Job's Tears

Perennial. Is it an herb, grain, vegetable, or ornamental bead? This easy-to-grow plant is all these things and more! With graceful and flowing miniature corn-type bladed leaves, sturdy stalks, delicate inconspicuous drooping flowers, and ornamental pea-like seeds, Job’s Tears adds a stunning green filler to cut flower displays. A grain-bearing plant useful for food, to make necklaces, rosary beads, and even used traditionally in folk medicine for arthritis and to remove heat! Once the husk has been removed for cooking, the grains look more like oversized pearl barley. Great in brothy dishes and traditional Asian drinks, Job’s Tears provides a chewy, mildly sweet, and earthy flavor that has caught the eye of discerning cooks. It has lovingly been called by cookbook authors “the next cult gluten-free grain” and an “unusual, versatile, and beneficial little weirdo.”

• 8-12 hours of Sun
• Sprouts in 14-28 Days
• Ideal Temperature: 65-95 Degrees F
• Seed Depth: 1/2"
  
• Plant Spacing: 10-12"
• Frost Hardy: No
  
• Coix lacryma-jobi
  

Growing Tips: Direct sow outdoors after last frost or start indoors 4-6 weeks before the last frost. Soaking seeds overnight may improve germination rates. Thin seedlings.