How to Grow Easter Grass
Learn how to grow Easter grass with my video tutorial!
Growing Easter grass (or springtime grass, wheatgrass, or whatever you want to call it!) is an easy, enjoyable project to do with children to celebrate spring. There’s no reason to limit this to Easter – personally, I would suggest doing it whenever the weather starts to warm up where you live, which might not be until May!
All you need is:
- A container (clay, ceramic, glass, or metal)
- Wheat berries
- Potting soil (or dirt straight from your backyard)
- A spray bottle
- A sunny spot in your home.
You can make any size and use whatever container you like. If you don’t have anything suitable at home, looking for a container at a thrift store could be fun. Or simply head to your local garden center to pick up a clay plate.
If you aren’t sure where to find wheat berries, you can buy them online.
What Are Wheat Berries?
Here’s an answer from Bob’s Red Mill:
What Are Wheat Berries?
Though the term may at first conjure visions of something like a blueberry or a cranberry, wheat berries are actually grain. They’re often confused with other grains like farro and spelt (which are also varieties of wheat).
Wheat berries are chewy in texture and nutty and slightly earthy in flavor. They can be red or white (the color of the wheat) and you can use them in the same way that you’d use many other grains. You might notice that they’re labeled winter or spring, which is the season in which they are grown. Some folks grind their wheat berries for a homemade flour, while others use them in salads or soups. You can even add water to the berries to grow wheat sprouts!
You’ll have lots of wheat berries left over. Here are some recipes you can make with them!
Why grow Easter grass?
Here are six ideas for what you can do with Easter grass!
1. Place it on your dining table as a springtime centerpiece.
2. They make lovely additions to your spring seasonal table.
(You can make this needle felted bunny! Become a Toymaking Magic member to access the video tutorial!)
3. Place a few chocolate eggs in the grass for your child on Easter.
4. Make an Easter tree!
I got the idea from the Earthways book. We pruned off a lilac branch from our tree and simply stuck it in a pot of dirt and sprinkled the wheat berries all around it. It has brought so much cheer to our home and I am certain we will continue to do this every year! The tissue paper butterflies were another idea from that book.
5. Decorate your easter grass with a mini bunting or other decoration on a stick!
If your dirt isn’t deep enough to stick things into it, wait until the grass is tall enough to help support it.
How long do they take to grow?
We noticed ours sprouting on the 5th day. By the 10th day, they were looking nice and tall! They kept growing and growing until they started to bend and flop over. You can trim them with scissors if you want them to look tidy.
Does it have to be wheat?
If you are wondering if other grains could work, I haven’t tried any others but I have heard that some people like to use rye berries or plain old grass seeds.
Show us your Easter Grass!
If you grow some Easter grass I would love to see! Tag me on Instagram @toymakingmagic and use the hashtag #toymakingmagic
Happy Spring!