How to Grow Oats

Days to germination: 7 to 20 days
Days to harvest: Full season
Light requirements: Full sun
Water requirements: Frequent watering
Soil: Well-drained
Container: Not suitable

Introduction

There are a few different varieties of oats available, with the 2 most popular being white oats and red oats. White oats are grown more in the northern areas, whereas red oats are grown in warmer areas with mild winters.

For anyone growing oats on a small scale, hull-less oats are ideal because they need a lot less processing after harvest time. Having to mill the oats to remove the hulls is usually beyond the scope of the average gardener, so look for hull-less oats.

Though oats and other small grains are definitely suitable for the home gardeners, you will need to have more space for them than you do for other fruits or vegetables. But that doesn’t mean you need acres to dedicate to your oats in order to get a useful crop.

Oats are a good source of fiber, protein and carbohydrates. Oats cannot be eaten raw, and they can take a while to cook when used whole. Rolled or cut oats will cook faster. They can be used in granola, baked goods or just plain as oatmeal. In savory recipes, you can even use whole oats in place of rice though they take longer to cook.

Starting from Seed

Your average garden center may not carry oat seed, so you might have to find a local agricultural store or farming co-op. Tell them how much space you are going to plant, and they should be able to tell you how many pounds of seed you will need.

Oats should be planted as early in the spring as you can get them out. To help reduce the weed levels in your field, you should try to do a cultivation in the fall, to bring up any seeds to the surface for the winter cold to kill. Dig again in the spring closer to when you’re going to do your planting.

You should plant your oats in a sunny location where it will be easy to access water for them. Oats need more water than most other grains, and you will probably have to water them if there are too many days between rainstorms.

Though they like moisture, oats will not grow well in low-lying areas where water accumulates. The soil needs to be well draining.

To sow your seeds, you just broadcast them out over the soil. For a small area (like a quarter acre or less), you can just do it by hand. Try to get the seeds evenly distributed. If you are going to be growing a larger area, you can get tools to help you spread the seeds. It saves your arm and will spread them more evenly.

Unfortunately, you will also have to go and cover all that seed once you’re done. If you leave it all on the surface, you will surely lose most of it to the birds. Go over the entire area with a rake and turn over the soil to get the seeds at least an inch under the surface. One trick is to do your seeding right before an expected heavy rain. The water will beat the seeds into the wet soil, and do a pretty good job of covering without any more effort on your part.

Growing Instructions

Though they may seem like a lot of work to process (see below) there is little work to be done during the growing season. Because oats are grown in a dense patch, you can’t really get in to weed them and the plants generally need little care.

You will need to give them a watering when the weather gets dry, which can be difficult if you are growing a large patch of them. But they don’t do well in dry conditions, so either you water your oats or risk losing them.

Pests and Disease

Other than birds and rodents stealing your grain, there are few pests to worry about when growing oats.

There are some rust fungi that can attack oats, particularly if the weather is very humid. You will see patches or streaks of rust on the leaves and stalks of your oats. There are fungicide products you can use, as long as you aren’t spraying right before harvest time.

Harvest and Storage

Oats will be between 2 and 5 feet tall when they are mature. The leaves should be starting to turn brown, and the oat kernels should be in what is called the “dough” stage. When you squeeze a kernel, there should be no milky fluid left (its still in the milk stage then). The kernels should be soft, and can be dented with a fingernail. If you wait until they are hard (also called “dead ripe”, you will likely lose a lot of grain with all the handling during harvest.

To harvest your oats, just cut the seed heads from the stalks. You can cut the stalks anywhere along the length, but the higher up you cut, the less straw you’ll have to deal with when you are threshing. A sharp knife or garden sickle will work fine.

Once the seed heads are harvested, you need to let them cure. How long this takes will really depend on the weather, and it can be several days to several weeks. Store your cut oats outside if it’s not expecting to rain, or indoors where it is warm and dry. When the kernels are dead ripe, you can start to thresh out the oats.

