What are microgreens?
Microgreens are baby plants or little seedlings. They are about 5-10cm tall when harvested.
They are different from sprouts which are germinated seeds, harvested and eaten before they grow leaves.
Why grow microgreens?
Microgreens pack a nutritional punch, with up to 40 times the nutrients by weight of their fully grown equivalents!
They are easy to grow, quick to grow, and can be grown in very little space on a windowsill during those winter months when the garden slows down!
Do I need special seeds?
Microgreens are just seedlings, so can be grown from any seed. However non-organic seeds may have been treated with fungicides and other nasty chemicals, so it's best to choose organic!
Also normal seed packets tend to have relatively few seeds in them, so best to choose microgreens seed packs, which are usually packed with thousands of seeds!
How do I grow microgreens?
Soak seeds for 4- hours before sowing. Rinse before sowing, Most seeds benefit from this soaking as it helps them to germinate more quickly however some seeds are mucilaginous (get gooey when wet!) so avoid soaking these varieties: cress, rocket, mustard
Source a clean dry container with drainage holes. If you like up cycling, empty plastic veg punnets are a great option, just be careful when making drainage holes.
Add damp organic compost to the rim of the container.
Scatter seeds densely on the surface. Ideally you want the soil surface to be almost covered with seeds, but not so dense that seeds are on top of one another.
Add a thin layer of fine compost (sieved if necessary) on top.
Spray a fine mist of water on top
Place the container on a sunny warm windowsill and wait! Most seeds will sprout within 1-4 days, and should be big enough to harvest within 10-14 days!
8. If seed hulls are stuck to the leaves of the microgreens, run your hand along the surface of the leaves to knock them off. This is a particular issue with sunflower, beetroot and rainbow chard microgreens.
9. Harvest with a clean sharp knife (careful!) or scissors! Rinse in a salad spinner, and remove excess water with paper towels. Serve fresh, or air dry and then keep in a sealed container in the fridge with a clean paper towel for 1-3 days. It's important to air dry them before storing as otherwise they will quickly rot in the fridge.
