Microgreens: Healthy and Delicious

Micro greens are small shoots of edible plants, such as micro broccoli, green kale, carrots, mixed salad, radish, and peas. The list is endless depending on your taste!

The main difference between microgreens and sprouts is that microgreens grow in soil and sprouts grow in water away from light. Microgreens are planted in soil or a soil substitute such as felt or rock wool and are harvested by snipping the stem just above the central stem above the soil. The seedlings will only have two small flat leaves (called cotyledon leaves) and then they will grow their first set of true leaves, which I clip just below the true leaves. I get about three cuttings with peas but not with kale or lettuce.

All my greens have been mighty hearty, growing two to three inches with in less than one week. Sometimes I grow four different micros at one time. We eat through these faster than rabbits!

Micro Greens are nutrient power houses and delicious in salads, soups, to top your pizza and especially good in sandwiches. They are incredibly easy to grow and within less than two weeks you are harvesting. I use the soil method as I use my home grown compost material with great results.

How to grow your own -

Simply fill a container with soil, water a little and pack the soil down a bit. Make sure you use a container with no drain holes. Now your soil is moist not soggy. I use a 10 X 10 inch plastic grow container I purchased from True-Leaf Market. I evenly sprinkle 1 1/2 Tablespoons of micro seeds on the top of the soil and gently press them into the soil. The soil should not cover the seeds , you want the seed to nestle into the soil. Spritz gently with water and cover with another grow container so your seeds can germinate in the dark. I then spritz them twice a day and cover. This takes about 4 days.

When the micro greens begin to sprout, I then remove the cover and place them under a grow light. Some say you do not need a grow light in the summer but I prefer the combination of grow light and natural light with always produce great results. You can also place them in a sunny window or on a patio. Remember once the first set of leaves have reached 2 to 3 inches you are ready to harvest.

I especially like True-Leaf Market seeds and products. Their prices are reasonable and they are high quality. They will answer questions and have info tutorials on their website https://trueleafmarket.com/. (Note - not affiliated in any way just a good resource to use.)

So find a container, even a plastic yogurt container will get you started, fill with potting soil water a little , sprinkle some seeds and spritz with a little water twice a day, don't forget to cover until the sprouts begin to show themselves, its that easy and nutritious.

Cheers!

Liz