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Grasses & Grains

Barley growing guide

One of the world's oldest cultivated grains. Cool-season annual also used as a cover crop to improve soil. Malted barley is used in beer and whisky production.

Barley (Hordeum vulgare)
Wikimedia Commons · JackyM59 · CC BY-SA 4.0
5-10 daysGermination
70-90 daysHarvest
15 cmSpacing
3 cmSow depth
FullSun
HardyFrost
2 cm/weekWater
6-7.5pH

Planting calendar by climate

Use these windows as a public guide. Plotera can personalise tasks around your saved garden, location and planting dates.

ClimateSowTransplant / PlantHarvest
TropicalApr - JulApr - JulJun - Sep
SubtropicalMar - JulMar - JulMay - Sep
MediterraneanFeb - MayFeb - MayApr - Jul
TemperateFeb - MayFeb - MayMay - Jul
CoolFeb - MayFeb - MayMay - Aug
AridMar - JunMar - JunMay - Aug

Cooking and eating ideas

A quick garden-to-table guide for using Barley after harvest.

Raw / fresh

Usually not eaten raw; process as grain, flour, sprouts, or cooked whole grains depending on the crop.

Cooked

Cook as whole grain, porridge, flour, bread, sprouts, or animal/garden support crop where relevant.

Store / preserve

Use fresh, pickle, freeze, dry, or preserve depending on the edible part.

Try: Cooked grain, Flour, Porridge, Sprouts.

Good companions

Clover, Legumes

Avoid near

No avoid list yet.

Growing note

Often used as a green manure crop — dig in before flowering to enrich soil.

Turn garden notes into a living plan.

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