Sepp Holzer's Siberian Rye

Secale cereale Origin: Siberia Improvement status: Cultivar Seeds per packet: ~70 Germination tested 10/2024: 76% Life cycle: Biennial Made famous by renowned permaculture-evangelist Sepp Holzer, this Siberian rye can grow up to six feet tall. Each seed has the potential to grow into a grassy clump that in its second year can feature anywhere from 6 to 22 seed stalks, with each seed stalk hosting a grain head of 40 to 120 seeds. Therefore, under optimal management, one seed can turn into 2,640 grains. Unlike other ancient grains, this rye is extremely easy to thresh on a homescale by using a flail and housefan. Our seed comes from Michael Billington of Nourishing Roots Farm in Montana, who reports that he's never known a more prolific grain.  Although the grain production itself is quite impressive, other features of this grain help make it stand out even more. The long cyan-colored seed stalks make an optimal mulch or animal bedding not only due to their size but also because the long