A Simple Way to Have Some Fresh Vegetables Year Round – A Crash Course in Growing Microgreens
This post I’m filing under Real Food Recipes as it is a recipe of sorts. It’s a recipe on how to grow some quick, beautiful, amazingly healthful microgreen goodness on your kitchen counter all year. “Why would I want to do that?”, you ask? Well, there are just so many reasons but first let me explain about what these mighty microgreens are.
Simply put, microgreens are newborn baby veggies. If you go back to when little you learned about the life cycle of plants you may remember that the seeds sprout, start to grow leaves, continue to grow to the baby leaf stage, and then onto becoming a mature plant. What you may not have known is that the stage between the sprouting and the baby leaf, also known as the microgreen stage, is edible on many vegetables. Not only edible but delicious, and not only delicious but packed full of nutrition!
Any situation where you would use other leafy greens, you can pretty much use microgreens. There are a variety to choose from. Broccoli, radish, lettuce, peas, red cabbage, arugula, basil, even cantaloupe, sunflower, and beets. Whether you want your greens with a bit of a spicy kick, a subtle sweetness, or an earthy brassica flavor, you can grow them at home.
I add microgreens to salads, put them on sandwiches, sprinkle them on eggs, add them to smoothies and soups, or just eat a handful by themselves. I love them on mushroom burgers and bacon sandwiches. My dog, Milo, even loves them.
As for the nutritional content, since the nutritional value of the mature plant is crammed into that little leaf cluster you’ll get more of the nutrition from the microgreen stage than the mature stage. There are studies out there floating around that show microgreens have 5 to 40 times more nutrients than the mature vegetable. If you’re interested in knowing more of the research involving microgreens you can find some good information here. I would say this varies depending on the variety but all in all it looks like the nutritional content is higher in the microgreen stages of the plants.
There’s also something to be said about growing some of your own food. A beautiful thing happens when you have a hand in what you feed your family and yourself. I get a similar feeling when I make food from scratch. The nurturing aspect of growing and preparing food is something that is good for all of us, probably even more than we know.
Ok, I could go on and on about how much I love this process but let me stop here and share a quick “recipe” with you so that you can see for yourself.
You will need a few things. Some you may have around the house and some you may have to get. My advice would be to get a couple of grows under your belt before investing in items meant to hold up for the long haul.
For starters, I suggest beginning with broccoli. It’s one of the most common and nutritious varieties. If you’ve ever noticed these pretty little greens on a dish from a restaurant, chances are they were broccoli or a mix including broccoli. It’s the go to microgreen.
I grew microgreens one summer a few years ago for a couple of farmer’s markets near me. Broccoli was always the biggest seller and seemed to be the staple microgreen for my customers. Radish was next in line as people liked the burst of radish flavor. (Note that each variety has a bit of a different grow rate and formula to get the best crop. The following measurements and timeline I’m sharing here apply to broccoli microgreens.)
Here’s what you need:
- Broccoli seeds (organic is best)
- A somewhat shallow container with a lid
- 1 tsp measuring spoon
- Organic coco coir
- A tray to fit the containers in (you can use a plate if only growing one container)
- A book or small weight of some kind
- A board or additional tray (a plate can work here for one container as well)
- A light source
- Spray bottle and water
Broccoli Seeds- I buy a bag from True Leaf so that I always have some on hand but if you’re just experimenting then a package or 2 of seeds from the nursery will work. You’ll need about a teaspoon of seeds for a 6 inch round container so buy accordingly.
Container- Takeout containers work great for this. The trick to picking the right container is for it not to be too deep. You’ll see later that you want to bring the level of the growing material close to the rim of the container and having it deep is a waste.
Organic Coco Coir- This is the growing medium I use. It’s a soil made from coconuts. Coco coir is clean, sanitary, and easy to work with. I have bought large blocks of it in the past but since I don’t grow them anymore for the farmer’s market, I buy smaller bags of coco coir at the hardware store. It’s the perfect size for growing microgreens for personal consumption.
Tray- The tray should be shallow and fit the containers you are using so that they can sit flat inside. The tray helps to keep everything contained and not make a mess on the counter or shelf where you’ll grow your microgreens.
Book or small weight- This may seem odd but the little seeds like to have a bit of weight on them while they sprout. This ensures that they will take root into the coco coir. You will only need the weight on them for the first few days. I use a book when I’m only growing a couple of containers. If you end up wanting to grow whole trays, a cement block or heavier weight would be needed. You’ll be surprised how strong these little things are!
A board or additional tray- In the beginning the seeds will be in darkness for a few days to give them time to germinate. An additional tray will go on top of the containers to keep them in that needed darkness.
