Micro greens

Monek Marie
Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

Who grows micro green here?

Between micro green sna sprouts you can add a lot of fresh food to you diet in the winter months.

Many sites I see have good information but require a lot of bought supplies. You can recycle and get creative and not have to buy all the trays lighting etc...

If you do grow micro greens where do you get your seed? I am trying to find a good supplier

Comments

  • Ruth Ann Reyes
    Ruth Ann Reyes Posts: 577 admin

    I'm also interested in this!

    How do you use them on a daily basis?

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Yes, I do. I also grow for other family members. I had thought about growing for restaurants or framers market then corona came along.

    When growing for farmers market or restuarants your set up had to look more profesional. For yourself, you can cut cost on trays and containers and still have high quality.

    I have been growing mostly basils, radishes, beets, kale and amaranth or swiss card in microgreens. I just tried peas and they did well. I need to be able to buy seeds in bulk to save money and I am not sure where to look. sunflowers are my next experiment

    I'm a zone 5B so winters I need a bit more lighting or some heat. Summers work out very well here. Love fresh micros and sprouts

    Once your set up is organized it only takes a few days to take care of them.

    Biggest probelm I had was figuring out what I really needed to start to use. The chickens had not problems if I over planted!

  • silvertipgrizz
    silvertipgrizz Posts: 1,990 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November 2020

    'stocking up' 3rd edition page 563 lists seeds safe to sprout... the info starts before that page but the reason I started looking for sprout info was so I could know which seeds to sprout, which not to sprout and WHY NOT..the results from each ie health etc..and clearly defined ie, the different stages and which stage is best and why...ie, again, nutrition. In these days with what's coming in terms of food shortages and the ability/easy/even possible? to get seeds...the earliest stage of some of the sprouting seeds in sometimes as early as 3 days........imagine if that's all you had to eat.. at least you could keep them growing in your house all winter long..

    I hate to say this but but be careful who you buy from because I just saw/heard recently that some seed companies that sell some of their seeds explicitly for sprouts...are sterile....I do not know how true that is so be aware and do diligently when you shop, and have fun, sprouting is just like 'mini' gardening only not back breaking and lots faster and the usual seeds for sprouting like broccoli are so much higher in nutrient value why bother growing them otherwise and save that garden space for other high nutrient/dense stuff..

    btw, night shade/tomato's I think it said are poisonous when eaten young I think because the seedling is so dense with it's protectants for the young plant...just don't forget that some seeds should never be eaten as sprouts, poss even the young green stage..

    btw, big thank you to @torey on the fav homesteading links... I saw that one in her list and found it on Amazon and looked through it's 'kindle' preview edition...lots of info pages available for discernment.

  • Jack_Went_Splat
    Jack_Went_Splat Posts: 59 ✭✭✭

    @silvertipgrizz good point on the nightshades and young greens. Not something I've considered but well worth paying attention

  • marjstratton
    marjstratton Posts: 1,132 ✭✭✭✭

    My favorite place to by seeds for sprouts and greens is Sprout People. He also has a lot of u tube videos on how to grow your sprouts/greens.

  • annbeck62
    annbeck62 Posts: 1,028 ✭✭✭✭

    I grow microgreens. Right now I've got seeds from both Johnny Seeds and true leaf. At first I was growing both on both a mat and coconut coir. I was not having good luck using the mat. The coconut was ok. Then I started vermicomposting and once I was able to grow with a mix of castings and coir I was amazed at the difference. I like using 5 x 5 containers so I can have a lot of variety. Currently growing sunflower shoots, buckwheat, peas, mung bean, wheat grass, kale, collard, basil, arugula, cabbage, radish and maybe a few others.

  • VermontCathy
    VermontCathy Posts: 1,987 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I use sprouts and shoots in sandwiches as a replacement for lettuce, spinach, and similar greens. Buckwheat, Evergreen Hardy White scallions, Daikon radish, broccoli, pea shoots, and sunflowers all work well.

    You can also use them to make a small salad of sprouts and shoots. Just add some vinegarette, salt, and paper, and you have a a green side to go with your meal.

    I occasionally sprout mung beans for Asian dishes, but less frequently.

    Most of my sprouting seeds come from Johnny's. If you look on their web site, be sure you check both the "sprouts" and "shoots" sections, or you won't find all of the possible options.

  • KimWilson
    KimWilson Posts: 197 ✭✭✭

    what is the basic differences between microgreens and sprouts?

