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 Whether the snow is still blowing outside
or your spring bulbs are already making their appearance, garden
fever is in the air. One way to quench your need to get your
hands dirty is to bring spring indoors by growing your own living
decorations. Many gardeners are familiar with forcing cherry,
forsythia blossoms & and spring bulbs but you can add to
this by sprouting wheat kernels in containers for a beautiful
centerpiece. In France, sprouted wheat is a symbol of the abundance
of the upcoming season. March 21st, the first day of spring,
also coincides with Norooz, Iranian New Year. Part of the celebration
requires that green sprouts, normally wheat, decorate the table
setting. The wheat sprouts symbolize the re-birth of the nature
as spring emerges in the northern hemisphere.
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Growing your own wheat sprouts
is not only decorative, but also highly nutritional. Wheatgrass
is full of vitamins, minerals and amino acids. The juice is reported
to have many health benefits due to the high concentration of
chlorophyll, Vitamins B-12, B-6, K & C, and beta-carotene.
One study from the University of Texas Medical Center found the
extract of wheatgrass inhibited the cancer-causing effects of
two mutagens.
Choose a container
Sprouting your own wheatgrass
is extremely easy. Any type of container is suitable for sprouting
wheatgrass. Pots that have drainage holes are the easiest to
use for beginner sprouters but once you get a handle on how much
water wheat sprouts require, you can sprout them in any container
that is at least 3-4" deep. I've found dollar stores to
be a fantastic source of decorative containers that won't break
my pocketbook. |
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Select a growing medium
Once you've decided on a container,
fill it to about 1" below the top of the rim with pre-moistened
soil, compost or potting mix. Make that sure whatever growing
medium you use, it doesn't contain any artificial fertilizers
or chemicals. I like to make my own organic mix using peat and
about 20% worm casts. The worm casts provide extra nutrition,
allowing you to harvest the wheatgrass more than once.
Plant the seed
Wheat seed is the last ingredient.
Purchase your wheat from a reputable source that sells food-grade
organic seed that is meant for sprouting.
Never use agricultural seed,
especially any seed that is coated with fungicide. Wheat seeds
are sometimes sold as wheat "kernels" or as "Hard
Red Wheat".
Sprinkle the top of your container
with wheat seed. I like to leave a little bit of space between
the seeds, so that they're not touching and competing for food.
Press the seed into the soil and then cover lightly with more
potting mix or soil and water lightly. The soil in the container
needs to be kept moist so I like to cover my containers with
a clear plastic bag or clear plastic film.
In about 3-4 days, you will begin
to see sprouts emerge. It's now time to move the container to
a sunny location. Sunshine not only allows the young sprouts
to manufacture more chlorophyll, but it helps to keep them stocky
and short. Wheatgrass grown in the dark or in poorly lit areas
tends to be quite pale and lanky and in no time at all, the sprouts
begin to fall over.
By about day 7-10, the sprouts
are the perfect height to use as a centerpiece or to begin harvesting
for juice. Wheatgrass grown using this method can be cut more
than once for an extended harvest so if you are using it for
juice, start a few containers on different days so that you have
a continuous supply of the nutritious leaves. |
