"Who will help me plant the wheat?" cried the Little Red Hen
This is a pretty complicated recipe so I'll have to do it in several installments. First, the basics:
Recipe:
This is a pretty complicated recipe so I'll have to do it in several installments. First, the basics:
Recipe:
4 c bread flour
1 c whole wheat flour
2 1/4 tsp dry yeast
2-3 c zucchini, shred
1 tbsp salt 1 1/4 c tepid water
3-4 tbsp olive oil
1 c whole wheat flour
2 1/4 tsp dry yeast
2-3 c zucchini, shred
1 tbsp salt 1 1/4 c tepid water
3-4 tbsp olive oil
Special equipment: Shovel
Spading fork
Garden rake
Wheel barrow
Stakes and twine (optional)
Digging board (optional)
Note: Begin preparations for this recipe about 10 months in advance. Wheat must be planted early enough in the fall so that it can get established before winter. In Wisconsin that usually means mid September- early October.
Step 1: Preparing the bed
Good bread begins with good soil. Prepare a bed for planting using the directions below or use your own method. If you already have a garden with space you can devote to wheat and zucchini (about 4 square feet) skip step one.
Using stakes and twine lay out the area you wish to designate for growing wheat. (The illustrations below are for a 100 square foot bed). Be sure that the area receives at least 6- 8 hours of full sunlight a day.
Using stakes and twine lay out the area you wish to designate for growing wheat. (The illustrations below are for a 100 square foot bed). Be sure that the area receives at least 6- 8 hours of full sunlight a day.
Remove sod to a depth of about 2”. Starting at one end, dig a trench across the width of the bed that is at least 12” but not more than 2 feet wide and about 12” deep. You may want to use a digging board to keep from stepping directly on the bed and compressing the soil. This is not so important in the initial dig when the ground is still hard, but once it is aerated you want to maintain that integrity. Place the soil in a wheelbarrow and remove to a place out back somewhere to be used for composting and other garden related tasks.
Use a spading fork to loosen the bottom of the bed to a depth of 12 inches if you can manage it without breaking the fork. If the soil is very hard you may only be able to introduce some drain holes. That’s fine- each year it will become more pliable as rain and plant roots do their work.
Next start another trench adjacent to the first. Place the soil from the second trench into the first, breaking it up roughly as you do so. Remove any stones and weeds you come across but leave the worms- you want the worms. Repeat the process for the third trench and level the soil that’s piled up over the first two. Continue until you reach the end of the bed. The soil is now well aerated and should be mounded slightly higher than the surrounding ground.
Step 2: Planting the Wheat
Once the soil is well areated you are ready to plant the seeds. The first step is to add some compost to the bed. Use 2-3 five gallon buckets of compost per 100 sq feet. (I like to wait until after the last frost to fertilize so I dont lose nutrients in the spring run-off.) Spread the compost evenly over the bed with a rake and then gently sift it into the top 3 inches of soil with a spading fork.
Use a spading fork to loosen the bottom of the bed to a depth of 12 inches if you can manage it without breaking the fork. If the soil is very hard you may only be able to introduce some drain holes. That’s fine- each year it will become more pliable as rain and plant roots do their work.
Next start another trench adjacent to the first. Place the soil from the second trench into the first, breaking it up roughly as you do so. Remove any stones and weeds you come across but leave the worms- you want the worms. Repeat the process for the third trench and level the soil that’s piled up over the first two. Continue until you reach the end of the bed. The soil is now well aerated and should be mounded slightly higher than the surrounding ground.Step 2: Planting the Wheat
Once the soil is well areated you are ready to plant the seeds. The first step is to add some compost to the bed. Use 2-3 five gallon buckets of compost per 100 sq feet. (I like to wait until after the last frost to fertilize so I dont lose nutrients in the spring run-off.) Spread the compost evenly over the bed with a rake and then gently sift it into the top 3 inches of soil with a spading fork.
Place a digging board 2-3 feet back from one end of the bed. The board (now technically a "planting board") is used to distribute your weight evenly over the bed. Using your finger (or whatever small hole-making-tool you like) make a line of holes 5" apart with a depth of about 1/2". Start another row by selecting two holes from the first row and making a 5" triangle beneath with a third hole. Continue to the end of the row so that the holes are placed in a hexogonal pattern. 
Place one or two seeds in each hole and pinch the soil over the top. (I place two seeds per hole to insure that at least one will germinate. Once the wheat has sprouted I thin them so only one plant is growing from each hole.
Place one or two seeds in each hole and pinch the soil over the top. (I place two seeds per hole to insure that at least one will germinate. Once the wheat has sprouted I thin them so only one plant is growing from each hole.
Continue until you reach the end of the bed.
Now all that remains is to water the seeds regularly until they are established and let God do the rest- at least until Spring comes around. More on that in subsequent posts.
Obviously this is a labor intensive method for planting wheat (or anything else for that matter). You could just scatter the seeds and hope for the best. My approach is based on a method called "Bio-intensive" and is painstakingly oultined in "How to Grow More Vegetables" By John Jeavons. I highly recomend the book for anyone interested in a start-up manual for organic, sustainable gardening. Follow the link below to view their website where you can purchase the book and order seeds and so on.
