How to Grow Wheat
Wheat At a Glance
Difficulty
Challenging
Category
Grain
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Hardy
Cold Hardiness
Survives to -20°C
Plant Family
Poaceae
Growing Season
Cool Season
Plant Lifecycle
Annual
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Most wheat seed is a winter type, sown in fall about 6 weeks before your first fall frost: it grows a little, rests under the snow and ripens early the next summer. Scatter the seeds about 10 cm apart, press them 1 cm deep and rake the soil over them. They sprout in 7 to 14 days. If your seed is a spring type instead, sow it in early spring, about 4 weeks before your last frost, as soon as you can work the soil.
Wheat takes patience, about 135 days from a spring sowing to ripe grain, plus some hand work to free the grain, but growing your own bread grain is a real thrill. Winter wheat sown in fall gives the bigger harvest, while spring wheat is quicker and simpler for a first try.
When To Start
First chance to plant
30 Days Before Last Frost
Last chance to plant
60 Days Before First Frost
When should you plant Wheat?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Wheat Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Wheat Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Optional: sow spring wheat now, it handles frost
30 days before your last frost· every year· optional
Sow winter wheat now to ripen next summer
45 days before your first frost· every year
Cut wheat when it is golden and the grain is hard
75 days after your last frost· every year· optional
Did you water your wheat seedlings today? Keep the top of the soil damp until they are up and growing.
About 1 days after you plant it
Time to thin the wheat seedlings: snip the extras at soil level so each one has room to grow.
About 24 days after you plant it
How is your wheat doing? Keep weeds out while the young plants fill in.
About 59 days after you plant it
Your wheat is getting close! Watch the heads, they turn golden when ready.
About 104 days after you plant it
Picking time may be here: check your wheat.
About 135 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Wheat's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 1
Prepare Your Space
1 cm
Seeding Depth
10 cm
Plant Spacing
30 cm
Row Spacing
9
Plants / Sq Ft
Vertical Growing
No.
Method: None
Succession Planting
No.
Good Companions
Bad Companions
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Expect sprouts in 7–14 days
Growing Tips
- 1Grow wheat in full sun, at least 6 to 8 hours a day.
- 2Rake a thin layer of compost into the bed before sowing, but do not overdo it, since very rich soil gives tall, weak stalks that fall over.
- 3Water when the top few cm of soil are dry, and keep the soil evenly moist from the time the heads appear until the grain fills out.
- 4Pull weeds by hand while the plants are small, because young wheat cannot compete with them.
- 5Birds love the ripening grain, so cover the patch with netting once the heads appear.
- 6Wash aphids off with a spray of water, and grow flowers like dill or alyssum nearby to bring in the insects that eat them.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
~135
Days to Maturity
100 cm
Mature Height
3 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
21 days
When to Pick
Harvest when grain heads turn golden
How to Harvest
- 1Wheat is ready when the stalks have turned golden, the heads bend over and a kernel is too hard to dent with your fingernail.
- 2Cut the stalks near the ground with pruners or sharp shears, on a dry day.
- 3Tie them in small bundles and stand or hang them in a dry, airy spot for about 2 weeks.
- 4Rub the heads between your hands, or beat them inside a pillowcase, to free the grain.
- 5Pour the grain slowly from one bowl to another in a light breeze so the wind blows the chaff (the papery husks) away.
- 6Store the clean, dry grain in a sealed jar and grind it into flour when you need it.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
How to Save Seeds
Wheat flowers pollinate themselves, so the seeds grow true and you do not need to keep varieties apart. Your grain is your seed: set aside some of the biggest, cleanest kernels from your harvest. Label winter and spring wheat separately, since each must be sown at its own time of year. Make sure the grain is fully dry before storing, then keep it in a labelled jar somewhere cool, dark and dry, where it keeps about 3 to 5 years.
Seed Production
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