Wheat
Wheat is a grain in the Poaceae family. It grows best in full sun with dry to medium moisture, and is listed for USDA zones 3-9. Plants reach maturity about 110–150 days after planting and sit about 3 inches apart.
Varieties
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▸Wheat110–150 days
Heat tolerant, Full sun
Wheat (Organic), Hard Red Hard, brownish, high-protein wheat used for bread and hard baked goods. - Bread Flour and high-gluten flours are commonly made from. - Certified Organic. Day to Maturity | 75 days NOTE: THIS PRODUCT CANNOT BE SHIPPED TO CANADA.
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Plant spacing
In a square-foot bed, space wheat about 3 in apart — that fits 16 plants in each 1-foot square (4×4). Wider rows or containers space the same.
Plan your wheat planting
Add wheat to a free GardenDraft garden and get sow, transplant, and harvest dates computed for your ZIP code — with a drag-and-drop bed layout and reminders when it’s time to plant.
Start your free plan →At a glance
Storing & preserving
Dry fully, then store airtight in a cool, dark place.
- Dry & store: Cure to low moisture, then keep airtight from pests.
General home-preservation guidance — for tested processing times and safety, follow the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
Growing timeline
Care & troubleshooting— from university extension services, with citations
Something looks wrong?
Describe what you see on your wheatand we'll rank the likely causes — most likely first, least-invasive fix first.
Corn earworm
PestmoderateUnusual this time of year.
- CulturalPlant early and choose tight-husk varietiesstrong evidence — extension confidence
Set out early plantings, which face lower earworm pressure, and choose tight-husked varieties whose long, snug husk slows larvae from reaching the ear.
- OrganicApply oil-Bt drops to silksmoderate evidence — extension confidence
About five to six days after silks emerge, apply a few drops of vegetable or mineral oil (mixed with a labeled Bt per the label) to the silk at each ear tip to smother young caterpillars in the silk channel.
Japanese beetles
PestmoderateUnusual this time of year.
- CulturalHandpick into soapy water· every 1 days · ~4 wksstrong evidence — extension confidence
In early morning when beetles are sluggish, knock them into a bucket of soapy water; daily removal also reduces the scent that draws in more beetles. Skip the lure traps, which tend to attract more beetles than they catch.
- CulturalCover plants past bloommoderate evidence — extension confidence
On crops that have finished flowering and set fruit, drape a row cover or netting to keep beetles off without blocking pollination during bloom.
Phosphorus deficiency
DeficiencymoderateUnusual this time of year.
- CulturalCheck soil test and soil temperaturestrong evidence — extension confidence
Purpling in cold spring soils is often temporary, since cold roots can't take up phosphorus that's actually present; warm weather usually resolves it, so confirm a true shortage with a soil test before adding phosphorus.
- OrganicAdd phosphorus only if the test calls for itmoderate evidence — extension confidence
If low phosphorus is confirmed, work a phosphorus source into the root zone per the test recommendation, and keep soil pH in range since extreme pH ties up phosphorus.
Wireworms
PestmoderateUnusual this time of year.
- CulturalRotate away from grassy groundstrong evidence — extension confidence
Avoid planting susceptible crops right after sod, pasture, or grass cover, where wireworms build up; rotate to a less-favored crop and let infested beds dry out between plantings.
- CulturalBait-trap to monitor· every 5 days · ~3 wksmoderate evidence — extension confidence
Bury pieces of carrot or potato or a handful of soaked wheat seed as bait when soil reaches about 50F, check after several days, and remove the worms you find to gauge and reduce pressure.
Aphids
Pestlow- CulturalBlast off with water· every 3 days · ~2 wksstrong evidence — extension confidence
Knock colonies off with a strong jet of water in the morning; repeat every few days. Light infestations rarely need more.
- OrganicInsecticidal soap - label use only· every 1 wk · ~3 wksmoderate evidence — extension confidence
For persistent colonies apply insecticidal soap to undersides per label. Avoid open flowers.
Common corn smut
Diseaselow- CulturalCut out galls before they open· every 1 wkstrong evidence — extension confidence
Watch through the season and cut out smut galls while still firm and white, before they rupture into black spores; remove them from the garden and bury or trash them rather than composting.
- CulturalClean up debris and ease off nitrogenmoderate evidence — extension confidence
Remove crop debris after harvest rather than tilling it under, and avoid excess nitrogen and plant wounding, both of which favor smut.