Growing Wheatgrass

Around this time in the winter my yard is usually freezing cold and covered in snow. Now, while this winter is super weird and very warm (so there is a lot more foraging to be done by my backyard flock,) I still supplement both the birds and Sage, my rabbit, with freshly grown wheatgrass!

Growing wheatgrass inside is quite easy, and I even skip the soil, so it is not messy at all! You just need wheatgrass berries, water, and a sprouting tray. The whole process is also surprisingly quick- you can have harvestable wheatgrass in about 7-10 days!

Choosing Wheat Berries

We do need whole wheat berries. Wheat can be separated into separate components to be used in different ways. The wheat bran (outer layer) is typically used in cereals and as fiber, the wheat germ is used as topping or made into oils, and the wheat endosperm is the bulk of the wheat berry and is the part of wheat made into flour. We need all three parts intact in wheat berry form to sprout.

Types of Wheat Berries:

Hard Red Wheat: Robust and nutty, often used in sourdough and whole wheat bread.
Hard White Wheat: Milder flavor than hard red wheat but with similar protein and gluten content, hard white wheat is versatile and used in yeast-risen doughs.
Soft Red Wheat: Soft red wheat berries have a lower protein and gluten content than the hard red berries, but with similar flavor profiles. Often used in muffins, biscuits, and cereal.
Soft Red Wheat: Made into pastry and cake flour because of their lower protein and gluten content.

All of the four types of wheat berries sprout, so choosing which to buy (if you’re buying in bulk) depends on what else you’d like to use them for! I generally buy hard white wheat berries for wheatgrass because of their protein content and versatility for both bread and a chicken snack!

Supplies Needed:

A Sprouting Tray: I prefer a stainless-steel sprouting tray with a water reservoir, but they come in many shapes and materials. As long as they have drainage, you should be good to go! Note: for growing grass you want a *tray* not a jar (like you’d use for sprouts.)

Reusable Cheesecloth or Thin Cloth: This is optional, but if your tray doesn’t come with a dome, using a thin, breathable cloth (why I prefer cheesecloth) will keep the berries moist while they germinate.

Large Glass Jar: For soaking!

Growing Wheat Berries

Overnight Soak: The trick to getting a great germination rate for wheat berries is to soak them for 8-12 hours before transferring to the sprouting tray.

The volume of berries you need to soak depends on how large your tray is. My tray is about 14×11” so, taking into account that the berries about double in size when soaked, I eyeball about half of a quart mason jar. Just add the berries into your jar and completely cover with filtered water. I usually just fill up the jar. Leave out on the counter overnight!

Transferring to the Sprouting Tray: Once your berries have soaked, strain the berries using a sieve or the cheesecloth. Give them a good rinse and then transfer them to the sprouting tray. Gently spread out with your hands, creating an even layer. This can be a single layer of berries or a layer about 2-3 berries deep for a denser grass crop. Once you go over 2-3 berries in a layer the germination rate will decline.

If your sprouting tray has a water reservoir, fill the reservoir by pouring filtered water over the berries to re-wet and then cover with the damp cloth. You can add water and re-moisten the cloth if you notice that they are dry.

Growing Wheat Berries: Timeline

Day 2-3: After 24-48 hours, you’ll notice that the wheatberries should have a little white ‘tail’ which means that they have sprouted. Many people use the berries in this form, but because we’re growing the grass we will let them continue.
Day 4-5: I keep the damp cloth on for a day or two after I notice the first sprouts so that the berries stay damp as they form their first roots, once the roots are about half an inch long, I then remove the cloth and place in sunlight!
Day 6-10: You will notice green grass shoots start to grow rapidly at this stage. Make sure to keep their water reservoir full, and the tray in bright, indirect light. Sometimes the shoots will grow so fast that part of the wheat bran will grow with them- it is totally normal!

Harvesting

You can start harvesting as soon as the shoots reach about four inches tall, but I like to wait until they’re about six inches tall!

There are two different ways of harvesting wheatgrass. You can use a scissor to cut off the shoots for a first harvest if you’re doing something like making wheatgrass shots or feeding the blades in bundles, and the berries will grow a second, shorter harvest about a week after the first harvest. As an offshoot of this method, I’ll remove a section of the wheatgrass and place it into a small bowl and allow my rabbit to be the “scissors” and she’ll cut down the grass and then continue to munch as it grows.

The second method, which I use most often for my backyard flock, is to allow the grass to grow tall about 6” and then feed the whole tray at a single time. This way my birds will eat the grass and the remaining berries- both are full of lots of nutrients, and placing the tray out for them to pull apart is a great way to add some enrichment to the dreary winter days! (This is another reason I like a stainless-steel tray- chickens are little dinosaurs and can be harsh on plastic sprouting trays!)

As a side note: If you are growing wheatgrass to make into wheatgrass juice, make sure that you harvest before the grass starts to split (add a second blade) and use a *slow* juicer. Young, tender shoots will create the most juice.