Growing Organic Hard Red Winter Wheat Cover Crop Garden Seeds
About Organic Hard Red Winter Wheat Cover Crop Garden Seeds
Like many cereal grains, hard red winter wheat is a popular cover crop broadcasted directly in early fall for spring tilling or second year maturity, intended to overwinter. For a traditional garden harvest, sow 2-3 organic hard red winter wheat cover crop seeds ½” deep and 2-3” apart in fertile, loamy, and well-drained garden soil in full sun. Non-GMO hard red winter wheat seeds germinate in 4-10 days, with no thinning required. Non-GMO Triticum aestivum is a winter-hardy grain with no serious pests or diseases. If grown as a winter cover crop, mow to crop before heirloom winter wheat begins to seed. If sown to harvest grains and berries, then harvest hard red winter wheat when heads of seeds have become dried, hard, and heavy.
Depending on size of crop, anything from a pair of scissors to a scythe would work to cut down hard red winter wheat for tilling or grain drying. Using twine, bunch up loose wheat into a bale, about the size of a bundle of wood. Allow winter wheat to dry for 2-3 weeks before harvesting hard red winter wheat berries. Like many grains of the Triticeae family, non-GMO organic hard red winter wheat berries can be milled, rolled, steel-cut, and boiled for nearly any occasion.
Organic Hard Red Winter Wheat Benefits
Non-GMO organic hard red winter wheat is planted in the fall and harvested the following summer and will often yield more than spring wheat. Like all the heirloom winter grains, one of the major advantages to organic winter wheat is that it starts growing right away in the spring, meaning you will not get stuck in the spring moisture trying to plant.
Non-GMO organic hard red winter wheat must sprout and grow in the fall and then go through a period of vernalization for it to produce grain the following summer. Which is why it is important to seed heirloom winter wheat early enough for it to establish. Like many other cover crops, organic hard red winter wheat is known to replenish tired soils of their depleted nitrogen and nutrients, while improving soil tilth, structure, waterflow, and weed suppression.
Hard Red Winter Wheat (Buckskin) Berries
- Buckskin is moderately early maturity. It has high yield potential over a range of environments.
- Developed in 1973 cooperatively by the Nebraska Agric. Exp. Station and the USDA-ARS. Jointly released in Kansas.
- Buckskin is an awned, white-glumed variety. Awn color vaires from white to black depending on the season. Beaks are long.
- It is slightly talller and about a day later in maturity than Scout 66, but it has better straw strength.
- Buckskin is moderately resistant to soil-borne mosaic, stem rust and Hessian Fly. It is susceptible to leaf rust. Similar to Scout 66 in winter hardiness.
- It is a strong gluten variety with excellent bread baking quality. Plump Hard Red Wheat Berries with 13% protein can be cooked as a whole grain cereal or pilaf, sprouted for salads or juiced, or milled into flour by the home miller.
Wholesale Organic Hard Red Winter Wheat Cover Crop Seeds Per Package:
- 1 lb - Wholesale - Approximately 8,000 Seeds
- 5 lb - Bulk Seeds - Approximately 40,000 Seeds
- 25 lb - Bulk Seeds - Approximately 200,000 Seeds
Non-GMO Organic Hard Red Winter Wheat cover crop seeds are available for Fast Free Shipping on orders over $45.
