Wheat is grown nationwide but predominantly in East Anglia, where summer temperatures are highest and rainfall is low. The British grower will sow winter wheat between September and February and spring wheat in March or April. The seedling develops a number of branches or tillers, following which ears will emerge and flower soon afterwards with the grain ripening six weeks later. Harvesting commences in August and finishes in September. The crop is cut and threshed by combine harvester.
English wheat is often too damp to store without drying, so hot air machines are used.
Great care is required not to damage the protein content in the wheat intended for seed or milling by overheating. This is not a derogatory description, it simply means British wheat was not particularly suitable for making the well risen bread most people prefer. Only recently have varieties more suitable for breadmaking been produced, allowing millers to use more home-grown wheat in place of imported North American strong, hard wheats. These new varieties, combined with advances in baking technology, in particular the use of added vital wheat gluten, have helped cut imports from 2.5 million tonnes in the 1960s to less than half a million tonnes today, with consequent savings to the balance of payments.