Spread out a sheet, and use whatever means you wish to beat the seed heads until all the oats are loose from the stalks. You can stomp on them (but cover with another sheet if you do this), or use something like a plastic baseball bat or a short length of stiff garden hose. Once all the seed heads have been crushed, you just need to separate the oats from the left over pieces of stalk (called the chaff).

The traditional way to do this, is to drop handfuls of the oats and chaff from several feet up into a bowl or bucket on a windy day. The wind blows out the loose chaff, and only the oats remain in the bucket.

You can get up to 10 bushels of finished grain from just a quarter-acre field.

Store whole oats in an air-tight container away from the light. They should last up to 3 months. Their high-fat content keep oats from storing longer, and they will go rancid.

28 Responses to “How to Grow Oats”

Tomas Fernandez Says:
November 7th, 2010 at 12:16 pm
We currently buy our oats from a gluten free farm facility in Wyoming. I am thinking of growing our own and am wondering where to buy the gluten free seed and what varieties there are?

Thanks,

Tomas
Administrator Says:
November 7th, 2010 at 2:53 pm
Uhh… all oats are gluten free.

Gluten is wheat protein. Oats, not being wheat, do not contain it.

Gluten is what allows wheat to be leavened into breads. The protein creates a web which catches air bubbles. Oats, which contain no gluten, cannot be leavened, thus oat bread is flat like a pita.

Gluten is just wheat protein, some people are allergic to it but if you’re not it is not unhealthy or anything. You shouldn’t look for gluten free foods unless you have an allergy. And oats, definitely do not have gluten. Only wheat has gluten.
bea Says:
January 9th, 2011 at 7:06 pm
Tomas’ search for gluten free oats is valid, but your condescension is not.
oats are naturally gluten free, yes, but they are more often than not contaminated with gluten. They get processed in the same facilities wheat and barley do, and are often grown in adjacent fields. I’ve become violently ill from oat products that were not processed in dedicated gluten-free facilities.

and btw, there is a difference between wheat-free and gluten-free. having had celiac since I was 17, i’ve learned this the hard way many times.
Administrator Says:
January 10th, 2011 at 8:25 pm
I wasn’t trying to be condescending, but this is a gardening blog, not a shopping blog.

Tomas was asking for “gluten free oat seed” which is all oat seed. Not to eat, but to plant in the dirt, and grow into more oats.

I understand your concern that oats may be processed at the same plants and so gluten can be introduced, but, again, this is a gardening blog no a grocery shopping blog. Tomas will be harvesting his own oats, so if any wheat “rubs off” on them after harvesting it will be because of his own actions.

So while your advice about shelf shopping at the local supermarket is valid, it isn’t applicable to the matter at hand, which is growing oats in your garden.
sue howarth Says:
March 10th, 2011 at 9:09 am
I have managed to find some hull-less oats, not easy in the UK. They have been difficult to source in a small quantity. If my crop is successfull it makes sense to store some seed to grow on next year.If the shelf life is just a few months how could this be done?
Rick Says:
March 19th, 2011 at 11:56 am
It is all good information.
Are there any commercially available devices to seperate the chaff?
Mike Paraschos Says:
April 1st, 2011 at 10:30 pm
I just bought some “Streaker” Hulless Oat
seed and the package said 2oz would plant 100 sq ft.
lynn taylor Says:
May 2nd, 2011 at 12:49 pm
Can you extend shelf life of the oats by freezing for storage? Also interested in the question regarding seed storage… I’m a “small homestead” gardener, this is my first run at grains and I would like to be able to self-sustain with my own seeds. How do you do this? Thanks for your help.
Robin Dulake Says:
May 7th, 2011 at 3:04 am
Could Sue Howarth let me know where she found hul-less oats, it would be a great help. We live in Dorset
Rick Rogoski Says:
May 29th, 2011 at 6:45 am
I purchased five pounds from Johnny’s seeds over the internet. They were not available locally. I am looking forward to eating them.
Rick
jamie Says:
June 13th, 2011 at 11:53 am
hello, i am growing oats for the first time to harvest milky oats and oat straw for medicinal purposes. Is there a better time to harvest for those and i believe i can leave the hull on right?
Jack Says:
June 17th, 2011 at 7:58 pm
After reading the comments of Tomas, Administrator, and Bea… I could not let this one go. It is a safety issue. The concern about a gluten-free seed source is valid, but for more reasons than the administrator is aware of or that have been mentioned here:

