How to Grow Wheatgrass

 

Have you ever seen those people — or maybe you’re one of them — taking little green shots at the juice bar? Doing shots at a bar is a little too reminiscent of my behavior in my 20s. Only those shots weren’t full of health benefits, but still. I prefer to juice – and take my wheatgrass shots — at home when I can, so I embarked on a little project of growing my own wheatgrass.

Originally I thought this would be a lot of work, but I was surprised by how easy it was. I’ll add that I do not have a green thumb at all. I can barely keep flowers alive. So here are my decidedly, non-expert instructions for how to grow wheatgrass at home, in an NYC apartment.

Most people would use a flat, shallow box or trough but I opted for a small, hand-painted pot. It worked so I’m going with it.

First, I soaked my seeds in water overnight.

The next challenge was to find a small amount of soil suitable for growing the seeds. After some research I found that I could buy a 1 pound bag of potting soil or compost from the Lower East Side Ecology Center at the Union Square Greenmarket. I think it cost $1. Their booth was a little hard to find, but I asked around.

I cleaned and disinfected my pot and then poured in the soil, leaving 3-4 inches at the top.

Then I scattered the seeds around making sure they were spread out evenly. Remember, anywhere there are no seeds, the wheatgrass won’t grow.

I covered the seeds with another inch of the soil, watered it all thoroughly and placed it in my window sill hoping for the best.

The stuff grew crazy fast and now I can have fresh wheatgrass shots whenever I’d like.

Whether you grow it at

home or get it from an organic juice bar, these are some of the reasons why you should be drinking wheatgrass:

• The nutrition in 2 oz of wheatgrass is equivalent to more than 5 lbs. of dark leafy greens
• Strengthens red blood cells
• Lowers blood pressure
• Creates alkalinity in the blood
• Detoxifies the liver
• Stimulates the thyroid
• Neutralizes toxins
• Increases energy levels when consumed daily
• Cleans the colon
• Removes heavy metals from the body
• Eases sore throats when gargled
• Stops growth of bacteria (the bad kind)
• Oxygenates the cells
• Improves strength and vitality
• Promotes fertility
• Promotes regular bowel movements
• Promotes youthfulness

Stay tuned for a follow-up post, How to Juice Wheatgrass, and my personal experience with it.