Easter grass that you can grow in 5 days. Turn it into a centrepiece, a live grass Easter basket or as the base for a flower arrangement. Easter grass is edible, obviously biodegradable and incredibly easy to grow.
It's that time of year again. The time I bring you an Easter DIY that has NO pastels, NO fake eggs and NO Easter bunny dressed in yellow plaid overalls.
I'd like to welcome you to my annual post where I talk about my distain for traditional Easter decorations. I don't know what it is about Easter specifically that seduces people with perfectly good taste to throw all their design sense out the window but it's a genuine phenomenon.
Homes that are normally rustic & cozy have mint green buck toothed rabbits sitting on their coffee tables. Homes that are normally chic & sleek are riddled with 20 year old plastic eggs with the white bloom of ageing carcinogens on them.
That white bloom isn't actually carcinogens. It's oxidation, but that didn't sound as zippy.
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY. There is help.
You can ditch the plastic grasses and eggs and grow your own Easter decoration in just 5 days. Or even sooner if you'd like to make an Easter wreath.
Use your homegrown easter basket grass for an actual Easter Basket, flower arrangement or centrepiece. It would also make a pretty impressive base for a spring themed gift basket.
Table of Contents
Easter Grass
Easter grass, which you can grow in containers or baskets is actually common rye or wheat seedlings. Both grow incredibly quickly (with rye growing faster) and their seed is easy to find.
Materials
- 1 package of Rye grass or wheat berries
- 1 basket
- Garbage bag or other plastic to line the basket
- Soil
- Moss (totally optional)
I really like this $20 natural Easter basket from Amazon.
But remember you don't need a wicker basket. Below I'm using a loose wire basket. You can use anything that you can line in plastic to hold the soil in.
Instructions
- Line your basket with plastic then fill it with soil.
- Trim the plastic so it's level with the soil or just a bit above it.
- LOAD the soil up with seed. Over-seed.
Like this.
- If you're using a basket like mine where you can see the plastic and soil from the sides, fill that area with moss. Most baskets won't be like this though.
- Scratch and press the seeds so they're all in contact with the soil.
- Spray the seeds until they're damp. Don't pour water, only spray. If you pour water onto the soil it'll wash the seeds in all different directions and you'll have patchy grass, as unattractive as a 14 year old boy's first moustache.
- Cover the top of your basket with something plastic. You want to trap as much moisture in there as possible so the seeds will germinate. As soon as the seeds germinate (in as little as 2 days!) remove the plastic and keep the grass watered; first with spraying and once it's established you can use the tap or watering can.
No joke. This is what your baskets will look like 5 days after planting the seeds. I had mine under my grow lights which was helpful, but this will also work in a sunny window.
Rye grass is pretty forgiving (i.e. almost a weed). Wheat berries (which eventually turn into wheat) are easy to grow as well.
Edible Easter Grass
The easiest cereal grasses to use for Easter are rye grass and wheat grass. BOTH of these can be used to make healthy green juice shots with a juicer.
By the way you don't need a massive electric juicer for making wheatgrass shots. You just need a little hand turned slow juicer.
Ryegrass will resemble actual grass and be very uniform. Wheatgrass will have a bit more of a stalk. Keep in mind the wheat grass on the right was grown for actual planting so it isn't planted as dense as you would for an Easter basket. That's why it looks sparse.
BUT - Wheatgrass does take a week longer to grow than Ryegrass. So just keep that in mind.
Trim your grass at this point but don't take too much off. Just a little off the top. You can use what you've topped off for juicing into grass shots.
The next day you can trim a little more, until the grass is as short as you'd like it. Then just keep it trimmed every couple of days to keep it where you like it.
You might like it nice and neat and level with the top of your basket or you might want it a bit higher.
Now you have 2 options; make some sort of arrangement in the basket with a few natural elements like twigs and flowers.
To turn your grass into a flower arrangement, stick branches directly in the soil. For any live blooms, put them in some of those little water vials and stick those in the soil.
Or use it as a genuine Easter Basket. If you have kids ( or a husband/wife who insists on an Easter Egg hunt for themselves every Easter morning) there isn't a kid in the world who wouldn't like using an Easter basket with real grass growing in it on Easter morning.
Yes that is a little Rough Linen pinafore.
No it isn't pink, no it isn't plastic, no it isn't tacky. But Easter doesn't have to be.
Unless you want it to be.
→Follow me on Instagram where I often make a fool of myself←
danni
Here in New England, a few years ago during snowpocalypse, I planted vast window box planters with grass, and anything else that would hold pebbles was put to use forcing bulbs. I needed GREEN, because any stray glance out a window revealed nothing but white white white more than waist high... I shudder now even thinking of it... but this is a great idea also as a pick me up during the long cold white days of winter too...
Connie
I think the little girl looks pensive is because she has scallions in her Easter basket!
cbblue
I love your artsy fartsy arrangement Karen. Your photography skills have gotten great! I never thought they were anything but stellar; but then they just kaboomed.
Monique
This is no fail..because I have grandchildren..I wanted to make Easter special..started about 10 years ago..and we have never been w/out grass inside at Easter..outside..that's a different story.
A few years the hunt was in snowbanks.Not as fun!
