7 Easy Steps to Start your own Microgreens

Nutrient-dense produce you can grow during the winter

It’s wintertime which means our selection of fresh healthy foods here in the mid-west is limited. Most of us resort to what we find at the grocery store or what we might have left in the pantry if we did some canning. It’s hard to get good nutrition during this time of year but there is a solution. 

The answer is microgreens! These two-leaved creations have tons of vitamins and other compounds that make them a good healthy choice. Broccoli sprouts, for example, have a cancer-fighting agent called sulforaphane scientifically proven to reduce cancer cells. For a great YouTube video on the subject, I suggest checking out the link at the bottom of this blog post.

Here are some simple steps to starting your own microgreen:

Step 1: Soak Your Seeds

In an 8x4 inch aluminum bread pan (no drainage holes), I evenly spread out the desired seed needed to get a good crop of microgreens then submerge the seeds in water overnight. Not all seeds require this step, but I do it for peas and sunflowers shown here:

Step 2: Drain off water and Prep Container

In this photo, I have a small strainer I use to drain the water from the soaked seed. I then put a thin layer of worm castings and about a tablespoon of liquid organic kelp to the bottom of the tray. This helps ensure I get the maximum benefit for these ‘live’ vitamins. This is way better than swallowing those pills from the pharmacy.

Step 3: Add a Layer of Potting Soil

Using a general potting mix like Promix. Create a layer of soil over the fertilizer and do not mix. The roots will feast on the lower layer of feed. When adding soil, make sure to moisten the medium beforehand. I like to moisten the soil in a gallon ziplock bag with roughly 4 cups of water overnight. Evenly spread the soil and break up clumps as you go.

Step 4: Sow the Seeds

Here’s the fun part! Spread the seed out evenly making sure that the seeds do not pile onto each other. If the seed overlaps they will compete too much and lift neighboring seeds away from the soil.

Step 5: Cover the Seed

When I say cover the seed I don’t mean with soil. Simply use a newspaper or paper towel like I have done here. Moisten with water and cover the seed to help with germination.

Step 6: Incubate the containers

This can be done anywhere. Some people will store the containers in warm cupboards for about 3 to 4 days. What is important is that the containers are in a dark warm place. This helps the germination process.

Step 7: Let Them Grow

Once the seeds have germinated move the containers under grow lights or an east/west-facing window. Water periodically until the microgreens reach about 2-3 inches. This step is critical when ensuring that the microgreens are photosynthesizing which means more nutrients!

And just like that, you have fresh microgreens ready to be put in a salad, on a sandwich or the way I like it… In a smoothie!

Lastly, Make sure to compost the soil cakes! This makes for great soil amendment for your flower beds and vegetable gardens. It is possible to reuse the composted soil cakes for your microgreen medium too!

All these techniques came from the book Year-Round Indoor Salad Gardening by Peter Burke. I highly suggest checking this book out if you want to learn more about the specifics to his technique at raising microgreens. Happy Gardening!

Year-Round Indoor Salad Gardening - By: Peter Burke

Sulforaphane and Its Effects on Cancer - YouTube - By: Rhonda Pratric PH.D
Blog Post By: Nicholas Hardebeck