A light source- After the seeds start to sprout there will be a time when you uncover them and they will want all the light. This will be the best part so you want to make sure they have good light. If you have a bright window with lots of sunlight then it is a great place for them. But don’t worry if your home isn’t facing the right direction or if you’d rather have them in a different spot in your home. You can get very inexpensive led light to provide the light they need. Remember that they will only need a few days of light before they’re ready to harvest. Since the harvest time for microgreens comes about rather quickly the light requirements are flexible. At the moment I use 2 utility LED shop lights and the greens are very happy with that. Some people use grow lights as well. There’s always more than one way to get the job done.
Spray bottle and water- To start the seeds off you’ll spray them with water so as to not disturb them or wash them off the top of the coco coir. As far as the water quality goes, I usually use purified water.
Okay, let’s see if I can give you a concise and informative plan of action to grow your microgreens.
Prep the bowl: I use a 6” diameter bowl that’s 1 ½” deep. Before using you’ll need to make some drainage holes in the bottom. I did this by melting the holes with a wood burning tool. Make sure you do this outside so you don’t trap the fumes in your home.
Fill with coco coir: I like to empty the bag of coco coir into a large container. Add a bit of water and stir it up so it’s evenly dampened. Then fill my bowl with the moistened coir to about ¼” from the top.
Sprinkle a teaspoon of broccoli seeds evenly: The great thing about microgreens is you don’t have to worry about spacing. In fact, overcrowding here is good since they don’t need the space to reach the size we’re looking for. That being said, don’t just dump them all in one spot. A nice even layer of seeds is the goal.
Mist with water: There’s no need to cover the seeds with soil but just give them a light misting. Between the water in the coco coir and the applied to the seeds directly, there should be enough water to last them the first 3 days while they are germinating.
Place in one of the trays: The tray used underneath is really just keeping things tidy. Sometimes a bit of water may seep out of the drainage holes and I’m just preventing messes here. You can use a plate if you’re only growing 1 container.
Cover with upside down lid, additional tray/plate, and weight with book: The reason for flipping the lid upside down and weighting it is due to how seeds grow and root. Since we’re top seeding, the weight and pressure ensures the roots shoot down into the coco coir.The additional tray or plate helps to distribute the weight and aids in creating a dark environment. Now if your lid is dark then you may just need the weight. The lids that I use are transparent so I cover them to make sure no light is hitting the seeds.
Keep in the dark for 3 days: You can check the seeds once a day to make sure things don’t dry out. I usually only do this when the season changes since the humidity and temperature can affect how quickly the water evaporates. You will see the lid and book start to rise as the roots get strong and the stems and leaves start to grow. There may be times that it takes 4 days to get to the point that you’re ready to move into the next phase of growing. Again, humidity, temperature, and season can change things up a bit. To the right is what the microgreens should look like when they’re ready to go under the light.
Now you get to watch these pretty lively greens grow. At first you might see some white fuzzy looking things, often mistaken for mold, on the soil. If you look closer you can see that they are coming from the roots and these are actually root hairs. Perfectly healthy, happy germination and growth happening when you see them.
Watering: After you remove the lid, place it under the bowl keeping it in the upside down position. The method of watering I use with microgreens is called bottom watering. This allows the microgreens to get the water they need to grow but doesn’t weigh down or damage the delicate sprouts. Only water if the soil is dry. Most of the time I don’t need to add water immediately after removing the lid and weight. I tend to go by the weight of the bowl to decide if and how much water I need. You don’t want to over water and you don’t want them to dry out. It’s a delicate balance but not hard to get the hang of.
Put under lights for 5 to 6 days: I have my lights on a timer for 16-18 hours a day. They seem to be very happy with this amount of light. You may want more or less. I haven’t really experimented much with it but have seen some people keep the lights on 24 hours a day. Giving them too little light may be an issue but it seems that you can’t really give them too much. As far as distance, my lights are about 9 inches from the top of the bowl. They seem happy and again, I haven’t really experimented with that.
Harvest: Cut a ¼ to ½” above the soil line and store in the refrigerator: I usually harvest microgreens when they are 2 to 3 inches tall. You want them to have one set of leaves. If you leave them too long they’ll start to grow more leaves and they tend to get more bitter as they head into the baby greens stage. You can also snip a couple off and try them to see if you like the flavor on that day.
When I store them I put them in a bowl with a paper towel in the bottom. This helps to keep them crisp in case moisture starts to accumulate. I also cover them but leave the lid or covering open just a smidge. This lets the gases out of the container and helps to keep them fresh longer.
Okay, there it is! So much information for such tiny plants. But don’t let that intimidate you. They are so fun to grow, so beautiful to watch, and so delicious to eat!
If you have any questions feel free to contact me. And don’t forget to sign up for my email list for more projects and activities that inspire and encourage a creative life!
