Job’s Tears – 10 Seeds

•Non-GMO
•American grown seeds
•Ornamental grass
•Seeds used in jewelry making
•USDA Zones: 9-10, grown as an annual in colder climates

Description:
Job's tears (Coix lacryma-jobi) is a grasslike plant renowned for its hard, edible seeds that mature to a uniform black and can be used to make rosaries, necklaces and other pieces of jewelry. Originally native to southeast Asia and Polynesia, the plant grows wild today in parts of Europe and Central America. Job's tears can be useful in a home garden for its attractive foliage and also as a source of seeds.

Job's tears is a tropical perennial suitable for culture year-round in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11. In colder areas, it can be grown as an annual or indoors in a greenhouse or a warm, sunny room. The plant is about 3 feet tall and has erect stems with grassy leaves that appear individually along each stem. In warm areas where it is a perennial, its leaves appear in the early spring. Its flowers, which are tiny, green and inconspicuous, develop from July into October, hanging down in long clusters from each stem. Eventually, yellow tassels develop on the flower clusters, followed by seeds that start out green, turn gray and then become shiny and evenly black when ripe, later in the fall.

Culinary Uses:
Seeds of Job’s Tears are a delicious nutritious Ancient Asian grain that is going to bypass rice and quinoa as the new gluten-free SUPER grain.

Planting Instructions:
Job’s tears plants are an ancient cereal grain most often grown as an annual, but may survive as a perennial where frosts do not occur.

Scrape the seeds with a file, knife or sandpaper and then soak seeds overnight. Direct sow outdoors in the spring after the threat of frost at a rate of 2 seeds per plant, 1/4" deep with about 10-12" between plants. Likewise, you can grow them indoors starting them in late winter through spring. Sow the seeds in flats or individual pots using a sterile starting mix keeping them a well lit spot at room temperature. Keep moist until germination which usually occurs within 4 weeks. Once seedlings emerge, keep them lightly moist and in full sun turning their container every day so they grow straight. Once the seedlings begin to grow, move them to large pots or transplant outside once the temps remain above 60°.

Soil Requirement: Moist, pH 6.1 - 7.8
Environment: Full sun to partial shade
Average Germ Time: 14 - 28 days, soak seed overnight in warm water before planting
Light Required: Yes
Depth: 1/4 inch
Sowing Rate: 2 seeds per plant
Moisture: Keep seeds moist until germination occurs
Plant Spacing: 10 - 12 inches