The Art of Growing Microgreens
 

Don't know anything about it yet other than what has been posted here in a different thread. Looking forward to learning about this. I do sprout leafy greens to use in the winter.
Sue

I think that is something that is a darned good idea in the cool to cold months! Plus, good for you, but best of all, tasty. I'll watch to see how it goes, LOL, and learn from you some!

Took a beauty screen shot so it will be on the first page. Gorgeous.

I've been growing in the full tray 20 row this year. Getting full salads, not just garnish.
Starting a tray every Sunday, two under lights, the third is in succession sprouting, then dance the trays to rotate for light. I just cut one tray in half this morning so i can clean easily in the sink. (outdoor hoses are off for the winter).
I'll start another spicy mix fast grower, 6-10 day small seed mix. And the other will get rows of the larger slow growers. Pea shoots will get their own square tray...

What grow media are you using?

This looks VERY interesting :)

Linda

Clean seed starting. Wetted, packed down, then seeded heavily, tiny amount of soil on top. The smaller seeds don't really need any top soil but i don't want the seeds to stick to my tamper. Seeds have their own food supply to sprout. Since these greens are cut before needing any extra food, they do fine without.
My first tray i used a WonderBlock that i had on hand and have never used before. Did not realize it had worm casings but they did great with it.
One tray that got way ahead of me and grew to baby salad size before we used it i fed a small diluted fert, bottom fed.
Grow mats are available and just ordered a ten pack to try. A bit cleaner and more of the plant is usable....we shall see.

My first attempts the past couple years were in clam shells saved from grains. Way too cheap to purchase
any kits. Sunny window. Made a wicking system with old clean t-shirts material, (paint rags). Cute but not necessary. This is at our NorthEast home where winter/spring storms
and not much veggie choices without driving a 2 hour round trip...i even started the trays before the trip, stacked them, so at arrival they were already sprouting.

Any off season in any climate is a good harvest idea especially if all the start trays and lights are sitting unused during those times. At home in NY with snow on the ground and near some of the best markets in the country i still like cutting fresh greens rather than buying a bag that has some old soggy blend cut days before.

Clam shell growing is still a good idea for some of the slow growing seeds like celery and cilantro. Still testing those.

Oakley, Thanks for the screen shot :D!

Every week I have the following regular trays growing for market:

peas
sunflower
mild mix
medium mix
spicy mix
arugula
broccoli
kale
basil
radish
spicy mustard
Asian mix
garden cress

I grow celery, cilantro, amaranth and some others on an irregular basis, depending on the weather (hot or cold) and the season.

I like to grow the fast growers, 10 days from seed start to selling at market. The slower growers like basil take 20 days. Since my space is limited to two rooms in my house, I don't have the shelf space to devote to the slower growers that much. Plus I need some of that shelf space to start my tomatoes in the spring ;).

I use high quality potting soil that I buy at a local nursery. Mostly peat, not too many large wood chunks (which I remove), and very little perlite. You can also use seed starting mix, but that can cost more. For trays, I use the regular 1020 black nursery trays for peas and sunflower and I use cafeteria trays that I bought on Amazon for the smaller greens. Makes for a better presentation at the market and easier to cut. I use scissors to cut the greens when customers buy them. I take the full trays to the markets each week.

Lyn

And i thank you Lyn. Your post last year in the MarketForum kicked in my thinking for home growing. Following your lead and experience.
At a dinner party, after dinner and a light dessert, i brought out my micros and it was a festive micro tasting. Not one could imagine the intensity of flavor in such a small plant.
All the slow growers were up and fat plantings at that point. An eye-opener for all.
Hence my new trays i started today...

Suppliers are easier found now. I did order this morning from MVseeds. Johnny's can seem expensive but if ordering other things their spicy mix has been so good and i find
in their sale listings always a micro mix to add to an order.
SeedsNow has 99cent trial packets but i would go to the next larger size still ok$.
Still pennies over time for a fresh cut salad. Or if one does not eat greens that often,
a small tray of broccoli sprouts is a compacted boost of greens.

Wonderful! they look so perfectly delectible and chock full of vitamins
KarenO

Thank you for answering my questions. Your pictures look great.

If you don't mind me asking, what do you charge per pound? And how many pounds on average does one 1020 tray produce?

I charge by the ounce - a 1020 tray of sunflowers or peas usually yields 28-32 ounces. So about 2 lbs give or take.

I sell by the clamshell:
small clamshell = 2 oz -- $5
large clamshell = 4 oz -- $8

If someone only wants one ounce or half a clamshell I charge $3.50.

So the price per ounce goes down as the volume goes up. I do full trays by special order only. Order and pay at one market, pick up the next week at the market. I charge $20 for a full small tray and $24 for a 1020 tray.

My prices are comparable to grocery store prices (if the store chain even carries microgreens. Not all do around here). Plus mine are much fresher! Kept in the vegetable bin of a fridge, they will last a week to 10 days, maybe longer for peas/sunflowers. Most grocery stores carry clams of traditional sprouts grown in water. I based my prices on what the going rate was for those also.

Microgreens have so much more flavor than sprouts! Kids especially like the pea tendrils. They have a hint of sweetness to them. I offer free samples of all my greens to customers. I just cut a small handful to let them taste them. I have a steady return customer base at my markets. I find the hardest part is convincing new customers to try them out. Once they try them, they're usually hooked. I've only had one person tell me that they don't like them!