  • VermontCathy
    VermontCathy Posts: 1,987 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Microgreens is a catch-all marketing term that doesn't have a standard, agreed definition. I see it as including both sprouts and shoots.

    Sprouts refers to the process of getting a seed to absorb water and sprout. No soil is needed. You can do it in a bag or jar with a damp paper towel providing the moisture.

    Sprouts are typically consumed very young, before they form a clearly-defined plant. They don't really have leaves, stem or roots formed yet. You eat the whole thing.

    Bean sprouts used in Asian cooking are the classic example, so much so that people look at me strangely when I tell them sprouts for eating don't have to be beans!

    Shoots are little plants that have sprouted in soil and formed stems, roots and leaves (at least cotyledons, or seed leaves). You harvest the stem and leaves, but not the roots, by using a pair of scissors to cut the stem close to the soil, and eat everything above that.

    I do mostly shoots, and only occasional sprouts.

  • Michelle D
    Michelle D Posts: 1,465 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I caught bits and pieces of a class that Melissa K. Norris did last week on growing micro greens. I'm very excited to try it. I was also wondering where to get bulk seeds. I have 2 large bay windows with an Eastern exposure and a few grow lights that I use for starting seedlings indoors. Any advice on which would be a better option for light?

  • MaryRowe
    MaryRowe Posts: 736 ✭✭✭✭

    @Michelle D In warm weather I grow trays of micro greens on my screened porch in a corner that has eastern and southern exposure and gets direct sun until about 2PM. The greens seem to grow happily there. In cold weather I grow them indoors. I have a bay window with southern exposure, and I have to be very careful about them getting too hot and drying out there. I have better luck growing them under grow lights. So I know that grow lights work very well, but your windows with eastern exposure might work well too. The micro green grow so quickly that you could try a tray under grow lights and a tray in your bay window to see which does best, and take it from there.

    I'm still searching for the best bulk seeds at the best price too. Like others I usually go to Johnny's , but also use Pinetree Garden Seeds, and most recently bought a bag of mixed seeds from a small company on Amazon. It had a five-star rating, but I haven't tried the seeds yet.

  • Michelle D
    Michelle D Posts: 1,465 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @MaryRowe Thank you! I probably will try both. I just have to order my seeds first. I have looked at Johnny's website but I haven't ordered anything yet. I have trouble deciding and usually want to order everything 😅

  • annbeck62
    annbeck62 Posts: 1,028 ✭✭✭✭

    I've found sunflower shoots, buckwheat, peas are a little less finicky and are fast growing so those are good ones to start with. @Michelle D I grow in 5 x5 trays so I can grow a little of everything :)

  • VermontCathy
    VermontCathy Posts: 1,987 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I've found sunflower, buckwheat, peas, and daikon radish are easy and give you a good mix. Broccoli also seems to be pretty easy.

    Scallions can be done, but they take longer to sprout, are more finicky, and onion seed doesn't last long (a few months) even if stored properly. I grow them regularly.

    Nasturtium are very slow, but can make decent shoots if given time. They have a wonderful pepper-like flavor that has no substitute in my winter garden.

  • patdale56
    patdale56 Posts: 1 ✭✭✭

    Ive gotten organic seeds, to grow micro greens from, Mumms (Canada), Jonnys, True Leaf Market and Mountain Rose Herbs. Favorites and easiest to grow, are broccoli or any Brassicas and radish. I eat them every day and give away micros to friends and family. My favorite way to eat them are raw and pile them generously on my wraps or salads- 1-2 cups/day.


  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin
    edited November 2020

    Welcome, @patdale56! Thanks for mentioning your sources.

    When you have a moment, I'd like to encourage you to skip over to our categories area, check out the Rules & leave a short Introduction. Both can be found in the first 2 categories in this link:


  • flowerpower *
    flowerpower * Posts: 258 ✭✭✭

    Hi Kim: A sprout is produced when seeds are dampened in a jar or special sprouting tray. A microgreen is a baby plant, harvested by snipping a dense planting of seeds. The microgreens are grown on a soil replacement.

  • flowerpower *
    flowerpower * Posts: 258 ✭✭✭

    I found a nice ebook on microgreens: https://terrafibre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Starter-Kit-Booklet.pdf

    Thanks to @LaurieLovesLearning for the Hemp fibre post.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    @flowerpower * You are welcome!