Why grow your own micros?
Why wouldn’t you?! They’re higher in nutrients than their fully grow counter parts. You get to grow them year round and they take up very little space. Not to mention the satisfaction of growing things yourself. Come on. Growing things is fun!
- High vitamin and mineral count per pound compared to fully grown versions of the same plants.
The nutritional benefits are through the roof! For example, micro broccoli has 40 times the nutrients of fully grown broccoli. 40 times!! That’s an insane amount of nutrients once for once. It also has a much higher amount of antioxidants. Most micros are much higher in both vitamins and minerals than their grown counter parts.
- Saves money to grow them your self
You can run to the local grocery store and buy micros, sure. However, the cost is higher per pound than almost any other fruit or veggie there. Example? My local store sells a small 2 oz. package of micro broccoli for $4.66. That’s $37.28 a pound!
You can buy a pack of seeds for around $19 on Amazon and get tray after tray of micros. Likely more than you can consume if you grow them in succession. One bag should get you more than 8 trays full and each tray is more than 2 oz.
- Control the soil and plant intake
Plus there is the added benefit of being able to control soil nutrients and grow them completely organically. You can use soil and additives you may already have making this a quick and easy undertaking.
- Space saving and easy to grow
It easy, takes up very little space so is easily grow indoors when season doesn’t permit you to do full gardening. It’s a great why to scratch the plant itch you get all winter!
Takes up way less space than a garden so it great for people in apartments or those with limited space.
- Grow quickly, like super quickly
Since they grow within days, you have the options of starting them for a harvest just in time for an event or recipe you plant to make. It’s actually super cool! Gonna make a hearty winter stew on Wednesday? Plant a micro or two on on Friday or Saturday!
How to use micro greens
However you want! They can be harvested within days of planting and put into soups and stews, added to salads, even put on a sandwich or wrap with your lettuce.
I personally love to sprinkle them into the salad mix in the house. It’s a great way to add a nutrient punch to something already healthy!
You can easily add a large handful to a blender or food processor to chop them up and then put them into any soup or sauce.
What type of micros to grow
There are so many options! Broccoli, salt mixes, “spicy” salad mixes, arugula, wheat grass. My personal favorites are the repeatedly mentions bocci and the salad mix. The salad mix is interesting because it is greens that aren’t already in my normal mix of romaine and green leaf lettuce. This one consists of alfalfa, radish, clover and broccoli. Sprinkle over the top of your salad and done! Below is a list of commonly grown micros to choose from.
Kale Basil Celery Red Cabbage
Broccoli Mustard greens. Cilantro Chia
Radish Sunflower Alfalfa Cress
Arugula Wheat grass Buckwheat Carrots
**Personally I find the options overwhelming so I stick to 2 or 3 that feel more more familiar and are the most versatile.
How to grow your own micros & what you need
Purchase simple growing trays. When searching, try to avoid the term “micro greens” or “micro trays” as this will give you more expensive and more complicated options. No need to get fancy. Plain, black growing tray work just fine. In fact, if you grow from seed often, you likely have a couple already that go under your plug trays. Although a bit smaller, these will work just fine! You’ll need two tray to use this method.
Pick your seeds or mix. DO NOT USE SMALL PACK OF SEEDS. You’ll see in the instructions below that it takes quite a few seeds and using these small packs is a pain, not mention much more expensive as you will need so many packs. Above is an example of the seeds I use. I like the brand because they are organic, but you can use any kind you wish!
Keep in mind that many of the seed types can be used as sprouts as well so I like to pick seeds that I use for both. Here is an article for how to grow sprouts.
- Step 1 Choose your soil mix
This can be something you already have. Again, no need to get fancy. If you have pots or beds with soil that you’re happy with…go with that! I personally keep a container full of organically supplemented soil mix. It has top soil with compost and/or Peet moss, bone meal and/or blood worm meal, etc. It’s honestly whatever was handy when I filled the container I keep it around for any seed starting or micro growing I may get an itch for.
- Step 2 Fill a tray or two
Take a tray and put a bit of water int eh bottom. Just enough to cover it. This will prevent over watering at the end. Put a layer of your soil into the tray. Don’t fill it up! This is important for harvesting later. I fill it to around the halfway mark.
- Step 3 Add your seeds
These will be much thicker than normal sowing. You’re going to sprinkle the seeds over the entirely of the soil quite thickly. You are purposely overcrowding them. You can even do the tray half and half. Just use something to mark where the line is. This is a great idea if your just experimenting and unsure of how many you will use or how you plan to use them.
- Step 4 Water and cover
Water well but do not drastically soak the soil. I use the mist setting on my hose nozzle to prevent moving the seeds around. Now you will take a second tray and cover the seeds. No needs to press down. This simply mimics the pressure of a light layer of soil the seeds would get in nature after wind and rain.
- Step 5 Watch & wait
Set in your greenhouse or under a grow light. All of my research shows that natural sunlight will make the stems too thick and “leggy” so less appealing to consume. Honestly I’ve never put this to the test since I have a small portable (and cheap!) greenhouse and a set of grow lights.
Within a day or two, the seeds will begin to sprout and you will remove the top tray. Some seeds will stick to the bottom and that’s perfectly ok. Some seeds take more time than others. I water mine daily with a spray bottle or hose nozzle on the mist setting.
Most micros will be ready to harvest within 4-6 days!
- Step 6 Harvest!
This is where keeping the soil level low will reward you. Simply take a spare of sharp shears, grab a small section and start cutting. You are going to cut a bit above the soil level so that no dirt comes with the greens.
Some people use a small saw or knife, which is faster but much messer. I prefer to simply sit them. You can harvest as little as needed to keep them fresher for longer.
Compost the leftovers!
When you’re done, you should have a sheet of leftover dirt and a mess of roots. Remember though, those roots are organic compost for other plants! Throw the whole thing on your compost pile or break it up and throw into pots or beds. Done! Ah, the circle of life.