I don’t think I’m the only gardener who likes to get a little crafty from time to time.
After all, it’s the same impulse at work. That inner voice that tells you to grow your own lettuce is the same one that has you grating a bar of Fels Naptha into a five-gallon bucket to make your own laundry detergent.
And that’s how it starts. Tomatoes, herbs for tea, maybe a few gourds. Then luffas—because apparently we’re growing our own dishcloths now. Might as well make some goat’s milk soap to go with them.
And if there’s one thing crafty people tend to create, it’s a mess.
Which, naturally, leads to a broom.
That you also made yourself.
This post is for my crafty friends. We’re going to walk through how to spend an entire season making a tool that—let’s be honest—we don’t really enjoy using.
But that's about to change, because I, for one, am quite certain that once I’ve made my own beautiful, natural, handcrafted broom, I’ll suddenly develop a deep appreciation for sweeping.
(My luffa sponge is side-eyeing me from the kitchen.)
Let's get started.
A Brief History of Broom Making
Brooms, in one form or another, have been part of daily life for centuries—but the broom as we know it today has a more recent origin.
Early American households relied on simple bundles of twigs or grasses tied to a handle. It wasn’t until the late 1700s that broom corn (Sorghum bicolor var. technicum) began to replace those materials. The plant’s long, durable fibers made for a lighter, more effective sweeping tool, and by the 1800s, broom making had become both a household skill and a small but steady rural industry.
In many parts of the country, families would grow their own broom corn, harvest it in late summer, and then spend the winter months crafting brooms by hand. Come spring, those same brooms would be loaded up and sold locally or carried to nearby towns.
Which brings me to a story I didn’t see coming.
A few months into our first season growing broom corn, my mother-in-law mentioned—almost in passing—that she comes from a family of broom-makers. Her father and grandfather grew broom corn in North Dakota. They’d spend the winter making brooms, and once spring planting was behind them, they’d bring them down to Iowa to sell.
The implications of this are fairly clear.
If I can coax her, my husband, and our kids into one room to make a broom, my children will technically be fifth-generation broom-makers.
"Broom" being singular, of course.
What Is Broom Corn?
Despite the name, broom corn isn’t really corn at all.
It’s a type of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor var. technicum), grown not for grain, but for the long, fibrous seed heads that form at the top of the plant. These fibers—often called “brush”—are what give a traditional broom its sweeping power.
When the plant is mature, those seed heads are harvested, dried, and cleaned. The seeds are removed, leaving behind a dense, flexible bundle of fibers that can be tied and shaped into a broom.
It’s one of those crops that doesn’t look like much at first glance—tall, grassy, a little unassuming. But once you know what you’re looking at, it’s hard not to see the finished product hiding in plain sight.
Why Grow It Yourself?
If we’re being honest, you can buy a perfectly good broom just about anywhere.
But broom corn sits in that same category as luffas and gourds—it’s a plant that turns into something useful. Something you can hold in your hand and say, I grew this.
Plus, there's something else that I think most crafters will appreciate. Just because it's an everyday household item, doesn't mean it can't be beautiful. And indeed, brooms like this are beautiful. They're meant to be displayed—not tucked away in a closet.
How to Grow Broom Corn (The Basics)
If you’ve ever grown sorghum—or even corn—you’ll feel right at home with broom corn. It’s a warm-season crop that likes heat, sun, and a bit of space to stretch out.
We’ll keep this section simple, since I've already written a comprehensive guide to growing sorghum. This is just what you need to get a crop in the ground.
Planting & Site
- Plant after your last frost, once the soil has warmed
- Choose a spot with full sun
- Average garden soil is fine—no need to overthink fertility
Broom corn does best when it can get established in warm, stable conditions. Cold soil will slow it down early.
Spacing
This is one place where giving the plant room really pays off.
- Sow seeds 1/2 to 1 inch deep
- Space plants 8–12 inches apart in rows
- Leave 2–3 feet between rows
Tighter spacing will give you thinner stalks and smaller brush. A bit of elbow room helps produce fuller, more usable fibers.
Water & Care
- Keep soil evenly moist while plants are establishing
- Once established, broom corn is fairly drought tolerant
- Minimal care beyond occasional weeding
It’s not a fussy crop—once it’s up and growing, it mostly takes care of itself.
Timing
Broom corn typically takes about 90–110 days to reach maturity, depending on conditions.
You’ll know it’s getting close when the seed heads fully emerge and begin to take on that characteristic broom-like shape.
Favorite Varieties for Broom Making
All broomcorn is sorghum, but not all sorghum is broomcorn. If you want a good broom, you've got to select the right variety. Long bristles are a must, and easy-threshing is a huge perk.
