You don't need lots of land - or even lots of experience - to grow a portion of the food you need. Really, all you need is access to high quality soil, water, sunlight and a few pots.
Today I would like to show you how I approach the microgreens garden.
Come along and take a look at a tiny garden I have been working on for the past three weeks or so.
These are my main allies, two very fast growing microgreens - broccoli and radish greens. These seeds came from Silver Lake Seed Co on Etsy which is based in Washington state, USA.
Starting with quality seeds is helpful but, not totally necessary. I very often buy non-organic seeds sold as condiments like fenugreek and mustard from grocery stores.
Really the key to growing high-quality microgreens is the soil! I am very lucky to have access to compost in this garden and usually fill the pots with a mixture of potting soil (organic, if possible) and compost from the pile. Or just compost, that works too!
After filling the pot I sprinkle on the seeds, be they mustard, broccoli, or something else. Microgreens are to be sprinkled very densely. About a hundred seeds per pot or tray works well. Then I sprinkle a very thin layer of compost on top and water well.
Keeping everything really well watered is key to quick germination. I set the pots in a protected spot with morning sun that is right by the kitchen door so that they cannot be forgotten. Within days these quick growing greens are already sprouting!
The beauty of microgreens is that some can be harvest within 10 to 14 days. I usually thin most of these young sprouts out to use in salads and then let a handful of them grow to maturity.
Above are radish greens that are several months old. At this point they are too tough to eat raw and are great when added to an egg dish like quiche. Most often, however, I am in a hurry to get my fresh greens onto the table and use kitchen scissors to harvest my greens when they are only about two weeks old and look like this:
These greens are perfect to add to salads with lettuce or to lightly wilt with quinoa or rice dishes. They can be added to pesto alongside mature basil leaves too. Really, the possibilities are endless with microgreens! And as they are so cheap and easy to grow I doubt I will be giving them up anytime soon.
I like your orchard. I will try to look for those seeds here. Regards.
Most countries have some sort of microgreens store online. If not there are plenty of seeds that you can buy from shops like fenugreek, cilantro (coriander), and mustard seeds. best of luck to you!!
Oh I’m thinking you know the benefits of fenugreek on hair? And how to even use it? I tried soaking it for my hair and it was a total disaster. The smell was disgusting.
fenugreek does have a very strange smell!! I know that some people soak the seeds in oil and then use that oil on their hair. also eating fenugreek sprouts is said to help with hair growth overtime.
Ohh okay so it wasn’t any weird smell.
Thank you.
yeah that is the natural smell!
It doesn't seem difficult to sow and harvest, the problem I understand is my land haha it's not fertile and the truth is I don't know how to fight the pests, but it's good that you can harvest your own food, it's something we all should know and be able to do 😊
I know what you mean. Where I live the soil is not very fertile, that is why I like growing in containers and using the best soil/compost ~ that makes all the difference!
ohh you still put them in puts. i see these microgreen projects grown on cotton or soil sheets now then they just wash it before consuming. I've been thinking of trying these tbh
there are so many ways to grow microgreens. I would really like to try those methods someday too. But, I feel that the greens grown in compost have more health benefits than those grown in paper or cotton sheets.
i won't argue with thw health benefits of course but I'm more conflicted on the sanitation than anything when it's compost grown. there are ways to give microgreens that nutrient boost through liquids too
People grow microgreens like broccoli, radish, and mustard greens for their nutritional value, and they are often used in salads, sandwiches, or as garnishes. =)
The process of gardening is so satisfying. Very few actually understand all the work behind of it but the satisfaction at the end of the day is priceless :)
It does take a bit of time each day but, in general I feel that growing microgreens is less work/time than a traditional garden. Gardening in the ground can be very challenging in this dry climate so I am happy to have found a technique that works well for me. Thanks for your comment!
Indeed. Pleasure all mine :) Have a nice day!
Many thanks!!
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thanks!!
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thanks so much!
What a beautiful greens, and it is grown at home by your green thumb and it surely is much healthier without any pesticide sprayed on it. Thats why having a garden at home is really beneficial, I mean even just planting them in a pot is better too. This is what's Mommy F did too. But too sad they ended dead in the end because if the chicken at home. Even the car is like an accomplice 🙉🙉. We can't grow anything successfully, aigooo
yeah the chickens can be a problem. Here in this garden our main battle is with the family of squirrels who love digging up pretty much anything we plant. I always plant more than I need knowing that the squirrels will certainly harvest a portion too. They are so cute and funny though, so I cannot be too mad at them.
Amazing stuff! I really love to grow them from seeds that I grew myself, as some plants like amaranth and wild rocket and salad rocket produce so many seeds. And when you try and separate all the chaff from the seeds, it is sometimes easier to just plant some of the leftover chaff for micro-green purposes!
And you said something so true, few people think about using bulk wholesale whole spices (aka seeds) such as mustard, fenugreek, celery, and so on, for growing produce. It is way cheaper than buying small packets of seeds.
Maybe I should also start selling my seeds, as I have literal bottles and jars full of the stuff; way too much for my small scale growing operation to ever use.
Selling the seeds you harvest from your own plants sounds like a great idea too me!! That is actually something I dream of getting into someday. If the mainstream economy ever does break down (though I hope it doesnt) I predict that seeds will be a form of currency.
There is a novel in my home language (Afrikaans) that deals with this very topic! It is a dystopian novel where seeds are a commodity and growing food has become a forbidden secret. One of my favourite modern novels. But I am sure this already happening with big seed companies already owning the rights to so many things that control the growing of crops.
Microgreens are similar to chia seed sprouts! =)
They are young vegetable greens harvested just after the first leaves develop. I use chia seeds too, and once they sprout, I mix them into my vegetable salad.
Hi, it's interesting to eat the radish leaves before harvesting, I'll give it a try.
The microgreens are an alternative to add them to salads, although that would go hand in hand with some fixed plants for seed production.