Microgreens is the second stage of plant growth just after germination. They were initially used only in high-end restaurants, but are now becoming more widespread. Some important things that you should know before you start growing microgreens.
Most people think that sprouts and microgreens are the same, but this is not the reality. Sprouts are the first stage of germination when the root first pops out. When you eat a sprout you are eating the sprouted seed and the root. For example, green gram(moong) sprouts are eaten when the root first emerges.
Sprouts grow in a jar or in a container without soil. Microgreens can be grown in soil, cocopeat or hydroponically, but they are best grown in soil. A shallow tray is used to grow the microgreens and seeds are planted in high density. Plants are grown and harvested with the first generic leaves, called cotyledonal leaves.
Once the first true leaves come out, the tray is harvested. This process takes anywhere from one to three weeks, depending on the plant or crop. Microgreens are harvested with scissors or with a sharp knife and the soil or cocopeat can be recycled. Some plants can be harvested multiple times, but most are cut below the cotyledon and hence they do not grow back.
In nature, energy and nutrients are stored in seeds. By design, the seeds contain enough nutrients to start a plant for life and feed it until it begins to photosynthesize and feed itself. So, harvesting microgreens at this nutrient rich stage can provide us with many health benefits. Hence microgreens are super concentrated with vitamins and minerals.
You can purchase organic microgreen seeds online, but seeds from a garden center will work just fine. Here are a few popular seeds that make tasty microgreens.
The labor involved to fill the trays and environment required to grow them is high. It also includes the cost of trays and seeds. A single tray will have hundreds of seeds, possibly enough to plant a half an acre or more, that’s why microgreens are expensive.
The environment should be maintained to protect them from sun by using a shade cloth and also from heavy rains. Some growers use a fully automated greenhouse that controls light exposure, temperature, and air circulation.
So next time you are eating microgreens think of all the hard work that went into growing them and think how healthy you are getting by eating them. Just a small amount of microgreens can provide the same amount of nutrients that you’ll get from a large bowl of broccoli.
There are many methods that home gardeners use to grow microgreens, but the most popular and easiest one is to grow them indoors in organic soil. Here’s what you’ll need to grow microgreens:
Shallow growing tray with drainage holes
Shallow growing tray without drainage holes
Organic soil or cocopeat
Organic seeds
Spray bottle filled with water
Shallow growing tray which can act as a weight
You can find a microgreen kit with seeds and supplies online and at local nurseries.
Wash the trays in dish soap, then rinse thoroughly. Place moist organic potting soil or cocopeat in the tray, gently pat down the soil or cocopeat breaking up any lumps. Sprinkle seeds evenly on top of the soil. About one to two tablespoons of seeds should work for a standard 10 x 20 inch tray (depending upon the microgreen seeds). Top with enough cocopeat or soil to cover the seeds and pat down again.
Some large seeds, such as sunflowers and peas, need to be soaked overnight and rinsed before planting. In addition, large seeds don’t need to be covered with a layer of soil, simply pat them into the soil so they can germinate.
Use a spray bottle to mist the soil so that it is thoroughly damp. Place an empty shallow tray on the top of the seeds which acts as a weight and helps in obtaining a uniform height of the crop. Place the tray of seeds in the tray that doesn’t have drainage holes so no water runs onto your counter or table. keep it in a dark area until microgreens grows upto 1-2 inches tall and remove the weight from the top.