Here are a few of our favorites:
-
Multicolored Broom – A standout for its range of colors, from green to deep reds and bronzes. Great if you’re after something a little more decorative.
-
Hungarian Red – A classic with rich color and strong, reliable brush.
-
Tennessee Red – Vigorous and productive, with good fiber length and a beautiful bronzy color.
-
Sonnen Heirloom – A well-regarded traditional type with consistent performance.
- Hadley’s T115 – Known for uniformity and quality, especially if you’re aiming for a more refined finished broom. Late maturing.
Any of these will give you a solid starting point, whether you’re making your first broom—or your fiftieth. Why do you need so many brooms? Ahh, Christmas gifts.
BTW, a broom that you made yourself, from seed, is exempt from the "no vacuum cleaners" gifting rule. Though, on second thought, maybe pair a hand-poured candle, homegrown tea, or fancy soap with it just in case—I don't want to ruin Christmas.
When to Harvest: Green or Fully Mature?
There’s quite a bit of debate around the “right” time to harvest broom corn.
Some recommend cutting when the stalks are still green and the seed is just beginning to set. Others prefer to leave the plants in the field until they reach full maturity.
We fall into the second camp.
As seed growers first, it makes sense for us to let the crop fully mature. If you’re hoping to do anything with the seed—whether that’s saving it for planting or even grinding it into a gluten-free flour—waiting is the better option.
There are a few practical advantages as well. More mature seed heads tend to clean up more easily, while green material can be tougher to strip and more prone to holding moisture. If the brush is particularly dense, that extra moisture can create conditions where mold becomes a concern—especially without good airflow.
One valid point raised by the early-harvest camp is that the weight of a maturing seed crop can cause the bristles to bend. That’s true—sometimes.
But those naturally curved fibers aren’t a drawback so much as a different material. They work especially well for hand brooms, giving them that “broken-in” feel right from the start. They’d also be a great fit for Turkey Wing brooms, which we’ll get into later.
And then there’s the color.
As the plants mature in the fall, the brush deepens and intensifies—browns, blacks, and especially the reds becoming more vivid by the day. It’s one of the more satisfying parts of the growing season.
For what it’s worth, places like Living History Farms in Des Moines—where broom making is still practiced—also harvest in the fall.
So we’re in good company.
Harvesting & Drying Broom Corn
Once your broom corn has reached the stage you’re after, harvesting is straightforward.
I like to leave a good bit of stem attached when cutting. Some broom styles use the stem as part of the binding, and in some cases, the stems themselves become part of the handle. I have one tall broom where the entire handle is woven from the stems—it’s a great reminder not to throw that material away too quickly.
A simple pair of garden pruners is all you need. Cut the stalks cleanly and move them to a dry area as soon as you can.
Drying Tips
Even if you’ve harvested at full maturity, a little drying time helps finish the job and ensures the brush stores well.
- Keep bundles small to allow good airflow
- Hang or prop them in a dry, well-ventilated space
- Avoid tightly packed piles, especially early on
If bundles are too large, the center can trap moisture and develop mold. That said, if you’ve let the crop fully mature in the field, the material is already most of the way dry, so the risk is much lower.
At this point, you’ve got everything you need—clean, dry brush ready to be turned into something useful.
Removing the Seeds (Threshing)
Once your broom corn is fully dry, the last step before making a broom is removing the seeds from the brush.
We’re fortunate to have a seed thresher, which takes care of most of the work quickly. It’s also one more reason I like to leave a good bit of stem attached when harvesting—it keeps your hands a safe distance from the more enthusiastic parts of the machine.
But most people won’t have one—and the good news is, you don’t need it.
I haven’t done a ton of hand threshing myself, but I’ve done enough to know it works just fine.
Hand Threshing
It’s not difficult—just a bit hands-on.
- Run a gloved hand through the brush, using your fingers like a comb
- Or rub the seed heads between your hands to loosen the seeds
- Pick off any stubborn stragglers individually
If you’ve let the heads fully mature and dry, most of the seeds will come free easily. What’s left tends to be minimal.
Now comes the part we’ve been working toward.
Making Your Own Broom
At this point, you’ve done the hard part. What’s left is turning that bundle of brush into something you can actually use.
Rather than try to cover every variation here, I’ll point you to a few more in-depth guides. There are a lot of different broom styles, and some can get fairly involved.
If you’re just getting started, the easiest place to begin is with a hand broom—also called a whisk broom or hearth broom.
There are plenty of variations, but most fall into a few familiar types:
- Round whisk brooms
- Flat whisk brooms
- More decorative styles like Turkey Wing or Hawktail
The good news is that all of these can be made with very simple tools—likely things you already have on hand—and a bit of waxed cord. No wire, no press, no specialized broom table.
