Oh how I admire the colors in the garden journal posts from the North! Alas, bright colors are in short supply now that nightly temps are freezing here down South. I have let the garden beds lie fallow and gathered up all my potted plants close to the house.
I hope that the cypress bush above will protect them from the worst of the cold but I also have to simply accept that some of these plants will go dormant once we get icy winds or even a sprinkling of snow.
As this collection of plants are destined to move with us to our new home it doesn't make sense to put them in the ground only to be uprooted in a few months. Instead I have been putting each plant into the largest pots available and filling them up with compost from the pile. Best of luck to these herbs that my guy so kindly gifted me on the solstice!
Now to the microgreens!
Winter may be a bit depressing as the colorful flowers and tasty fruits can't survive the cold and wind. There is, however, a bright side to the season. Many leafy greens are cold resistant and even seem to thrive in these temperatures and low light. Lettuce, arugula, baby radishes, and mustard greens seem to grow just fine during winter, albeit slowly.
All month I have been planting my microgreen trays. Some seeds are from a local gardener that is planning to head off soon and shared some of the seeds he has been cultivating for years. Others I ordered from a microgreen company online (Tohu Greens, for those of you in Argentina)
Growing abundant microgreens is easy and doesn't take much space. Probably my most important piece of advice is that microgreens need ample protection from the elements and from birds. My partner and I retrofitted this wooden structure to house these trays and pots. We wrapped the roof and sides with a protective fabric that blocks wind, birds, and keeps the interior a bit warmer than the exterior.
Every day I spend at least 15 minutes watering the trays and planting new trays too. I say watering but really microgreens should be lightly misted. Too much water will drown them and lead to mold so getting a spray bottle is necessary. Watering too late in the day might mean the roots will freeze overnight. I try to water around mid morning when there is a bit of sunshine but not too direct.
After watering I often sit down to plant a tray or two, or three. First I add a generous layer of compost to the base of the tray, then sprinkle seeds all over the dirt. The key to growing microgreens is to plant very densely. These plants will be harvested in just a couple of weeks and don't need so much room to spread out as plants that will grow to maturity. Then I sprinkle a thin layer of compost on top of the seeds and water daily from then on.
It is really as simple as that!