Oat fields can often have wheat growing in them from leftover seeds remaining from previous years growth, or from strays brought in by equipment or other means.
A gluten-free seed source perhaps isn’t the best term, so much as a wheat-free seed source, or a Wheat- and Barley-free seed source… in other words, a seed source that is VERY pure. This is a major concern for celiacs who want to grow their own oats. Seeking oats that have been grown with close attention to this, with the growers being vigilant about farm equipment and neighboring farm fields, who pay closer-than-normal attention to what is growing in their fields and what ends up in their products, would have a lot to say about why this is important. This is a gardening/farming concern, and a health concern, not just a “shopping” concern. Maybe that is true for some people, but certainly not for all.

I think it is very important to be very clear about this, especially if you are planning on growing oats for your family or for selling and marketing as a gluten-free product. Celiac is no joke, and can be pretty dangerous for some folks, especially if you are consuming something that a farmer/gardener ignorant of such things presumes is gluten-free and therefore markets as such, when it actually isn’t. Children with celiacs could be fed contaminated oats by parents assuming that it is safe, and suffer permanent health consequences. For some of us, it really matters.

I’m sure if you contacted the folks in Wyoming (“Gluten Free Oats”) directly they would be happy to discuss it with you and maybe even suggest a seed source. Their company exists for a very real reason. They developed their methods out of their own necessity, and developed the product for market because there was a real need for it. I get my (hull-less) oat seeds from Johnny’s and have found them to be pretty pure, but I am not so sensitive that a little bit of wheat or barley contamination would matter.

And I agree with Bea. The Admin’s comments were condescending. Uhh… Twice. People rarely intend to be condescending. It is a symptom of assuming that the standpoint of another person has no validity and, therefore, suggesting it is irrelevant. While your information is pertinent, you should do your homework before you discount the concerns of your guests on this forum, especially when they are trying to establish the safety of a plant they are growing. You could just state what information you have to bring to the table and raise questions to the discussion without phrasing it in a way that suggests that is the final word on the matter or that the concerns of others are stupid. That is a good way to promote ignorance and shut down discussion. And that is very much what your comments did.
Administrator Says:
June 18th, 2011 at 7:43 am
Again, you’re wrong.

You can grow oats and wheat in the same field like a checkerboard, making every other plant oats, with wheat in between. The oat seeds will not absorb gluten through some magical osmosis.

If someone then bought those oats, and ate those oats, there might be some wheat in there, yes.

But this isn’t a cooking blog, this is a gardening blog. Seeds don’t have a memory of what plants were their parent’s neighbors in the field in the previous generation. It really doesn’t matter where your seeds come from.

What you’re infering is that oats grown in the presence of wheat will have their genetic structure altered by some sort of wizardry so that their seeds will produce oats that contain gluten. Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?

I’m sorry if my comments make you feel stupid, but that is not my fault, I’m merely stating scientific fact. Oats do not contain gluten, any gluten found in an commercial oat product has to be the result of contamination by wheat when the product is processed. If you grow your own oats, you won’t be using commercial processing plants, and unless you, for some reason, mix your harvest with some wheat, you’ll be perfectly fine. If you do mix your harvest with some wheat, it is not the fault of the oat.

Being worried that your oat plant’s grandmother might have been grown near some wheat is entirely irrational.

