Want something that is easy and quick to grow indoors?
Have limited space or are a beginner gardener?
Growing microgreens might be perfect for you!
Essentially, any plants that we consume the leaves and stems of can be grown as a microgreen. Peas, broccoli, mustard, and even sunflowers can be grown as tasty microgreens. They are harvested when they are only a few inches tall and have developed their first set of leaves.
Microgreens can be added to sandwiches, salads, and smoothies or even just enjoyed on their own. They can easily elevate a basic dish with their varieties in colour, texture and flavour.
They are especially nice as they can be grown at any time of the year and don’t require outdoor space or fertilizer! All you need is your choice of seeds, a container, a small amount of growing medium and some light.
When choosing a container for your microgreens, look for something shallow and wide. Your container should also have drainage holes in the bottom, this will ensure that your seedlings don’t sit in water. You may opt for a complete growing kit that includes a tray, humidity dome, and lights; however, a simple plastic growers tray works just fine as well.
Start by putting about an inch of sterile potting soil in your container of choice. You can also use hemp Terrafibre mats or even a few layers of paper towel!
If you opted to grow a larger seed, such as peas, these may benefit from 12 hours of soaking in water before planting, this helps to shorten the time it takes them to germinate.
Dampen your soil or other growing media with water, then scatter your seeds on the surface. Sow seeds densely in an even layer. Don’t worry about giving them space to grow, as they will be harvested soon after germination.
Pro-tip: cover your seeds with plastic wrap or a humidity dome to help maintain a higher humidity level, and keep them from drying out!
Microgreens don’t actually need any light until they’ve germinated. When kept in the dark, your seedlings will stretch to find light, which is ideal for shorter seedlings as it makes them easier to harvest! Just make sure they don’t stretch to the point of falling over.
A lot of warm light can also dry out your soil quickly, and we want to make sure that growing medium is staying consistently moist.
To keep light out, you can either cover it, or put it in a cupboard for a few days. Check it occasionally and lightly spray your growing medium if it gets too dry. Ideally you’ll want 3-4 days of constant darkness, this is referred to as the “black-out period”.
Once your seeds have germinated and are a few centimetres tall, it’s time to take them out of the dark and give them as much light as possible. This will stop the stretching and green up the leaves.
Light can either come from a bright sunny window, or it can be supplemented with grow lights.
Pro-tip: If your seedlings are still yellow after several days of light exposure, they may need more light.
Once your first leaves open and green up, you’re ready to harvest and enjoy your microgreens. Simply cut the base of the stems with kitchen scissors.
Prot-tip: Your harvested greens can be refrigerated for up to a week!
We hope you’ll try your hand at this fun and nutritious way of indoor growing! We carry a full line of microgreen seeds year round so come have a browse and see if anything sparks your interest.
Happy gardening!
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