Micro Greens are a great way to add an extra punch of plant based nutrients to any dish. They are small plant sprouts harvested before reaching maturity at the peak of their nutrient height. But they’re not the same as what we commonly know as “sprouts”.
If you’re in an area that’s made getting produce challenging, micro greens are by no means a replacement for fruits and veggies but they are a great way to help boost your plant based nutrients in nutrient deficient meals (like hamburger helper, or boxed mac and cheese).
Micro greens are generally quick to sprout - with many being harvestable in 1 to 2 weeks (but some take ~3 weeks). And you can grow many, many, many in a very small space so they’re perfect for growing indoors.
Grow Times and Space
Micro greens are generally quick to sprout - with many being harvestable in 1 to 2 weeks (but some take ~3 weeks). And you can grow many, many, many in a very small space so they’re perfect for growing indoors. You’ll need a small space, clean water, and some sun.
So are you ready to get started?
2 Ways to Grow
Simplest/Fastest: I use Hamama seed quilts and their tray (linked is a started kit with a reusable tray and seed quilts for $40) for most of my microgreens. For me, it’s easier than having all of the soil, seeds, and tools on hand for growing these from scratch. I also happen to really like their seed blends. As an added bonus hamama requires no soil so it’s less mess and saves some dirt for my other plants. I’ll make a post about using a Hamama tray and quilt after my next round of sprouts pop up. But for me they are pretty foolproof. A Con: if you go this route you’ll need to buy a new set of seed quilts from time to time - the tray is reusable so don’t throw it away!
From Scratch: For some folks who are already avid gardeners, having seeds, soil, and some plant know-how is no big deal. So to save some cash you may just want to grow some micro greens yourself! A few things to know - Not all seeds are equal, some last longer than others (yes seeds do “expire” - they become unreliable at some point). So try to remember when you bought those broccoli seeds and check out The Spruce’s handy guide here. Also not every seed is suitable to micro green - Popular micro green mixes include kale, salad greens or arugula, broccoli, cabbage, radish. You can see a full tutorial on growing micro greens from scratch here.
Harvesting
Microgreens should be harvested when their first leaves emerge. The roots are NOT edible - you should use a pair of sharp, clean, scissors and clip the sprouts just above the soil/quilt.
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