So I repeat, all oat plants produce gluten free oat seeds no matter what, with no exceptions. All oat seeds product oat plants that produce gluten free oat seeds, no matter what. For a gardener, looking for a seed to plant (not to eat), it does not matter where you buy your seeds, all seeds will produce gluten free oats. It is only during and after harvest that oats can be contaminated with gluten, and obviously if that is a concern for you, don’t use tools used on wheat to harvest your oats.

Remember, this is not a shopping blog, or a cooking blog, or a commercial scale farming blog, or an agribusiness blog, or a food processing blog. This blog is about gardening, about plants, horticulture.

I’m going to go ahead and assume that someone with a sensitivity to gluten will not be harvesting wheat in their home garden, will not be planting wheat in their home garden, will not cavalierly mix wheat with their oats, and if any wheat plants sprout, they’ll weed them.

If they fail to do those things, it isn’t the fault of the oats.
Nikki Says:
June 21st, 2011 at 6:30 pm
I am one of those gluten-free people too, but let me put the questions into gardening questions.

I want to plant and grow oats to eat. The gluten contamination issue IS an airborne one, but it is so small as to be about spore attachment. It’s one an exceptionally microscopic level, which is why there is so much CC risk for the consumers.
I want to consume these. I want to garden, and that plant, to be a way to get sustenance. Hull-free? ok. Enough water? Fantastic news. Gluten free? A life-threatening question, thus one you will hear about.
The cool thing is, now you can say “It’s an airborne CC issue, oats are naturally GF, and if you grow them GF, they should stay that way.”
Now, let me ask the question everyone before me has tried to get answered. I’d like to save some of these seeds to plant later- how should I store them, if the shelf life is so short?
Thank you for your time, and your patience. Since it CAN be a life-threatening cross-contamination issue, and there are more people out there with allergies than you know, its often a necessary question, and we are pretty used to being belittled for it. Isn’t it nice you can now help us stay alive by providing the correct information in a kind manner? Wait, I did that. So just refer them to my comment. Either way, the information is there. Kindness gets the correct information spread further, whether youre planning on planting the plant to harvest seeds from, or for nutritional need.
Henny Says:
June 21st, 2011 at 6:54 pm
Atta boy, Administrator. Atta boy. And I really mean it. Some people are just goofy.

Thanks for the info on harvesting oats. My garden has sprouted oats, no doubt from the horse manure my mare so graciously provided. I thought that I’d harvest the oats and keep them for replanting next year, for a bigger crop, but on purpose.
UrbanLoki Says:
July 2nd, 2011 at 2:52 pm
What is the most accurate way to estimate crop production, ie x sq feet oatseed equals y lbs of oats. I am still new to the idea of growing my own oats/ grains.

Oh, one more thing. What soil Ph do oats prefer?
astrodominus Says:
July 25th, 2011 at 12:31 pm
I’ve never grown oats before, but its exciting to see it is possible for a backyard gardener. Is there a minimum amount of space you’d recommend a gardener with a finite backyard devote to a first time attempt of a crop like this?

Thanks for all the good info here. And I’m not a celiac (I just enjoy oatmeal) and I don’t mean this in a condescending way: but questions of a life threatening nature are probably best answered by a doctor rather than a garden blogger.

There is lots of useful garden info here, though. And I for one am inspired to try growing a crop of oats in my backyard next year. Assuming I have sufficient space. Thanks!
OregonCoastGardener Says:
August 10th, 2011 at 9:08 am
Thought I would pass along a money-saving tip for those not concerned with cross-contamination.

I plant a rotation in winter of cover-crop (mixed legumes mostly) on all my garden beds, and to ensure germination as well as protecting from heavy rains, I mulch it with inexpensive oat straw. I buy it from a local farmer, the straw is usually sold for animal bedding. One 2-string bale goes a long way as mulch.

