Learn how to grow your own microgreens to get even more nutrients!
We recently had a microgreens demonstration at our potluck dinner.
Microgreens are tasty in soups, stews, as a pretty garnish and in salads.
Best of all, microgreens are nutrient dense!
For example, red cabbage microgreens have 69X more Vitamin K and 6X Vitamin C than the mature plant!
Check out the YouTube Video here.
Our Green Star Members Laura and Tom gave these suggestions:
Ten Steps for Growing Microgreens
- Find a clean, food grade shallow container with drainage (poke or drill holes if needed). You probably already have something that will work.
- Select seeds. Legumes (peas, beans) and large seeds with hard shells like sunflower seeds germinate better if you soak them in a lingerie bag up to 8 hours ahead of time.
- Fill your container with organic potting soil up to your 2nd knuckle; level the soil surface then dampen the soil until it feels like a damp sponge when you touch it.
- Cover the surface of the soil with seeds and press them into the soil with your hand. With a spray bottle, spray the seeds with water.
- Sprinkle a thin layer of soil over the seeds and lightly spray again with water. Note: when using tiny seeds skip this step.
- Place a light cover over the container and set it in a dark area. For large type seeds that you have soaked, place a little extra weight on the cover; a piece of silverware will do. This will produce stronger more hearty stems.
- Check the container daily for moisture. If the soil feels moist to the touch, don’t add water. If the soil feels dry, spray with water.
- As the microgreens grow they will push up on the lid. The “seed leaves” will be poking out. The day after the seed leaves appear, remove the cover and place the container in a sunny location on or near a window sill. If your container is outside, avoid prolonged direct afternoon sun if you live in a warmer climate like Florida and watch out for the Cuban Tree Frogs!
Continue to check every day for moisture.
Note: I have had good success with not much indoor light. If your plants look yellowish green, they need more sun. Yellowish green plants will turn green with just a few hours of sunlight. You can almost watch it happen…so cool. You can also use an indoor grow light.
- Harvest with kitchen scissors by cutting near the soil when the first “true leaves” appear. They don’t have to even be fully formed like you saw on the YouTube demo. You may want to rinse the microgreens in a salad spinner.
The microgreens can be growing one minute and on your plate the next; no nutrients lost!
- If you have grown pea or bean microgreens you can re-use the soil one time without worry. Then recycle the soil in a compost pile or around outdoor plantings. Clean your container well with soap and water and you are ready to start again! When one tray matures it is time to start another for a steady supply.
Please leave a comment and tell me about what seeds you are trying next!
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