Growing your own wheatgrass is a convenient and inexpensive way to get your daily dose of this healthy juice. If you’ve decided to grow your own wheatgrass but don’t know where to start we’ve put together a handy guide to help you grow and juice your way to a healthy lifestyle.
To get started you don’t need much, just a few things from your local garden store and/or health food store. If you’d like to buy an entire wheatgrass growing kit, there are quite a few nice wheatgrass kits on Amazon (with instructions) although you can save a few bucks if you buy all of the components yourself.
That being said all you’ll need is some growing trays, wheatgrass seed, soil, and fertilizer (not necessary. One thing to keep in mind is whether you want to buy wheatgrass seed that is certified organic or not. Certified organic wheatgrass seed comes from farmers who do not use chemicals on their land and may be a plus if you’re sensitive to chemicals or if you prefer to buy organic because it’s more environmentally responsible.
All of these components can probably be found at your local garden store however if you want organic wheatgrass seed then you may need to check at a whole foods or another health food store. As for the growing trays, you may want to buy more than one so that you can begin growing them at different times and have a constant rotation of wheatgrass ready to juice. Otherwise one will work fine while you test out your green thumb.
Now that we’ve gotten everything we’re ready to get started. Begin by soaking 1 cup (per tray) of seeds in water for no more than 12 hours and set in a dark, cool place. Next spread an inch or two of soil in the growing tray, lightly water the soil, and add the seeds that have been soaked to the top of the soil, spreading evenly. Lastly, cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil, cover with newspaper, and again set the tray in a dark place.
The wheatgrass should sprout in the next 3-5 days. During this time uncover the tray daily and lightly water if the soil has lost its moisture. Cover again with newspaper and return to a dark, cool place. Mold may form on the soil, this is natural however be sure to wipe it off. Should you not see any sprouts then start over with new seeds making sure not to soak them for too long.
Once the grass reaches 1 inch you can remove the newspaper for good and leave the tray in the sunlight, although not directly. Make sure to water lightly or mist with a spray bottle daily. The grass will be ready to juice after about 10 days or when it has grown at least 8 inches tall. That’s it! You’ve grown your first tray of wheatgrass. The more you do it the easier it will become and once you get it down you can time it so that you always have fresh wheatgrass to juice. See our post on wheatgrass juicers to help you choose the best juicer for your needs. Cheers to your health!