GARDEN: Grow A Wheatgrass Centerpiece (HERBS, RECIPE)

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Grow A Wheatgrass Centerpiece

by Arzeena Hamir of Terra Viva Organics (www.tvorganics.com)

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Grow some green inside while it is icy and snowy outside!

 

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 rebirth of the nature as spring emerges in the

northern hemisphere.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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