Temps are low and mountains are covered in snow! For many of us gardeners, winter is a time for rest, reflection, and for planning the season ahead. Any growth at this time of year is usually from within ourselves – unless one partakes in growing microgreens! Whether you have a full grow light setup in your basement or an empty window sill, growing some nutritious microgreens right in your home is simple, financially viable, and adds some much needed vibrancy.
Why microgreens? When you consume microgreens you are eating the first stem and cotyledons (first two leaves) that sprout from the seed. This stage of a plants life is extremely nutrient dense greens as you are eating all the nutrients within the seed that supports the plant’s first few weeks of its life.
How to grow microgreens! Follow the links below to Fruition Seeds to see a detailed overview on how to grow these baby plants!
- Learn everything you need to know through this FREE microgreens mini course!
- Also check out this wonderfully written blog with pictures/videos on how to grow microgreens at home using slightly more advanced materials such as grow lights, shelving, trays, etc.
NOTE: Fruition’s resources are tailored to growers who have the resources to set up a full grow station with shelves, lights, and heating mats however, you may apply the principles of this course to any small scale, DIY system. At VGN we use a minimalist approach suitable for growers who are on a budget or are working with limited space. Learn more about VGN’s DIY system below:
- For containers, we use disposable square cake pans (found at any supermarket usually in the bakery section). They come in packs of three so we use one pan as the bottom tray (to catch water), one to hold seeds and soil (make holes on bottom for drainage), and the plastic cover used as a humidity dome (remove as soon as seeds sprout). To save you money, make sure these are not deeper than an inch (you don’t need more than an inch of soil for microgreens).
- Add potting soil mix to pan with holes. Note: To save money you can buy a less nutrient dense potting soil and do not need any additional fertilizer because they are not growing a full life cycle.
- Sprinkle a healthy layer seeds over the soil (denser the better) and add a thin layer of soil to cover. **VGN has many seeds available through donations. To request a seed bundle donations follow this link**
- Place the plastic dome over the soil/seeds pan to increase the humidity (helpful for germination). We remove this as soon as the seeds sprout in order to avoid damping off.
- Set in a south facing window and rotate when microgreens begin to stretch towards the light or place directly under a grow light.
- Water regularly. We practice bottom watering, a technique that mitigates damping off.
- Once they have grown to the desired height ( 0.5-1.5 inches) around 10-15 days, simply give them a haircut with a pair of culinary scissors and enjoy!
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