The straw usually has a good amount of seeds still attached, so the mulch adds a “free” crop of oats. If you leave a few beds undisturbed to mature instead of turning them under for veggie planting, you now have oats for harvesting and improved soil to boot. The leftover new straw after harvest goes right into my chickens’ pen for bedding.
melody Says:
January 12th, 2012 at 5:19 pm
Is there anyway to start seeds indoors to speed up germination?
Rob Says:
January 17th, 2012 at 1:04 am
Ya, I’m going to have to toss my hat in with Henny and give the admin kudos on this. It seems as if the second you start talking about grains kooky stuff starts happening.

The admin is only trying to show how to grow oats, and I didn’t see his/her request for a lesson on Celiacs disease, nor to be educated on how wheat proteins travel on magical fairy dust and infect all that is around them.
Niki Says:
January 25th, 2012 at 5:04 am
Please, back to seed storage for spring plantinh… cold & dry?
Ruth Says:
February 2nd, 2012 at 4:25 am
We should never make anyone afraid or embarresed to ask a question I am now afraid to ask anything becouse I don’t know what negitivity will come from it I did love your informitive blog until the meanness came out of your garden
Dan Says:
February 21st, 2012 at 9:09 am
How do you retain part of a harvest for seeding the plot the following year when the kernels only have a 3 month shelf life? Or is the streaker, hull-less variety sterile?
Bob Craig Says:
March 7th, 2012 at 4:07 pm
I need to photograph some live oat plants and I live in Goleta, California. It is March 7 – any ideas on where I might find a field> Thanks very much
Bob
David Says:
March 20th, 2012 at 6:26 pm
As far as the retaining of oat berries for continual planting; my reading suggests the following:

For areas with mild and wet winters; fall planting, over-wintering, spring growing with a late spring or early summer harvest… Will leave ~3 months until replanting… Perhaps buckwheat for a short and fast growing summer crop?…

For areas with a frozen (thus arid) winter; I would presume the “outdoor” storage would prolong the berries long enough for a spring planting the following year…

Wish I had practical knowledge to confirm my book knowledge
Lois Says:
March 26th, 2012 at 8:58 am
re hull-less oats, Cavena Nuda, I grew some in a one gallon pot on the deck last summer, they performed well even though planted late, and in half shade. Seed is from Manitoba, where it was developed, but I got it on line from Well.ca as just a jar of hull-less oats to cook like brown rice. It sprouted perfectly for my experiment,and I will grow out the seed again this year. Not sure if they will ship to other countries, but it was 17. canadian for 1.5 kilos.
Meredith Says:
April 20th, 2012 at 3:17 pm
Sorry, the Admin’s comments have really really annoyed me. Oats are gluten free. Oat plants grown next to wheat plants are gluten free. Simple, right? Except, that if you grow a whole stand of oats with one wheat plant somewhere in the middle because the seeds got mixed up at the source, harvest them, grind them into flour or make oatmeal – if you’ve got celiac disease, YOU ARE GOING TO GET SICK. So the GARDENING question is, what are some reliable seed sources that give those of us with celiac some comfort that we’re not getting into trouble. A helpful bit of information that could have been shared would be how to spot a wheat seed in a pound of oats, if there’s an easy way to tell them apart. Suggesting that we talk to a doctor wouldn’t help, because he’s already told us all he knows about the issue: don’t eat wheat. Or barley, or rye, for that matter. A doctor can’t help tell us what seed sources are pure oats and not mixed up with wheat. It would be a rare doctor that could tell one whole grain seed from another.

I found all of the Admin’s remarks condescending because they assume that we’re worried about fairy dust, and not asking a legitimate question of how to make sure that we are planting only oats, not a blend of mystery grains half of which we’ll probably react to. Jack and Nikki’s comments are helpful, but their legitimate questions haven’t been answered.
Administrator Says:
April 30th, 2012 at 9:45 am
Again… you’re the grower, you’re not buying the oats. So if you see wheat growing in with your oats, pull it as you would a weed.

I guess it is accurate to say all oats are gluten free, but not all gardeners are capable of weeding plants they don’t want out of the garden.

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How to Grow Oats

28 Responses to “How to Grow Oats”

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