Microgreens

Gardeners have been busy developing new ways of growing greens indoors to bring the benefits of fresh, living greens to more kitchens and diets.

  1. Living greens are a powerful source of essential phytonutrients and live enzymes. People must eat some live food to be healthy. Newly germinated greens provide many times more important nutrients than full-grown plants.
  2. Greens can be grown in the kitchen free from chemicals and pests. Fresh greens can be eaten at the peak of quality.
  3. Home-grown greens provide food independence. Seeds for sprouting are a valuable addition to family food storage.

Kitchen gardeners have developed names for stages of growth to help define the different methods of growing greens.

  1. Sprouts are seeds that have barely germinated. They have a tiny tail and are often crunchy to eat. Sprouts are grown using repeated rinsing with water.
  2. Microgreens are the second stage of seed growth. They have roots and the first and sometimes second set of leaves. Microgreens are grown in a thin layer of soil. They pull trace minerals from the soil into the plant.
  3. Baby greens are microgreens allowed to grow longer and develop tender leaves.

Teri’s Steps to Microgreens

  1. Fill a tray that has drainage holes with 1½ inches potting soil. Set that tray into a drip tray. (Tip: keep some potting soil in the house during the winter so that it doesn’t freeze and become uncomfortable to handle.)
  2. Sprinkle seed to densely cover the soil with a single layer of seed. (Seed can be sprouted in a jar first, but I don’t bother.)
  3. Spray the seed with water. (Use a sink sprayer or a squirt bottle.)
  4. Cover the seed.
    1. You can use a clear tray cover.
    2. You can cover the tray with plastic wrap.
    3. You can cover the seed with paper towel and a clear tray cover, but some seeds will stick to the towel.
    4. You can cover the seed with a thin layer of soil, but I find that this slows germination.
    5. You can cover the seed with vermiculite.
  5. Seeds must stay damp, so monitor carefully until sprouts are well established. I usually water with the sink sprayer every morning. If water gathers in the drip tray underneath the soil tray, carefully tip the tray over the sink to empty.
  6. When most of the seeds have germinated, remove the tray cover, plastic wrap, or paper towel.
  7. Microgreens do not need sunlight when germinating, and most seed types will grow to harvest stage with indirect light. Most plants benefit from some exposure to sunlight to green them up.
  8. If white fuzz appears on the seeds, it’s not dangerous. Just rinse it off with the sink sprayer.
  9. Harvest microgreens by cutting with scissors. Some seeds will produce a thick carpet that can be cut straight across. Some seeds germinate and produce shoots in “waves.” These should be harvested by cutting only the tall plants and leaving the shorter ones to continue growing. Most microgreens are ready to harvest in 10-14 days.

Sources

Good book: Microgreens, A Guide to Growing Nutrient-Packed Greens (Franks and Richardson)
Seeds: True Leaf Market (trueleafmarket.com 800-735-0630; 175 W 2700 S, Salt Lake City, UT)
Starter trays and covers: Carpenter Seed (1030 S State St, Provo, UT)
Half-sized trays (10”x10”): sproutpeople.org

How much seed to store to eat sprouts once a week for a year

French lentil: ½ c. per jar = 3 oz. x 52 = 156 oz. = 9.75 lbs.
Mung bean: ½ c. per jar = 3 oz. x 52 = 156 oz. = 9.75 lbs.
Wheat: ¾ c. per jar = 4.6 oz. x 52 = 239.2 oz. = 14.95 lbs.

Alfalfa: 3 tbs. per 12” screen = 1 oz. x 52 = 52 oz. = 3.25 lbs.
Clover: 2 tbs. per 10” screen = .7 oz. x 52 = 36.4 oz. = 2.28 lbs.
Broccoli: 2 tbs. per 10” screen = .6 oz. x 52 = 31.2 oz. = 1.95 lbs.
Fenugreek: 4 tbs. per 12” screen = 1.4 oz. x 52 = 72.8 oz. = 4.55 lbs.

Chia: 2 tbs. per half-tray (10”x10”) = .6 oz. x 52 = 31.2 oz. = 1.95 lbs.
Cabbage: 2 tbs. per half-tray = .6 oz. x 52 = 31.2 oz. = 1.95 lbs.
Chard: ¾ c. per half-tray = 1.6 oz. x 52 = 83.2 oz. = 5.2 lbs.
Adzuki bean: ½ c. per half-tray = 2.9 oz. x 52 = 150.8 oz. = 9.43 lbs.
Pea: 1 c. per half-tray = 5.8 oz. x 52 = 301.6 oz = 18.85 lbs.
Buckwheat: ¼ c. per half-tray = 1.6 oz. x 52 = 83.2 oz. = 5.2 lbs.
Sunflower: ¾ c. per half-tray = 2.1 oz. x 52 = 109.2 oz. = 6.83 lbs.