If you already grow a wide range of fruits, vegetables and herbs in your garden, and want to travel even further down the road to self-sufficiency, you may be wondering whether or not you can start growing grains in your garden to add to your home-grown diet.
Most of us are not going to have the space to grow enough grains in our gardens to make all the bread we need for a a year. But that does not mean that we cannot grow small amounts to supplement our diet. For certain grains, even devoting one regular sized vegetable bed to grains can allow us to grow a worthwhile amount to supplement our home-grown diet and diversify our home-grown menu.
Many people believe that they will require complicated and expensive equipment to harvest and process the grains that they grow. But the truth of the matter is that you can harvest and process many different grains without making any expensive purchases.
While wheat, rye and oats may be far more familiar grains here, and each of these can be grown on a small scale in your garden, the effort involved to harvest and process the grains and the low yields may mean that it is not worth it for most of us. That said, there are other grains that you could consider that are much better suited to growing on a small scale.
Quinoa, for example, is a protein-rich, healthy seed that can be grown as a grain in home gardens in our climate. Another healthy option is amaranth, which is highly productive – producing over 200,000 seeds per plant. The seeds are so tiny that they do not need to be ground and can simply be added to whatever you are cooking to add flavour and protein.
Growing smaller quantities of grain can be a great way to diversity your home grown diet and create a range of healthy and delicious recipes. While potatoes are an easier staple to grow in a home garden, grains can also find their place and it is definitely worthwhile considering growing some more unusual varieties to supplement your fruits and vegetables.