Wheatgrass Seed

The best wheat for growing wheatgrass: Seed Guide!

Written by Richie Coutts (Commercial grower of certified organic wheatgrass for 3 years, Melbourne, Australia) Sprout Organic Wheatgrass

Every year we do the obligatory search for new grain. I like to test about a dozen grains of different variety and from different farms.
What we are looking for is a hard wheat that has a good protein count and low moisture content. You can use white or red wheat’s including Kamut (an ancient non-hybrid grain) if you can find it. Being a certified organic grower it is very important for us to use a certified organic or biodynamic wheat. (Highly recommended) We have found that mould in wheatgrass generally comes with the grain that you use and this is why we need to test it every year. ie If the farmer has had a wet, rainy season leading up to harvest, more often than not we will have problems with mould in our wheatgrass.
Most farmers wouldn’t bother with you unless you buy large quantities like a ton (1000kg), and many of the growers don’t even bag their wheat, they just load straight from the silo into the truck.
If you are not a commercial wheatgrass grower you will need to look elsewhere.

Where to buy your wheatgrass seed

You can often find hard wheat from health food/organic shops. Generally the wheat they stock wouldn’t specifically be used for sprouting wheatgrass but often still works fine during winter. However, as soon as the warmer summer days start, nine times out of ten you will have mould in your wheatgrass.

You won’t know yourself until you test it!
My suggestion to those who would like to grow their own wheatgrass at home is to contact a reputable commercial wheatgrass grower. Most of them are willing to supply grain, and you can be more confident that your wheat will have less mould during the summer months. Start with buying just a small quantity and give it a try.
If you find a good one – stock up!! It is often a good idea to buy in bulk. As I mentioned, we are constantly testing new wheat’s and change varieties nearly every year.

How to Store wheatgrass seed

Most important: Keep wheatgrass seed DRY and cool!

This will avoid premature germination and mould growth which will damage the grain.
A pantry or cupboard in the kitchen can be a good spot to keep your wheat. A sealed container can really help protect your wheat from rats n mice, weevils or anything else that might be looking for something to munch on. If kept in the correct conditions, your wheat should easily live for more than 2 years. There have been stories of wheat surviving in the pyramids and other Egyptian tombs for thousands of years old so….who knows………
Happy wheatgrass growing!
Richie Coutts – Sprout Organic Wheatgrass – www.sprout.net.au