DIY rocket mass heaters
Win a copy of 5 Acres & a Dream this week in the Homestead forum!
  • Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources the cider press projects digital market permies.com private forums all forums
building brick rocket stove Permaculture Technology Jamboree Permaculture Design Course drafting SKIP Paul in a cast iron skillet Where to buy the best cast iron pans Forage for wild edibles in your area with this complete digital guide.
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • Nicole Alderman
  • Anne Miller
  • Pearl Sutton
  • r ranson
  • Mike Haasl
  • James Freyr
stewards:
  • paul wheaton
  • Joylynn Hardesty
  • Burra Maluca
garden masters:
  • Steve Thorn
  • Greg Martin
gardeners:
  • Kate Downham
  • Jay Angler
  • thomas rubino

How to tell the difference between barley, rye, and wheat?

 
Joseph Lofthouse
steward
Posts: 4886
Location: Cache Valley, zone 4b, Irrigated, 9" rain in badlands.
1695
posted 6 months ago
  • Likes 4
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Barley seeds are solitary. (One seed per peduncle.)

Rye seeds come in pairs.

Wheat seeds are triplets.

Here's a photo.
barley-rye-wheat.png
[Thumbnail for barley-rye-wheat.png]
barley, rye, wheat
barley-diversity.jpg
[Thumbnail for barley-diversity.jpg]
Different types of barley

My Current Seed Catalog / Moderator of Open Source Plant Breeding Forum. My participation in online forums is not an endorsement of any person, organization, or philosophy.

 
Lauren Ritz
pollinator
Posts: 350
Location: Utah
103
I like...
cat forest garden fungi foraging food preservation bee medical herbs writing greening the desert
posted 6 months ago
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Good information!

So have I identified those below correctly? I don't have any harvested wheat at the moment.
IMG_20190728_082618235.jpg
[Thumbnail for IMG_20190728_082618235.jpg]
Rye?
IMG_20190728_082954224.jpg
[Thumbnail for IMG_20190728_082954224.jpg]
Barley?
Rye.jpg
[Thumbnail for Rye.jpg]

Zone 5b/6a, alkaline soil, 12 inches of water per year. For now the goal is a water independent urban homestead with edible landscaping and food forest.

 
Grady Houger
Posts: 79
Location: Eastern Washington
19
posted 6 months ago
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Its amazing the variety within these grain families. I just happened to have a field of barley, oats and wheat.
20190729_092407.jpg
[Thumbnail for 20190729_092407.jpg]
 
Joseph Lofthouse
steward
Posts: 4886
Location: Cache Valley, zone 4b, Irrigated, 9" rain in badlands.
1695
posted 6 months ago
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Lauren Ritz wrote:Good information!

So have I identified those below correctly?



IMG_20190728_082954224 looks like wheat to me (three seeds per cluster).

I can't tell on IMG_20190728_082618235. Looks more like barley. Separate one seed cluster from the stem. How many seeds are there per cluster?

Rye.jpg is archetypal rye.

My Current Seed Catalog / Moderator of Open Source Plant Breeding Forum. My participation in online forums is not an endorsement of any person, organization, or philosophy.

 
Lauren Ritz
pollinator
Posts: 350
Location: Utah
103
I like...
cat forest garden fungi foraging food preservation bee medical herbs writing greening the desert
posted 6 months ago
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
224 had one seed per cluster. 235 was growing with the rye in the third picture, but like you said it doesn't look the same. I just separated it out and we might have a combination there. Some of the grains look blueish like the rye. I’m not sure if I’m separating them out correctly from the clusters.

I’ve put the grains beside the head they came out of in the next picture. So just based on numbers it looks like I have one wheat, two rye and two barley? Although four of the five look alike to me.
IMG_20190730_153201621.jpg
[Thumbnail for IMG_20190730_153201621.jpg]

Zone 5b/6a, alkaline soil, 12 inches of water per year. For now the goal is a water independent urban homestead with edible landscaping and food forest.

 
To avoid criticism do nothing, say nothing, be nothing. -Elbert Hubbard. Please critique this tiny ad:
2020 Permaculture Design Course for Scientists and Engineers, June 14-27
https://permies.com/wiki/permaculture-design-course-2020
  • Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
Boost this thread!
Similar Threads
More...