How long does it take to grow wheat?

Wheat is a key food crop that has been grown for thousands of years worldwide. Wheat comes in various varieties, each with its qualities for what its flour is best suited for, such as pasta, bread, or pastries. Growing your wheat grain can help you get closer to self-sufficiency, and the ultimate product is worth the effort.

One pound of wheat seed yields 1.5 bushels of grain or around 90 pounds. Planting and harvesting involve several steps, yet it isn’t too challenging for anyone to grow enough wheat to make flour and bread.

How Long Does It Take For Seeds To Grow Into Wheat?

Spring wheat growing takes 120 days to grow; winter wheat takes up to 240 days to grow. Here are some basics you’ll need to know, such as sun, temperature, and irrigation needed to grow your own wheat.

1. Sun and Temperature

Wheat needs plenty of sun, so 6 hours of direct sunlight is ideal as the minimum.

The key to growing wheat is knowing when to sow in the fall or late spring. Wheat prefers temperatures between 55 and 75°F.

Wheat can tolerates cold, although root growth slows, so you’ll need to cover your growing area with mulch in the cooler months to keep the soil temperature up and wheat crop roots warm.

Hot weather above 95°F can shock crops and affect grain filling. To avoid this, harvest grain before the weather reaches 95. This leads to hard winter wheat rather than a hard spring wheat crop in the south and west.

2. Water and Humidity

Once planted, wheat requires little water if the weather is cool. Wheat will thrive if your region receives 12-20 inches of rain during the growing season. If you must water, do so in the early morning or late evening. Every 2-4 weeks, water the plants’ roots. Ensure the soil drains effectively since too much moisture might foster disease growth.

It’s great to use drip irrigation under little wheat plantings. This strategy isn’t employed in commercial agriculture but works great for small-scale ornamentals or cover crops. Small plants get greater sun exposure and require more water to stay moist. Mulch has a similar effect.

Soil

Wheat grows in loamy, well-drained soil. This plant may grow in various soil types; however, acidic or poorly drained soils are not ideal. Wheat grows best in soil with a pH of 6.0-7.0.

Fertilizing

Fertilizers can be applied to poor soils to increase crop yield. The most important nutrient for early root and tiller development is phosphorus, but wheatgrass also needs nitrogen for early foliage development.

If you’re planting winter wheat, an early spring nitrogen injection at green-up is usually sufficient if you have phosphorus present in the soil. (Learn How To Get Rid Of Stickers In Your Yard)

No wheat crop should be foliar fed as it can result in leaf blistering and significant crop damage.

Harvesting and Storing

Wheat Seed Head

Each stem will develop a single wheat head, and then you’ll notice the stems start to bend from the heavy grains, and the grass turns brown, which signals it’s close to harvest. Harvesting has several elements required to harvest correctly, which you can only do after seeing the flag leaf (the last leaf showing).

Harvesting

You must test the grains to see if they are mature. Farmers take grain from the head and pinch it or eat it. Solid, crunchy textures are desired, and if the seed is soft, keep checking until the kernels harden.

A small area of less than 150 square feet can be harvested by hand. You’ll need a scythe and cradle or sickle if you have a larger lot.

Sun-dry harvested crops for 7-10 days.

After your harvest dries, it’s time to thresh the grain to remove the chaff from the heads. Hand threshing can be done by flailing or pounding in a clean bin or on a tarp.

Use a plastic bag wrapped around the stalks of small amounts of wheat to knock the seed off.

If you want white flour, one bushel of what delivers around 42 pounds of flour, whereas one bushel of whole wheat will deliver around 60 pounds of whole wheat flour.

Storing

Heat, light, moisture, and infection will ruin the grain. However, you can freeze the dried grain and use it for years if you have a little harvest. If it’s completely dry, put it in a food-safe 5-gallon bucket with silica packets to absorb any moisture.

Burlap or ventilated poly bags are common commercial vendors, but these can allow rodents to find and consume your hoard!

Pests and Disease

Aphids are frequent garden pests clustered on the leaves. The leaves curl and streak yellow or white, and the growth slows. Spray the aphids off the leaves with a hose and apply insecticidal oil like neem oil.

Like bacterial leaf streak, many wheat diseases are difficult or impossible to treat. To combat these and other diseases, remove sick plants, clean up the garden after harvest, and use crop rotation with disease-resistant plants.

Powdery mildew grows in high humidity and warm weather. Watering at the base of plants can help prevent the spread of spores. Treat with neem oil or a copper fungicide liquid.

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) is the export market development organization for the U.S. wheat industry. USW promotes the reliability, quality and value of all six U.S. wheat classes to wheat buyers, millers, bakers, food processors and government officials in more than 100 countries around the world.

Its mission is to “Develop, maintain, and expand international markets to enhance wheat’s profitability for U.S. wheat producers and its value for their customers.”

As a key part of its commitment to transparency, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) produces an annual Crop Quality Report that includes grade, flour and end-product data for all six U.S. wheat classes.

The report is compiled from sample testing and analysis conducted during and after harvest by our partner laboratories. The report provides essential, objective information to help buyers get the wheat they need at the best value possible. USW shares the data with customers in person and at a series of annual Crop Quality Seminars around the world. During harvest, preliminary reports on crop quality by class are posted in weekly Harvest Reports.

To know more visit: https://www.uswheat.org/crop-quality/