There’s a booming trend of people growing their own food. With square foot gardening plans and vertical garden planters, we don’t necessarily need a huge backyard to grow a lot of food.
However, many of us don’t want to invest the time, effort and money that comes along with starting an “urban farm”.
That’s where Microgreen Gardening comes in.
Not only can we grow microgreens indoors, but we can grow them year-round in minimal space and with little expense. They also grow quickly, so we don’t have to wait for an entire season to harvest them.
On top of that, microgreens really pack a punch as far as nutrients go. You don’t have to eat a lot of them to get the health benefits. They contain four to six times the vitamins and phyto-nutrients found in the mature plants (of the same variety). Take broccoli sprouts for example.
I love this about these mini greens. If you are one of those people who finds it hard to get a good amount of greens in everyday, this may be your perfect solution. You can eat less while getting more nutrition (and at less cost, too!).
So, What are Microgreens?
Microgreens are the young seedlings of vegetables, beans, seeds, herbs and grains. Since we harvest them “early”, we don’t have to wait months and months before we can eat them. Along those same lines, they require less space to grow – thus, why people are are able to grow so many on their kitchen counters.
Where to Get Started…
Microgreen growing expert Mark Braunstein has put together a step-by-step guide on growing microgreens year-round from home: without much effort or money. What’s interesting is that Braunstein has been writing about growing sprouts for decades. See his “revised” edition of Sprout Garden from 1999!
Anyways, the point is that Braunstein knows a little bit about sprout gardening…
Although there’s not much to growing microgreens, we can make our projects easier by providing the right soil, temperature, lighting and ventilation. Once we understand the optimal growing settings, we simply repeat them for each harvest, and Braunstein gives us that information.
He also explains how to avoid the biggest problem amongst homegrowers: mold and bacteria. Extend your harvest, grow more and waste less. This guide saves you a lot of frustration, but if you already know what you’re doing, you don’t need it.
Another thing I really like about this DIY How-To Guide:
He includes a very useful index to 55 species of microgreens. He profiles each green according to its flavor, preferred cultivar, special handling needs and more. If you ever thought you might get bored growing and eating these miniature greens, think again.
Microgreen Garden: Indoor Grower’s Guide to Gourmet Greens
