Whole Wheatgrass Table!

Day 8:  Finished!

Day 7!

Day 6

Day 4

Day 5

 Years before digital cameras, we grew the most amazing table.  Wish you could see it.  

I'd like to take credit for the idea, but all I was told was that a "Designer" from New York was coming to the beach to get married. He/she had asked the florist to create a table to put the cake on.  This person wanted the table completely covered with live, growing wheat grass.  There were also about 30 black bowls that would be centerpieces at the individual tables. 

The florist came to me.  We struck a deal and she delivered the 30 bowls and a 4-foot piece of plywood with plastic ribbon stapled to the sides making it into a shallow planter.

Growing wheatgrass on a big scale or for an Easter basket is the same process.  It's easy.  My kids used to grow it to sell at the farmer's market when they were 5.  Here is the process:

- Only the top four inches of soil matter, so fill the bottom with perlite or compost or mulch.  Really, whatever you want with the weight you need.
- The top four inches need to be good, crumbly, moist potting soil.  I always recommend going to a local garden center that grows some of their own inventory and get a bag of whatever they use.  It will vary by region.  Mix in some granular fertilizer.
- Cover the surface with grains of Hard Red Winter Wheat.  You can get this at the health food store in the bulk food section.  The more seed you use, the sooner your planter will be ready, but the sooner it will have to be used.  When it is grown very thick, it chokes itself out pretty quickly.
- Cover the grains with vermiculite.  You can use potting soil, but it will take two extra days to germinate.
- Water your container and keep it warm.  

You should see sprouts in 2-3 days.  The wheatgrass should look like grass in 7-14 days depending on the weather.  It should be ready to cut in 14-28 days.

Day 1

When we grew it for the wedding, I planted it a few days too early.  It was getting really long and falling over.  So I cut it with the hedge trimmers two days before the wedding with no ill effects.

 Please leave your questions in the comments section below and I will answer them!

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