Back in the early 90s, Jackie French’s book “Backyard Self-Sufficiency” (see below) introduced me to the idea of growing grains (and other staples) in the back yard, I have given it a go and was moderately successful.. I admit that this idea fascinates me, that we could grow grains on a small scale. I have kept an eye out for books on this subject but they have been few and far between, so I have picked them up when I saw them. These are the ones I found.
Small Scale Grain Raising – Gene Logsdon – Rodale Press Inc (US) 1977 ISBN 0 87857 13 5 – The book starts with an intro on growing your own grain, by-products, how much to grow and working out space requirements. The book covers ten main grains including corn, wheat, rye, barley, oats, buckwheat, millet and Rice. The entry on each grain covers varieties, fertility, cultivation, pests, diseases and harvesting. There is also a section on uncommon grains (eg flax, spelt and triticale), feeding grain to animals and towards the back there is an illustrated glossary ofgrain equipment and terms, the illustration being some nice line drawings. There are a few B&W photos and line drawings throughout the book. This is the most detailed offering and my favourite.
Homegrown Whole Grains – Sara Pitzer – Storey Publishing (US) 2009 ISBN 978 1 60342 153 9 – The first part of the book is about starting growing grains, looking at your soil, sowing, growing harvesting and processing your grain. The next section covers barley, buckwheat, corn, millet, oats, rice, rye and wheat, with a section in the middle about heirloom grains like amaranth and quinoa. Each grain is covered including types & varieties, cultivation, pests and diseases, harvesting and using it in the kitchen including recipes. There are a number of line drawings but no photos.
Gardening with Grains – Brie Arthur – St Lynn’s Press (US) 2019 ISBN 978 1 9466 5 4 – This book is set out in four parts. The first part covers the authors’ journey with grains, a bit of grain history and why you should grow them. Part two gives more details on individual grains, but mainly around history and info about the grain type, with a small amount on growing and variety selection. Grains covered are barley, oats, wheat, corn, rice and sorghum. Part three covers the use of the grains in the garden and companion plants that grow well with grains. Part four is aboutdecorating using dried grains, harvesting and processing your grains and then 24 pages of recipes to use them in. Lots of colour photos.
Growing Wheat and Making Bread on a Small Scale – Hugh Coates & J.R. Standford – Thorsons Publishers Ltd (UK) 1980 ISBN 0 7225 0595 7 – The first part of the book covers airing land (in the 1980’s UK), it then covers sowing and cultivating wheat, then harvesting it, stoking it, then winnowing and cleaning the wheat, drying and storing it. The next chapter is a review of the small scale wheat grinders available at the time followed by a description of making bread. The last chapter gives a historical view of wheat growing and use. Lots of black and white photos.
Backyard Self Sufficiency (2nd Ed.) – Jackie French – Aird Books (AUS) 2009 ISBN 978 0 94721 458 6 – My gateway book into grain growing! The information on grain growing is part of Chapter 2, Growing Staples, which covers grains from pages 17 to 22, with information of growing barley, buckwheat, maize, millet, oats, rice, rye, triticale and wheat. The most information is provided for growing wheat. I love this book and it provides a shedload of information on growing all types of traditional and not traditional backyard food crops. There is the odd line drawing.
