How to Grow Your Own Edible Easter Grass

How to grow wheat berry grass to have living easter basket grass

We started a tradition of growing our own Easter basket grass from wheat berries about six years ago. I hate plastic Easter grass and needed an eco-friendly alternative. We had been using shredded green paper but this real Easter grass (AKA wheatgrass) is super easy to grow in about seven days. The best part? When you are done with Easter, the wheatgrass is edible! 

To eat the wheatgrass, blend it into smoothie, run it through your juicer or feed it to your pet rabbit or chickens! Growing wheatgrass is really easy and makes your Easter baskets look extra fancy. Plus there's no waste, so it's an eco-friendly win all around!

Wheatgrass benefits vs. Easter Grass...

  • Wheatgrass costs less. I paid $0.30 for enough wheat berries to grow 2-3 large baskets worth of wheatgrass. That's $0.15 per basket instead of $1 or more for each basket's worth of plastic Easter shreds. That's an 85% savings! 
  • It's a fun activity to do with your kids before Easter. (Easter Bunny believers will love leaving out fresh Easter grass as a snack for their favorite cottontail)
  • No waste. You can eat your wheatgrass by putting it in a smoothie or juicing it. You could feed it to your grass-eating pets like guines pigs, rabbits or chickens. Or if you just aren't interested in that, you can compost it
learn how to grow your own easter grass. This plastic easter grass alternative is easy to grow and an inexpensive DIY project to do with your kids! When easter is over, eat the leftover Easter grass or feed it to your chickens. #creativegreenliving #eastergrass #edibleeastergrass #ecofriendly #easter #easterbasket #groweastergrass

How to Grow Edible Easter Basket Grass
learn how to grow wheatberry grass for a sustainable easter basket grass solution


Supplies

Links below may be affiliate or referral links.

how to grow grass from wheat berries

Look for wheat berries in the bulk foods section of your local grocery or natural foods store. No natural foods store nearby? Order them from Amazon.

Note: while wheatgrass in grass form does not contain gluten, the wheat berries do. Those sensitive to gluten should wear gloves or use caution when handling the berries.


Directions


How to grow edible easter grass step 1

To gauge how many wheat berries you need per basket, lay out a single layer of wheatberries in the bottom of your basket. 

If you are using a woven, fabric or other non-waterproof basket, line the bottom with aluminum foil first. 

Pour the wheat berries out of your basket and into a mason jar. 

Cover with water. Let it sit for 2-4 hours and drain the water off. They will look nice and plump.
How to grow your own edible easter grass at home from wheat berries

How to grow edible easter grass step  2

Spread the soaked wheat berries out in the bottom of your basket (or inside the foil liner you made). 

Twice daily, spritz or sprinkle the berries with water. 

I used a sippy cup which had the non-spill stopper removed. An empty spray bottle filled with plain water works, too. Try to keep the wheat berries from drying out. 

Place the basket in a warm spot like on top of your clothes dryer or refrigerator.
edible easter grass that you can grow from home from wheat berries


How to grow edible easter grass step  3

Keep the basket in a warm spot (it doesn't have to be in the light) for the first three days. 

On day four, move the basket to a sunny window during the day and kept it warm at night. Make sure to keep sprinkling water on the seeds once or twice a day to keep the growing plants happy.
growth progressions of growing wheat berries into wheat grass for easter baskets

It's really quite amazing how quickly wheatgrass grows! If you're homeschooling, you can use this as a fun way to incorporate science and math (measuring!) into your curriculum, too.

After six or seven days, you should have some pretty hearty growth:
seven days of growth on wheat berry grass for easter baskets


Pro tip: Do not be alarmed if the basket looks a bit sparse because you can still see the seeds when you look straight down into it even after about a week:
what grass from wheat berries looks like


Once you add some eggs or gifts to the Easter basket, it shifts the grass enough so you can't tell it has space between the blades and it will look super lush.
How to grow DIY edible Easter grass. It's the perfect alternative to plastic or paper shreds. Fill with pretty eggs for a fun centerpiece idea. #creativegreenliving #eastergrass #edibleeastergrass #ecofriendly #easter #easterbasket #groweastergrass


About the Author:

Carissa Bonham is a lifelong crafter and mom of two creative boys. The owner and lead writer at Creative Green Living, she won the Craftys Award for the "Best Craft Blogger" category in 2016 and the ShiftCon award for "Best DIY Blogger" in 2018.

Her creative pursuits don't stop at crafts - she is also the author of the hardcover cookbook, Beautiful Smoothie Bowls (Skyhorse, 2017) and several ebooks. Her projects have been featured in magazines like Kids Crafts 1-2-3, Capper's Farmer and Urban Farm Magazine. Follow her on PinterestInstagramTwitter or join the Creative Green Living community group.
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4 comments

  1. I love this idea! I am so glad I found it in time to try this for Easter. I hope that they have wheat berries at our grocery store.

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  2. I'm with you on the plastic stuff. It's such a waste and is sooo messy! I'm too late for this year but I've pinned it for next year. Thanks for the great idea!

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  3. Thanks so much for leaving this link...a few questions if you don't mind. Are wheat berries the same as regular wheat. So if I got red wheat and used it would it grow? If I get wheat meant for eating, do they process it or do something that would make it not grow? Thanks for your great post!!

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    Replies
    1. The wheat berries I show are meant for eating. Most people who buy them would grind them to make flour or might soak them and cook them to make hot cereal. What you want is a whole seed-looking thing - not something ground, processed or cooked.

      It's possible that anything that isn't organic has been treated to prevent sprouting so I would purchase something organic if possible. If not, I wouldn't stress too much about it (the wheat I used in this post is not organic and it worked fine).

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