Top 5 Tips for Growing Microgreens At Home

FOOD. 

We consume food for survival and enjoyment on a daily basis. More often than not, even the food that we eat for energy makes us happy; we are all truly foodies on the inside.

What does this mean for all of us as consumers of food in the global desire for a greener planet? 

To us, that means that we need to move from MERELY being a consumer of food to a producer of food.

Imagine the amount of energy and carbon you can reduce from growing some leafy greens. Reduced food miles, packaging, fuel for transportation, and electricity for storage in stores. And of course, reduce cost. 

How can you be a producer of food?  How can you pick up the skill of growing some food, specifically microgreens in a simple, efficient, empowering manner?

Microgreens are grown for nutritional value, convenience and taste. Harvested after the sprout and before it goes on to become full-grown leafy greens. Microgreens can be eaten and paired in numerous ways (though often paraded as a garnish alone). 

Our Top 5 Tips for Growing Microgreens 

1. Use the blind germination method for sprouting seeds 

Moisture and darkness are important for a good rate of germination. We have experimented and found that when you germinate by covering the seeds with a lid or a thin layer of soil, you get deep-set roots and strong long stems! Blind germinate from Days 1-3 or 4 of your microgreens planting journey. Once the seeds have germinated, you can remove the lid and introduce it to indirect light where it will begin photosynthesis! 

2. Moisture, moisture, moisture 

Your microgreens will need some care. We prefer using spray bottles to moisten the soil rather than the leaves. 

3. Sunlight 

As mentioned in Tip #1, sunlight is not needful at every stage of growth! Introduce indirect light only after blind germination on days 3 or 4. It is normal that the microgreens leaves are yellow after blind germination,  introduce some sun and it will change to lush green! It should not be placed under direct sunlight, but rather somewhere near a window will do! 

4. Harvesting

We find harvesting and eating microgreens the most exciting part of this food production process. It is ready to harvest when it has just two seed leaves and the first true leaves. Seed leaves are the first leaves you'll notice growing from the seed, also known as the cotyledon. While the first true leaves are the actual leaves of the plant, the seed leaves look different from the first true leaves. Harvest it when you see four leaves not more. The flavour and texture of the plant substantially change after the first true leaves.

Harvest by cutting the stems above the soil rather than pulling it out. Simply rinse, spin in a salad spinner and enjoy! 

Here are some recipes that we have written for your inspiration:

• Quinoa, Daikon Radish microgreens, and tapioca salad
• Tanghoon soup with Buckwheat microgreens 
• Raita with Sunflower microgreens

Nova Nelson

I’m a Social Entrepreneur, Permaculture Designer, a gardening coach, content creator and educator. I started Cultivate Central as a solo enterprise. It started as a blog about my journey in Permaculture Design. It then evolved and grew into a small social enterprise. Today, I focus on creating regenerative food gardens, developing and delivering educational experiences, championing vermicomposting and building collaborative community programmes with organisations, corporates, developers and schools, with a small but talented team. I’m passionate about helping them embark on a journey of earth care centred on building regenerative food systems and cultures.

How did I find myself doing what I do? Read my story here.