Grow rice in the Northeast! All four of our rices were grown in central Maine, Zone 5a/4b.
Lowland varieties are traditionally grown in wet clay paddies or riparian areas, although flooding is not necessary. They are typically shorter and produce more tillers than upland rice, 30-50 per plant.
Upland varieties grow in drier conditions, but also do well in flooded clay paddies. Upland rice is taller and has fewer tillers than lowland. Each tiller is thicker and will produce more seeds, 12-24 tillers per plant.
Culture: For both types, a rotation of saturated and very short (a few days) dry periods is ideal from late May to June. After that, cycling water patterns is less important but still helpful. Keep paddies flooded (but not stagnant) if you can. Dryness during the second half of the summer shouldn’t effect yields much, just maturation time and weed pressure. For transplants, start at 70-85° indoors 4-5 weeks before setting out into rich moist warm soil (early June in Maine). Space plants 10-12" apart in full sun. May be direct seeded in warmer regions. Heads the first week of August and finishes by late September If you live in a dry place, add 1-2 weeks to maturity dates.
Japanese varieties are the easiest for post-harvest processing
Want help processing your rice? Contact wildfolkfarmers@gmail.com.
Our grains selections are rare heirloom varieties especially chosen for small-scale production. Revived interest in food security and sovereignty inspires us to seek edible and heirloom grains. In the early 1800s Maine was the breadbasket of the U.S. Wheat and rice do not demand huge space and can be threshed with a little ingenuity. With good fertility, proper spacing and reasonable diligence, it is quite possible to harvest 10 lb of heirloom wheat from 100 plants in a 10x10' plot. A 100' row of rice can yield 6–10 lb.
Larger-scale growers and farmers, those seeking larger quantities of more mainstream varieties, or those looking for cover crops should check out the Organic Growers Supply list of Farm Seed.
Most of of our grains are also decorative in both form and color, making great accents to bouquets and wreaths. For more ornamental grains, see amaranths, ornamental millets and sorghum & broom corn.
For the latest results of our germination tests, please see the germination page.
All of our seeds are non-GMO, and free of neonicotinoids and fungicides. Fedco is one of the original companies to sign the Safe Seed Pledge.