🌾 Wheat
Field Crops · growing reference
| Days to maturity | 60 days – 250 days, by type |
|---|---|
| Germination | 7 days |
| Planted as | lb |
| Water | ~0.60–1 in a week |
When to plant — Cover Wheat
In USDA zone 6, for example: Sow around Oct 6, a couple of weeks before your ground freezes — it overwinters and comes away in spring.
| Fall | |
|---|---|
| Zone 3 | Sep 6 |
| Zone 4 | Sep 11 |
| Zone 5 | Sep 24 |
| Zone 6 | Oct 6 |
| Zone 7 | Oct 27 |
| Zone 8 | Nov 11 |
| Zone 9 | Nov 26 |
Dates are the typical window for each zone's average frost dates — your own last frost can differ by a couple of weeks. Zone 10 and warmer is effectively frost-free: plant to the season, not the frost. Southern Hemisphere: shift six months.
When to plant — Spring Wheat
In USDA zone 6, for example: Plant around Mar 18 — as soon as the ground can be worked.
| Spring | |
|---|---|
| Zone 3 | Apr 17 |
| Zone 4 | Apr 9 |
| Zone 5 | Mar 29 |
| Zone 6 | Mar 18 |
| Zone 7 | Mar 4 |
| Zone 8 | Feb 15 |
| Zone 9 | Jan 23 |
Dates are the typical window for each zone's average frost dates — your own last frost can differ by a couple of weeks. Zone 10 and warmer is effectively frost-free: plant to the season, not the frost. Southern Hemisphere: shift six months.
When to plant — Winter Wheat
In USDA zone 6, for example: Sow around Oct 6, a couple of weeks before your ground freezes — it overwinters and comes away in spring.
| Fall | |
|---|---|
| Zone 3 | Sep 6 |
| Zone 4 | Sep 11 |
| Zone 5 | Sep 24 |
| Zone 6 | Oct 6 |
| Zone 7 | Oct 27 |
| Zone 8 | Nov 11 |
| Zone 9 | Nov 26 |
Dates are the typical window for each zone's average frost dates — your own last frost can differ by a couple of weeks. Zone 10 and warmer is effectively frost-free: plant to the season, not the frost. Southern Hemisphere: shift six months.
Wheat Types
- Winter · 250 days · 15–30 lbs/plant — Sown in fall, vernalizes over winter, harvested the next summer — hard red winter, soft white.
- Spring · 110 days · 12–25 lbs/plant — Sown in spring for a late-summer harvest where winters are too harsh — hard red spring, durum.
- Cover · 60 days · 30–60 lbs of green manure/plant — A gentle, easy-to-kill cereal cover — winter-hardy but less aggressive than rye; terminate before heading.