Marilyn
Love it!!
NinaMargoJune
Karen, thanks for making it real!
Carole
You have dogs???
Cathy
I have done this little ritual for 20+ years now; borrowed it from dear friend who did this for her 2 yr olds. I used to take a basket to work and we had great fun " mowing the grass".
Like any other holiday/ season, you can dress it up and be sophisticated or get crazy and go kitschy, your house, your choice.
Penny
Lovely arrangement, Karen, thanks for the inspiration.
I will use this as the base for my Easter tree, which probably would offend your sense of style. I got the idea from a traditional decoration which I saw on a holiday to Denmark. The Danes are lovely and their towns are impeccably clean, and in spring all their shop fronts have an easter tree. This is usually a live, young, twiggy tree in a planter, often underplanted with narcissi or crocus, and the branches are hung with either blown dyed or painted eggshells, tiny wooden eggs, little chicks and bunnies and card silhouettes of spring flowers.
Traditional, pretty, a perfect spring celebration and the only problem I have is that I tend to go a bit over the top!
After seeing your almost Ikebana -style arrangement, I'm going to scale it back this year and aim for elegance over abundance.
Karen
I'd love the Easter tree Penny. Especially if it's a live, young twiggy tree with bulbs/corms. That's the sort of Easter decorating I like. Plus I'm Danish and all. :) ~ karen!
Karen Too
Have you ever thought of doing portrait photography because the photo of that darling little girl is just genius!
Marna
Aww the last picture is so cute! I can do this, I already grow wheat grass for my cat and dogs,
I will just plant it in something similar. Thanks :)
Elaine
Your floral arrangement is simply beautiful, Karen! Am wondering where I can buy grass seed this time of year?
The garden store where I now live is closed. I'll never understand why they do this (last year their sign said "for renovations") yet I remember garden stores used to make a killing after Christmas as usually us Canadians are busting to add real greenery to our homes! It's long gone now but White Rose (in Burlington) were always crowded selling palm trees, ficus trees, etc.
Karen
That particular grass seed comes from William Dam seeds in Greensville. I had to buy a really big bag because that's all they had but it was under $10 and I can use the extra it up at my garden plot. Not that you asked, lol. ~ karen!
Jan in Waterdown
Can you use it to overseed bare patches in your lawn?
p
How about some Chia from the grocery store?
Elaine
Thanks, P, good idea, too!
Alena
Elaine,
Try Home Hardware stores (I would call rather than driving from one to another). Some of them are a bit more garden-y oriented and they carry grass seeds. I have one just like that here, they actually have a selection of different grass seeds.
Elaine
Thank you, Alena!
Agnes Niewiadomski
Any tips on where to get the seeds?
Karen
Most garden centres that sell seeds would have them. These were from William Dam. ~ karen!
Eileen
Pet stores often sell rye grass and/or other mixtures as "cat grass." The rye grass has finer blades than the other mixtures. My 4-footed co-habitator doesn't like the rye grass, so I guess that's what I should use if I want a grassy basket for any length of time!
Mark
Every time I see photos in TAODS, I marvel at home meticulously clean your home is. I think the fur-bearing creatures in any image is simply an audio-animatronic automaton... :)
Alita
Haha! I think that you might be right there Mark. I have two dogs, one of them a bearded collie cross, and two cats. My house often has lumps of fur rolling round like tumbleweed in an old cowboy movie. Every time I vacuum, it looks like I have picked up another dog's worth of fur!
Karen
My entire family is laughing their heads off right now Mark. :) ~ karen!
April Dawn
This is a really cool & fun looking project. I work with elderly who suffer from Alzheimer's and think I'll do it with them before Easter. They'll love it I'm sure as will I! Thank you for this great idea:).
Karen
It'll be perfect for them. Almost immediately gratification (honestly it's shocking how much they sprout and grow in 3 days) and everyone who sees it loves it and wants to touch it. It's kind of magical. ~ karen!
Carolyn
Love your blog!!! As always it is impeccably timed. It comes just after tucking myself in after a long night at school...and a short trip to the bar.
Karen
HAHAH! Sweet dreams. ~ karen!
Kate
Beautiful idea! Now to go find a 24 hour gardening store... Also-in the first picture, it looks like the basket is trying to get your attention, "Excuse me..."
Karen
I have very demanding arrangements. You should see how they behave when I'm on the phone. ~ karen!
Kate
:-)
Liz
I actually shivered when I first saw the photo, like it's tickling you neck. ighhhhhhhhh!
Martina
Rye grass will also make your cats very happy...mine love to munch on it!
Karen
True! ~ karen
Amanda
I was just fixin' to ask if it was pet friendly, thanks!
Jamieson
The technical term for a 14 year old boy’s first moustache is "canardly". (Because you can 'ardly see it.)
;€
Karen
Ew, lol. ~ karen!
Mindy
LOL!!!!
Jamieson Cochrane
I was all ready to post this tidbit but I see I've beaten myself to the punch!
TucsonPatty
I forgot how easy it is to sprout seeds. I remember that we did this to see how high the germination rate was for the wheat...pretty green grass! In time for St. Patrick's Day, also! Put a couple of golden chocolate coins in there...
Karen
That's a great idea Patty. :) ~ karen!