First
step is to fill up your tray with soil. Since these plants aren’t
going to be in there very long (9-12 days), they won’t develop a
very intricate root system, which means you don’t need a whole lot
of soil. About two inches worth should be more than enough.
Then
you spread your seeds across the surface of the soil. No need to
worry about getting it perfectly even or spaced out equally.
You
want to put a pretty thick coating down. Unlike when you’re growing
a full, adult plant, you don’t have to worry about overcrowding
with microgreens. Pack ’em in.
Next,
take a little more soil in your hand, and sprinkle it over the seeds.
You’re just looking for light coverage here. Again, no need to be
perfect. You don’t have to cover every seed exactly the same.
Then
take your hand and lightly press down all across the tray to really
set the seeds into their new home.
Last
planting step: give ’em a good drink of water. The spray bottle is
for later, now is the time to use a watering can or the mist option
on your hose sprayer. You don’t want them swimming in water, but
you do want them very, very damp.
Then, put your tray in your sunny spot and wait! Or, if you are putting them under a grown light, place them directly under the light. You actually want the light to almont be touching the top of the tray (the light in this picture is actually a bit too high up.)
If you’re trying to start your seeds in a particularly cool place, you might want to think about either cranking the heat for a few days while the seeds germinate, or use a seed starting mat. You can get seed starting mats from gardener’s supply stores for beaucoup dollars, or you can do what we do, and just use an old electric blanket under the tray. A heating pad works, too!
A
few days later, you’ll see even more seed germinating, and then the
true leaves starting to show. These are the ones that actually start
looking like the plants you are used to, albeit really tiny, adorable
versions.
And
then after a little over a week, you’ll have a whole tray full of
beautiful microgreens. You can choose to harvest at any point after
the true leaves show up.
I
normally let mine go until about the 10 day mark, when the greens are
about two inches tall.
To
harvest, you can either clip the greens with sharp kitchen scissors...
Or
do what I do, and pull out the greens and shake off the extra soil.
You’ll need the soil to be extra dry to do it properly, so I stop
watering
a few days before I’m going to harvest. Then, on harvest day, pull
up the greens, and shake of the excess soil.
Then
I do 3-4 wash cycles on the greens, making sure they are full
submerged in cold water each time. Then spread them out on a towel
and dry them off slightly (a salad spinner works, too). To store, I
then wrap them in paper towels and place in an airtight container in
the fridge.
The
soil can then be composted, and you can start all over again! Or, if
you’re really on top of things, you can have multiple trays going
at the same time. I’ve found that starting a tray each week ends up
working out well for us—it takes us about a week to get through the
harvest from one tray.
See,
super easy, right? You can totally grow your own food! I promise.
Happy growing!
Vancouver home designed by Kelly Deck, Image via Design Rulz
