gabrielle of Design Mom at Monday, March 12, 2007
34 Comments:
I loved this growing up!
Gorgeous!
LOVE THIS! Dumb question...where can I just get a small amount of seeds?
Julie P, not a dumb question at all. You can pick up wheat at any health food store. It's typically very inexpensive.
I have done this right in my kids' Easter Baskets. I used crumpled up newspaper to raise the planting bed. Then, a layer of plastic wrap, a soaking wet paper towel. Place the wheat directly on the paper towel. No dirt involved. It works!
Sarah, that's awesome! I can't believe it works from a paper towel. I'm going to try this. . .
My girls always love to grow plants, and I've been wanting to try this sometime. Thanks for the tips. Also, I would love to know where you got your wheat in bulk? I live in CT, near the NY border, so not far from you, so if it is anywhere in the NY metro area, I would love to know! THanks so much!
gabby, you have read my mind. i've been thinking for a few months now that a silver planter with grass would look cool on my table for a spring center piece. awesome! i will definitely be coming over sometime soon for some seeds. we're off to ikea today to hopefully find a planter... unless you have any other ideas of where i should look for one.
Great idea!! I'm going to try and find some seeds.
I love this. I'm completely doing this. Thanks for the tip!
i've wanted to do this for years... thanks for the tips and the inspiration!
Gosh, I haven't planted wheat grass in a few years. I grew tired of it after doing it for several years in a row. I think it's time to bring it back, though. Your displays cause me to reminisce!
so the wheat I purchase for grinding and baking will work?
Liz, I've actually had my wheat since before I moved to New York. It seems to last forever. Sorry. If I here of a local source, I'll certainly share the info.
Sara, Ikea will no doubt have tons of great options.
VFG, absolutely.
I remember getting this idea from you when we both lived in Provo! So many years ago...those were fun times!
i have a health store around the corner. what kind of wheat do i want to get?
i plant the wheat berries in paper towels too, works great, but will get moldy after a bit
I love to do this too!! Ikea has some GREAT orange and blue planters right now...for under 5 dollars...
Time to plant the grass...
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i was just today thinking about doing this with my children & their school classes.
Silly Question...If I try it in a basket with no dirt, do I still water daily?
Where did you find that planter - i am looking for one exactly like it.
--->"Apparently you can also juice it. But in my life, its beauty benefits outweigh its health benefits."
WHAT???!? apparently you haven't read anything about how nutritious wheatgrass is for you! You would be stupid to ignore it's benefits. Seriously!! Don't be stubborn! go read up on it and learn that the body can possibly heal itself of CANCER if you feed it right. Trust me, you will increase your feeling of health when you've been consuming the juice, among other greens too. I suggest this book, you can find it used on Amazon for less than $10. Wheatgrass Nature's Finest Medicine - The Complete Guide to Using Grasses to Revitalize Your Health -by Steve Meyerowitz.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1878736973
Do you think this is a grass that would be good for cats to eat? I always see the expensive grass in the stores for cats, but this would be a great (cheaper) alternative! Unless this is already what they use in the pet stores...
I don't know about cats, but that would be fantastic for guinea pigs and bunnies.
Any thoughts on keeping mold under control? I've had problems in the past
Cat grass is simply wheat/oat grass, and would absolutely be fine for your felines.
I love wheatgrass. I used to drink it every morning instead of coffee, it provided a much better and longer lasting energy boost! Tastes a little intense, but if you chase it/mix it with other fresh fruit juices it goes down easier. Just don't try to drink it on an empty stomach!
Thanks for the tip! I'm going to have to stop by a health store to pick some up [I'd love to come over and pick some up from you but I think I live a tad too far from you!]. This will be perfect for a shower that I'm helping out with a few weeks.
I love keeping wheat grass on the counter. What a fun post, I'll be linking to this.
I grow this for my cat to eat! He seems to like it a lot more than my other houseplants. The cat grass kits they sell at pet stores are just wheat, oat, sometimes barley or rye seeds. If you don't have a health food store nearby, the bulk section at Whole Foods usually has wheat berries.
I just wanna say, the "health benefits" if wheatgrass is no more than the "health benefits" of normal grass. I suggest buying real foods rather than spending money for this overpriced fad.
http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4006
I plant a new pot full every 3 weeks for my cats. They love the stuff. Plus its cheaper than buying the stuff in the pet stores. Reading the labels and the so called catnip grass is oat and wheat seeds mixed.
how fun. i'm going to plant some tomorrow. we have loads of wheat and this will be a fun project to do with the kids. I need some green inside my house and this will be perfect.
Where did you get that great planter that reads. "plant?" I have been looking for a long rectangular planter for my dinning room table for a while now?
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