- 1). Take a soil test of your planned wheat-growing area to find out what amendments are needed for optimal wheat production. Do this by contacting your county's agricultural extension office. The extension office will give you specific instructions on the correct way to take a soil test and the place to send the soil sample for testing. The test results list the amendments you need to add to the soil for wheat production as well as the exact amounts you need to add.
- 2). Prepare the planting area by removing all weeds and other vegetation that will compete with your wheat crop for moisture and nutrients. Use a shovel or hoe to remove deeply rooted perennial weeds. Add the recommended soil amendments according to the soil test results and recommendations, and work them into the top 3 inches of soil. Rake the area smooth.
- 3). Choose the right variety of wheat to grow in Maryland. Some of the varieties recommended by the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension Office are Massey, Potomac, Saluda, Severn and Wheeler. The correct seeding rate for wheat is 90 to 120 pounds per acre.
- 4). Plant at the right time. In Maryland, the right planting time is known as the "fly-free date." This is time when the chances of crop damage from the Hessian fly is minimized. In far western Maryland, the date is September 11; on the Eastern shore, the planting date is October 11. You can find exact planting dates for your area by contacting your your agricultural extension office.
- 5). Plant the wheat seeds at the correct depth. In light soils, plant 1 to 1-1/2 inches deep; in heavier soils plant up to 2 inches deep. But don't plant wheat seeds deeper than 3 inches deep. If planted too deeply, the plants will exhaust their energy reserves trying to reach the surface.
- 6). Keep the planting area evenly moist. In Maryland, you should need to add water only if the weather is unusually dry. Otherwise, the wheat will produce seed heads ripe for harvesting the following spring.
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