A good winter garden project is growing microgreens. Microgreens are thin, delicate plants of herbs or salad greens that can provide fresh greenery to your meal and are especially appreciated in the winter.
Microgreens are often made up of the same plants that are found in salad greens but they are harvested at a much earlier stage than salad greens. Some people think of microgreens as a cross between sprouts and salad mixes: the greens provide texture and colour as a garnish or unique and exciting flavours along with high nutritional value when part of a salad. Growing microgreens in your home is easy.
Choose a large enough container or tray so the seeds are only one layer deep and have some space between seeds (at least two to three millimetres). The container or tray should be three to four centimetres deep and have some holes for drainage. If the tray or container has large drainage holes that allow the soil mix to drain out, line the tray with paper towel or newspaper. In order to avoid harmful bacteria (e.g. salmonella) or disease contamination in your microgreens, purchase and use only seeds recommended and sold for sprouting.
You can grow microgreens in a variety of potting media: peat-based potting mix, coir (coconut peat), sieved compost or worm castings from your vermiculture. Fill the tray with lightly moistened (not wet) potting medium to a depth of two to three centimetres. Soak the seed in water overnight. In the morning, drain the seed and sprinkle seeds evenly on top of the mix. For best germination and growth, seeds should not overlap in the tray. Lightly cover the seeds with half a centimetre of potting medium, pressing seeds and mix firmly into the tray. Cover the container/tray with plastic wrap or a clear lid. Place the tray in a warm room, 20-25 C. Using a mister or light sprayer, ensure the surface of the tray remains moist. As soon as germinated greens are visible, remove the cover. Continue to water the greens: ensure the tray remains moist but is never left in standing water.
Often grains such as barley, oat or wheatgrass are grown in trays that contain no potting medium - instead they are grown on two or three layers of damp paper towel. Spread the soaked seeds over the damp paper towel. Cover the seeds with a clear lid, plastic wrap or damp paper towel. Remove the lid and covering paper towel when green leaves appear. Keep seeds and paper towel moist throughout the germination and growing period.
Unlike sprouts, microgreens need sunlight to grow. When grown indoors, they should be located on a south-facing windowsill or under a grow light. If grown outside in the summer, they can be placed on your deck or patio in the summer but out of direct sun so they don't dry out or bake. Some seeds have hulls that will remain on the young plant after they have germinated. If this is the case, mist the plants with a spray bottle, the moist hulls will naturally fall off.
Microgreens are usually harvested when there are four or more leaves. Cut the shoots just above ground level with a scissors. Plan to use your microgreens fresh. However, they can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for several days. Roots and potting medium can be composted after harvest.
Seeds that work well for producing microgreens include: cress - four days to harvest; barley, oat, wheatgrass - six to nine days to harvest; flax - five to six days to harvest; buckwheat- five to six days to harvest; sunflower - eight to 12 days to harvest; vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, radish, lettuce, kale, kohlrabi, pea, spinach, salad/mesclun mix) - seven to 15 days to harvest.
One of the best resources that I have found for information and recipes for sprouting and microgreens is Growing and Using Sprouts by Richard Helweg: an excellent Christmas present for a sprouting microgreener. See last week's article about growing sprouts for seed sources.
Bantle is a horticulturist living in Saskatoon.
- This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (www.saskperennial.ca; [email protected]). Check out our Bulletin Board or Calendar for upcoming garden information sessions.
