I'm going to start off talking about microgreens because they are easy to grow and require little space which means if you don't have much room for growing you can still grow and harvest them to make yummy fresh salads. Most types grow only within a few weeks.
So first off what are microgreens? You probably have heard of them but don't know what they actually are. Microgreens are, as their name implies, miniature versions of vegetables you are already familiar with such as radishes, lettuce and mustard. They are packed with vitamins and enzymes and are more nutrient dense than their mature counterparts. Depending on the type some have a more intense flavour than the full-grown greens.
Study results on the nutritional benefits of microgreens have been published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Red cabbage microgreens contain 40 times more vitamin E than mature cabbage. Comparing cilantro microgreens to mature cilantro, levels of beta-carotene are three times higher.
“All of these nutrients are extremely important for skin, eyes, and fighting cancer and have all sorts of benefits associated with them,” says researcher Gene Lester, Ph.D., of the USDA.
To grow them:
For the most part, all you'll need if growing them inside is good smooth soil that doesn't have any rocks, wood chips or anything that would cause the soil to be hard or have bumps,a shallow tray to grow them in. If you don't have natural light you'll need a growing light and the seeds.
Clear a space in the garden to grow them or place an inch of potting soil in your shallow tray.
Sprinkle your seeds over the soil, you'll have to be generous with the number of seeds Since you won't be growing them fully, you'll want to get as many as you can from the space your using.
Press down the seeds slightly and cover with a thin layer of soil. Spray with water, make sure to do this twice daily until the seeds germinate.
Depending on the type of microgreens you choose to grow they should be ready within a few weeks.
To harvest snip the stems of the microgreens above the soil.
Note: if growing in the garden they cannot survive the winter. They shouldn't be washed, washing them damages them and can decrease their shelf life as much as 30%.
There are different ways to grow each type of microgreen, especially for the germination process. I will talk more about each type of microgreens in the next upcoming articles.