Gardening with Grains. Brie Arthur
191; Lisa Roper – pages 38, 102, 107, 108; Bent Jensen – page 46; Patrick Cullina – page 62; Jeff Lynch – page 91; Preston Montague – page 130; Brenda Ridgeway – page 134.
Illustrations © Preston Montague:
pages 52, 55, 60, 65, 74, 85, 95, 109, 110
Printed in Canada
On certified FSC recycled paper using soy-based inks
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TO ALL THE GARDENERS:
THOSE FROM THE PAST WHO HAVE LEFT US A LEGACY OF WISDOM AND ETERNAL HOPE…
THOSE IN THE PRESENT WHO SERVE AND NURTURE THE EARTH’S GIFTS…
AND THOSE IN THE FUTURE, WHOSE INFLUENCE WILL SHAPE GENERATIONS TO COME:
MY GRATITUDE.
Table of Contents
Introduction | “Greetings from my sunny front yard in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina.”
Chapter 2 | What are Grains and Why Should You Grow Them?
Chapter 3 | The Entwined History of Humans and Cereal Grains (briefly told)
Chapter 4 | Ancient Grains to Modern-Day Cultivation
Chapter 5 | Three Great Cool Season Grains: Barley, Oats & Wheat
Chapter 6 | Three Great Warm Season Grains: Corn, Rice & Sorghum
Chapter 7 | Designing with Grains
Chapter 8 | Companion Plants that Play Well
Chapter 9 | “But is it deer proof?”
Chapter 10 | Bringing the Beauty Indoors: Decorating with Grains
Chapter 11 | Harvesting and Processing Your Grains
Chapter 12 | Cooking with Homegrown Grains:
Introduction
Greetings from my sunny front yard in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina. It is late spring, and the cool season grains are beginning to dry, making their statement all the more vividly. On this particular day, the breeze is strong and the humidity low. The sun sparkles and the cloudless Carolina blue sky provides the perfect backdrop to reflect on my grain journey.
As I kneel on a soft patch of turf to inspect the wheat, I realize that grass is one of the last remnants of the “normal” landscape I inherited upon moving to my home in 2010. A decade ago, I could never have imagined the possibilities this former tobacco field would bring.
The freshly mowed lawn serves as a lush green stage for the spring show of grains as they turn amber. The arching stalks of barley, oats and wheat wave in the breeze and glow in the sunshine. I’m daydreaming of what this space will look like in September when it is replanted with warm season grains such as corn, rice and sorghum. The possibilities are endless.
Today is a day to dream, give thanks and reflect with gratitude. It’s a day to take note of the simple moments, like a bee buzzing overhead, and appreciate the beauty that surrounds me. It’s a day for me to hope that my ramblings will influence others to take up this great hobby of gardening and to perhaps inspire a few folks to toss some grain seed into the earth and experience this same joy.
No question, I am more than a bit unconventional. Some may consider my style “natural,”