Emma Cooper

Millet and sorghum growing at the Eden Project, September 2010

Vegetables, fruits and herbs are all common in kitchen gardens, but very few gardeners ever consider growing their own grains. The common perception is that you need a lot of space to make it worthwhile, and that processing grains is something that is difficult and time-consuming to do on a smaller scale.

Small-Scale Grain Raising aims to set the record straight, by laying out exactly how much land you need to raise a reasonable quantity of various grains, and the benefits of doing so. If you have a small garden then your options are limited, but if you have a large garden or a smallholding then, according to author Gene Logsdon (who has many years of experience of growing grains on various scales) being self-sufficient in grains is a real possibility.

The book covers all the main grains in detail – maize, wheat, oats, sorghum, rye, barley, buckwheat and millet. You’ll find sowing rates and harvest estimates, information on potential problems, and suggestions for harvesting and storage. Because this is an American book there’s about twice as much information about maize as any of the others, but this is a well researched reference guide that will be invaluable to grain growers everywhere.

It’s not a dry tome, either. It’s too weighty to read straight through, but it’s written in an informal style and is full of interesting anecdotes. There are also recipes for you to make the most of your homegrown grains and insights into sustainable gardening. Some of the fascinating ideas raised include using an oat crop as a mulch for your strawberry bed, oat grains as a mushroom growing medium and buckwheat as a nectar source for a honey crop.

There’s an illustrated glossary, a ton of information on using grains as livestock fodder and tantalizing hints of the work being done to produce perennial grains. Add in a section on unusual grain crops – including wild rice and quinoa (but sadly not amaranths) and there’s plenty here to keep you dreaming of golden fields all year round.