Grains, Legumes, and Staple Crops
Grow grains and legumes at home — pulses, cereals, oil crops and starchy staples — with sowing, spacing and harvest notes for Australian food gardens.
Staple crops are grown for calorie-dense seeds, pods, tubers, or storage organs.
Common Kinds
Section titled “Common Kinds”| Kind | Examples | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| Cereals | Wheat, rice, corn, barley, oats, rye, sorghum | Dry seeds |
| Pseudocereals | Quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth | Dry seeds used like grains |
| Pulses | Lentils, chickpeas, dry beans, peas | Dry seeds |
| Fresh legumes | Snow peas, green beans, edamame | Pods or immature seeds |
| Oil seeds | Sunflower, sesame, flax, canola | Oil-rich seeds |
| Starchy staples | Potato, cassava, taro, yam, sweet potato | Tubers, roots, corms |
Garden Scale
Section titled “Garden Scale”Many staples need more space than home gardeners expect. Beans, peas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, and amaranth are among the more approachable small-scale options.