Rye (Cereal)
How to Grow Cereal Rye in the UK Cereal rye provides hardy winter cover or a grain harvest. Choose your purpose before sowing: stop a green manure in spring, or keep a grain crop until summer. Secale cereale Hardy winter cover Different from ryegrass Direct sow outdoors Separate grain and green-manure routes Rye (Cereal) growing […]
Sweetcorn
How to Grow Sweetcorn in the UK Sweetcorn rewards a sunny summer with cobs that can go straight from the plot to the kitchen. Start with an early variety, raise sturdy plants in warmth and give them a shared block of fertile ground. Good pollination and timely picking matter as much as plant height. Tender […]
Wheat
How to Grow Wheat in the UK A small patch of wheat shows the whole journey from a grain to a seed head. It suits a learning project, a decorative cereal patch or a modest grain harvest. Choose known seed for the right season: winter and spring wheat have different needs, and growing grain is […]
Flax
How to Grow Flax in the UK Common flax links summer flowers with two familiar materials: linen and linseed. Linum usitatissimum is an annual grown outdoors in Britain. Choose seed for your intended use: a branching garden plant and a dense stand for fibre need different spacing and harvest decisions. Hardy annual Sow directly outdoors […]
Oats
How to Grow Oats in the UK Oats can fill a bare vegetable bed with useful cover, provide seed for birds or make an interesting small grain growing project. This guide focuses on cultivated common oats, Avena sativa. Decide whether you want green growth or mature grain before sowing: a green manure is cut down […]
Amaranth (Grain)
How to Grow Grain Amaranth in the UK Grain amaranth is grown for the tiny seeds held in its large flower heads. It is a broad leaved crop, not a cereal grass, although its seed is used in similar ways. The main grain species are Amaranthus caudatus, Amaranthus cruentus and Amaranthus hypochondriacus. In the UK, […]
Amaranthus
How to Grow Ornamental Amaranthus in the UK Ornamental amaranthus gives summer planting a bold change of texture, from long hanging tassels to upright plumes and brightly coloured leaves. These are warm season plants, usually grown as annuals in the UK. This guide is for border colour and cutting, rather than producing food grain. Start […]
Barley
How to Grow Barley in the UK Barley turns a sunny plot into a lesson in grain growing. Its stems, ears and summer ripening are attractive, but producing food involves more than cutting the crop. Choose seed for the intended season and use, and arrange somewhere dry for processing before sowing. This guide covers cultivated […]
Big Bluestem
How to Grow Big Bluestem in the UK Big bluestem is a tall perennial grass that earns its space towards the end of the growing season. Andropogon gerardii, also written Andropogon gerardi, produces upright stems, narrow leaves and distinctive branching flowerheads. Its North American prairie origins help explain the preference for sunshine and summer warmth. […]
Buckwheat
How to Grow Buckwheat in the UK Buckwheat is a quick summer annual for covering empty beds, feeding flower visiting insects or trying a small grain crop. Decide the purpose before sowing: green manure is cut before seed develops, while grain must remain in place longer. Summer annual Frost tender Useful green manure Flowers for […]
