How to Grow Wheat Indoors

Though you can't grow wheat berries inside, you can still grow a very nutritional part of wheat indoors---wheat grass. The young stalks of wheat are especially high in chlorophyll, which makes a great addition to your diet and to your cat's diet. To get the most out of the wheat that you grow indoors, invest in a special juicer to make your own wheat grass shots. Alternately, you can add a small amount of chopped wheat grass to soups, salads and sandwiches. To share with your cat, just put the wheat within her reach.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Raw wheat berries
• Large bowl
• Colander
• Plastic tray
• Porous material
• Plastic sheet

1. Place raw wheat berries in a large bowl of water and let them soak for 12 hours. Soak enough wheat berries to cover the surface of the tray you're using. Keep in mind that they will expand slightly as they soak.

2. Drain the wheat into a colander and let dry 8 hours.

3. Prepare your tray while the wheat drains. Your tray should be at least 2-inches tall and should have drainage holes so your wheat won't become waterlogged. Though you can grow wheat in any sort of porous material, and even on damp dishtowels, use soil mixed with an even amount of peat moss for best results. Water the potting material thoroughly.

4. Spread the wheat berries over the prepared tray in a single layer. They should be touching each other, but your wheat won't grow if the berries are stacked on top of each other.

5. Drape a sheet of clear plastic over the tray to help keep the moisture in. If your tray came with a plastic greenhouse top, you can cover the tray with that instead.

6. Leave the wheat in a dim area while it germinates. After 3 days, take the plastic off, thoroughly water the wheat and move the tray to a place where it gets indirect sunlight.

7. Water your wheat each day until it's about 7 inches tall, at which point it's ready to be harvested. To use it, cut the wheat grass off as close to the roots as possible. If you're growing the wheat for your cats, place the tray within easy reach for them.

Tips & Warnings

• If it's especially hot in your house when you're soaking the wheat, place the bowl in the refrigerator to make sure the seeds don't start to ferment.