How to DIY Wheat Stalks for Fall Decor Decorations

We live in one of Canada’s prairie provinces and although a mountain girl, the prairies during harvest season are breathtaking. Driving around sightseeing and hunting for old barns, I noticed all the wheat and decided to dry some wheat stalks for Fall decor decorating.

Last year the barn that inspired me was surrounded by a waist-high wheat field, this year it’s surrounded by canola but still beautiful.

Bundles of freshly dried wheat hung up to dry or wrapped in a simple burlap ribbon are a beautiful way to add natural elements to our homes for the Fall season. A wheat sheaf when properly dried and stored will last a long time. I have one several years old that I purchased.

Gathering Fresh Wheat

The first thing we need to do is pick some fresh wheat. Farmers may not appreciate us “harvesting” a handful of wheat from their wheat fields, especially if we were to inadvertently damage something. Once the Farmer has harvested his wheat field it’s easy to locate leftover wheat stalks in the ditches on the side of the road. To gather the wheat take a strong pair of scissors and snip it off close to the ground.

How to Preserve Wheat Stalks

You need to start by gathering the wheat stalks, to be honest, these may be barley but I don’t know the difference, either way, I love the little whispy tops.  The colours are beautiful shades of soft green to golden yellows.

Once gathered you need to clean the stalks of wheat. I recommend picking and sorting through the wheat outside. The plant may have bugs, my wheat had a ladybug and an ant.

Go through each shaft of wheat removing all the lower leaves, and tossing out any broken or miscolored stems.

Once you have the wheat picked through and the extra leaves removed, place the stalk ends in water. At this point, I brought mine into the house and used my kitchen sink. Although I know they get rained on, I wasn’t comfortable immersing the fresh grain ends in water so I kept them dry.

Clean each stalk with a soft cloth making sure not to break them. After you clean each stem set it aside in a single layer on a towel to dry. Let them dry for several hours.

Bundling and Hanging your Wheat Stalks

Bundle your stalks by holding the bottom of each grain section between your thumb and finger.

Gather the wheat stalk into little bundles of 20 stalks, secure with an elastic band. Place a second elastic lower down the stalks. Trim the bottom of the stems off evenly.

Hang the wheat to dry the seed side down for one to four weeks until completely dry.

Making Wheat Bundles

Gather the wheat into a handheld bundle. Arrange the wheat so the ends of the seedy section line up. Use raffia or a bit of twine to wrap the wheat bundle several times and secure it with a small bow. Once wrapped tightly trim the ends of the stems evenly.

Update: These wheat stalks have been kept very well. I created some updated pictures for them after 2 years and a move this is what they look like. To store the wheat sheaths I wrap it in tissue paper and store it in a dry place like a sealed Rubbermaid container.

Decorating with Bundles of Wheat

There are many ways to use decorative wheat stalks, you can use them for wall decor in a tobacco basket.

Make pretty wheat bouquets, or lay some in a basket along with fun pumpkins. Place them as filler on your Fall mantel either flat or standing with a pretty ribbon.

Pin this Post and Enjoy Gathering!

Are there any local naturals you gather to use for Fall decorating?  Do they need some time to preserve before you can use them?  Let me know in the comments, I always enjoy hearing from you.

Some Other DIY Fall Decor Ideas