A First Attempt
The first broom I made was a flat whisk. My 8-year-old made one right alongside me.
The backstory here is that the kids and I occasionally like to pretend we’re pioneers and have what we call “Pioneer Days,” where we cook everything on the woodstove in our 1880 farmhouse. Honestly, it’s one of my favorite parts of having kids—they’re happy to play along.
Before we had children, I once asked my husband, “Wouldn’t it be fun to turn off the power and live like they did when this house was first built?”
I don't think I finished asking the question before he shot me down.
Anyway, there we were—sitting in dining room chairs by the woodstove, a long spool of cord running beneath our feet, living our best pioneer life and loving it. I wasn’t exactly wearing a prairie dress, but I would’ve… if I had one.
What You’ll Need
To make a simple hand broom:
- Broom corn brush (cleaned and dried)
- Waxed cord (this is what I used)
- A large needle (a straight upholstery needle works well)
- A 2-foot-long, sturdy dowel or stick (this the spool that holds the cord)
For a flat whisk broom, you’ll also need:
- Two thin, flat pieces of wood (wood rulers work great)
- Something to hold them together (we used rubber bands)
The Foot Brake
Broom makers use what’s called a foot brake to hold tension on the cord as they wrap the bundle.
As fancy as that sounds, it’s really just a dowel or sturdy stick with your cord wrapped around it.
You place the dowel under your feet and use them to control the tension—pressing down to hold the cord tight, then easing off slightly to let it feed out as you work your way around the bundle.
It’s a simple setup, but it makes a big difference. Keeping steady tension is what gives the broom a tight, solid handle—and once you get the rhythm, it's pretty easy.
How It Comes Together
The most basic broom is just a bundle of brush and some cord.
You’ll gather the broom corn into a tight bundle and begin wrapping the cord around one end to form the handle. Pulling the cord tight as you go is what gives the broom its structure.
If you stop there, you’ll have a traditional round whisk broom.
If you’d like a flat broom, you can press the bundle between two flat boards and stitch it into shape. That extra step gives it a wider face and a different feel in use.
That’s the process in its simplest form—but it’s one of those things that’s much easier to see than to describe.
Here is the full tutorial we used to make our first brooms.
Want to Try Other Broom Styles?
Once you’ve made your first whisk broom, there’s a whole world of broom styles to explore. Many follow the same basic principles, just with a few added techniques.
Here are a few good places to continue:
-
Turkey Wing Broom – A more decorative style that uses stitching to create a fan-shaped form
-
Hawk Tail Broom – Similar in concept, with a slightly different profile and stitch pattern
-
Braided Handle Broom – Uses the broom corn stems themselves to form a woven handle or to fasten the brush to a wooden handle
- Shouldered Broom – A more advanced style where the brush is bent and shaped to create defined “shoulders”
Long-handled brooms follow a similar process to what you’ve already seen, except you’ll be working the brush around a handle and typically using wire to bind everything tightly in place.
Other Uses for Broom Corn
Even if you never turn it into a broom, broom corn is a plant that offers many alternative uses.
The seedheads alone make a striking material for decor and craft. A simple bundle in a vase has a sculptural quality to it, especially as the colors deepen in the fall. It also lends itself beautifully to wreaths and dried arrangements, holding its shape and color far better than many other plants.
Beyond that, there are a few more practical uses worth mentioning.
Decor & Craft
- Dried arrangements and vase displays
- Wreaths and seasonal decor
- Natural material for weaving and craft projects
Cooking & Baking
The seeds are fully usable as a grain:
- Ground into gluten-free flour (great for breads or pancakes)
- Cooked whole, similar to rice or porridge
- Even popped, much like a smaller popcorn (though, popping sorghum works best for this.
And when it comes time for cleaning up, the stronger, top portion of the brush can be bundled into a sturdy, yet gentle cast iron pot scrubber.
Feed & Practical Use
If you’re not using the seed in the kitchen, it makes excellent livestock feed.
Sorghum is one of the many crops we grow for our own homegrown chicken feed, and broom corn fits right into that mix.
And if you don’t have livestock of your own, the wild birds will be more than happy to help you put it to good use.
A Plant That Does More
So there you have it—growing your own broom corn, from seed to broom, and then some.
In today’s world, do you need to know how to make a broom? Probably not. There are faster, easier ways to get just about anything you need, usually with a single click and two-day shipping.
But there’s something to be said for knowing how things are made—and for proving to yourself that you could do it if you had to.
Because after all, if the proverbial poop ever does hit the fan, someone’s going to need to clean up.
And there we’ll be—with our homemade brooms and luffa sponges.
Feeling inspired? Check out our full selection of heirloom broomcorn and find the perfect variety for your next project.
