Mar 25
2008
Grow Your Own Teeny Tiny Salad Greens
I am just crazy for anything I can grow and eat here at home…
…particularly in the winter, when the weather is inhospitable for gardening or even venturing out to a favorite restaurant. I keep herbs on the kitchen counter. That’s also why I sprout everything from wheat berries to mung beans to adzukis to alfalfa to add to breads, salads or other dishes. Sprouts boost the taste AND the nutrition in one fell swoop. So when I saw the recent proliferation in seed catalogs for microgreens, the cartoon light bulb over my head lit right up.
KA-PING!!! I bet I can grow these in my light garden! Then I can have gourmet greens in my own kitchen 12 months out of the year. Why didn’t I think of this before?
To get started, I ordered a set of microgreens seeds from Cook’s Garden, which included Beet Bull’s Blood, Broadleaf Cress, Kohlrabi Chancellor, Cutting Celery, Pea Green Arrow and Spinach Rembrandt. Each seed was packaged separately. Cost: $13.95 for six typical packets of seeds–.4 grams to 2 oz each. I also ordered the spicy microgreens mix from the Sprout People, which included Daikon Radish, Cress and Arugula. These seeds were mixed together. Cost: $9.95 for a one-pound bag of organic seeds.
Clearly, the Cook’s Garden quantities were minuscule compared with the Sprout People seeds, especially when you consider that the plants aren’t going to mature to big plants, but will be hacked off at the roots and eaten as baby plants. You will need quite a lot of seeds for microgreens.
I planted one box of soilless potting mix with the Cutting Celery and Broadleaf Cress from Cook’s Garden and one with the seed mix from the Sprout People. All of the seeds sprouted and grew beautifully in the light garden in just a few days. I was able to clip off just what I wanted to add to salads or to add atop sandwiches. The sprouts have stayed crisp, fresh and zingy for several weeks while I continue to clip them. Fabulous!
If you want to try your own microgreens, you can plant them in traditional plastic sprouting trays on a windowsill or under grow lights. The Sprout People also offer a hemp bag sprouter that looks quite handy and can be used for microgreens.
So now I can have teeny tiny salad greens year round. Now that’s a fabulous find!
Robin
March 25th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Definitely a fabulous find and a great idea.
March 25th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
I love it when you post your fabulous finds. Told my husband about this and he’s as interested as I am. Thanks!
March 25th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Hmmmm that is something to think about. I think I will consider this as I just put up the lights for seedlings in the basement.
March 25th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Great article!
March 25th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Mmmm…..those look yummy!
March 25th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
This is definitely of interest to me. Thanks for the information.
March 26th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Looks so delish! Thanks for sharing with us.
Shirley
June 16th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
[...] what my husband thinks. We are reaching the tail end of the baby greens season, and we are eating baby greens every other day. It would be every day, if I had my way, but my husband draws a firm line on how [...]
March 11th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
I was wondering what the best grow system is? I was looking into LED grow systems for my greens. Does any one have any experience with this? Does anyone know if these grow lights are any good >> LED Grow Lights I appreciate any help