Lyn

[QUOTE=oakley;606753]And i thank you Lyn. Your post last year in the MarketForum kicked in my thinking for home growing. Following your lead and experience.
At a dinner party, after dinner and a light dessert, i brought out my micros and it was a festive micro tasting. Not one could imagine the intensity of flavor in such a small plant.
All the slow growers were up and fat plantings at that point. An eye-opener for all.
Hence my new trays i started today...

Suppliers are easier found now. I did order this morning from MVseeds. Johnny's can seem expensive but if ordering other things their spicy mix has been so good and i find
in their sale listings always a micro mix to add to an order.
SeedsNow has 99cent trial packets but i would go to the next larger size still ok$.
Still pennies over time for a fresh cut salad. Or if one does not eat greens that often,
a small tray of broccoli sprouts is a compacted boost of greens.[/QUOTE]

I agree - the taste of microgreens is amazing - one taste is usually all it takes to convince someone that they're good.

I always place my big orders for peas and sunflowers from Johnnys. I buy 100 lbs at a time and the price for peas works out to about $1.45/lb. Plus free shipping if the order is over $200. MVseeds is good for smaller orders, plus they offer free shipping if the order is over $35. Which mine always are.

Something I tell new customers about broccoli greens is that 1lb of broccoli head = the nutritional value of 1 ounce of broccoli microgreens. I found that tidbit on the internet somewhere.

There was a study done in 2012 at the University of Maryland (I think) that showed that microgreens have 4 - 40 times the nutrition of the full grown plant. Good selling point for the health conscious.

Lyn

Lyn is the market grower and knows prices per pound. But it would always be regional me thinks. I've not seen a GreenMarket seller in NYC growing tray micros. Or micro toms, sunflowers. Would seem ahead of the other sellers do do so. Prices have to be set by what sells and competition. Prices are based on what a buyer is willing to pay.
Being consistent and available. With a buyers eye i would always buy fresh cut but not a pre-cut bag.
My first 2010 tray that went to baby salad greens beyond micro and now my NewYears tray is the same...not even a lb. Or might be one lb. Salad greens are light. It's the food value per plant/stem that has $ value. Not every shopper knows that. Education is part of the selling plan.

Every dollar spent should make a retail 10. My method doing charity events the past few years. (not my time and labor...that is free charity) I just want my dollar to give 9 back.

If i was retired for market extra income i would want the same or more. Every 50cents spent i can make 10 bucks. Labor is retired free time.
Why i'm testing micro sunflowers now. 5 plants in a cute felt grow bag costs 75cents, sells for 10-12. The kids could start this project in Feb. and sell early April.

We were posting at the same time but i have also noticed the nutrition value as similar to the full grown plant...if even similar that is great for us. DH does not care for broccoli but ate a giant salad tonight...all micros.

I've been growing a few things for market for several years now. While I call them "sprouts" they are really micros. But that's really just terminology. At my market we can NOT grow real "sprouts" as in jars with water. Restricted due to the stupid commercial growers that recycled their water and created problems like salmonella.

Anyway, I had no luck taking full trays and cutting as sold. Too slow and things wilted too fast. So I plant in the 1801s and sell them as "living" and that works fine. I only do Peas, radish and wheatgrass/cat grass. I didn't have luck with other things. Either took too long to be salable or didn't grow well or didn't sell.

I do them @ $1.50 / pot so it comes out to $27 for a full flat. But I give restaurants who buy a full flat a break @ $20 most of the time.

The pic is peas closest (2 flats), radishes (out of focus), then cat grass last.

Carol

When Farm-tek started advertising their hydro systems to grow sprouts, I did a lot of reading about it, which was enough to scare me away from the idea for good. I read about a farm family in England who had killed off half of their cows by feeding them sprouts. They were having problems with contamination. Eventually they found the source of the contaminants to be inside the husks of the grain they were soaking. The guy made up a kind of washing machine to agitate the grain as it soaked, and then used a lot of chlorine powder for pools to continually sterilize his equipment. He eventually got his problems worked out, but it all sounded like a nightmare. Microgreens seem much safer than sprouts.

Thank you Oakley and Lyn for sharing your knowledge and experience here. I started mine trial following your lead. I'm having great success with peas, but my sunflower all have moulds and had to be tossed out.
Question now: do you cover sunflower seeds? My trays did not have drainage holes (while my peas had). Is drainage the main problem here? I suspect it is, but some videos I watched do not have drainage holes in their containers. I did not use a fan. The trays are new, so no hygene issues to start with. Lighting is good.

Just like any seed starting, drainage is key. Not sure if you were watching 'sprouts' or wakening of seeds in water for sprouting. The problems with the sprouting method
using water rinses on the counter is the possible contamination, a 'microbial soup', where seeds are in a moist environment for a few days at a temp that multiplies any contaminants. 'Microbial load'. Your wet environment cannot keep up with the extra moisture. Increased air flow, (fan), helps.

My environment has quickly become more humid with temps outside 45 a few days and snow melting, overcast...then my watering tray had standing water i missed, many trays watered at the same time increases air moisture...attention is key to keep those levels balanced. More plants growing, more moisture in the air. Letting seedlings dry out helps others.

I soak mixed grains for 24 hours to see the seeds just barely begin to sprout for a brown bread i make and i make a sprouted grain salad almost every Sunday. This is a cooked mixed grain. In fact made one last night. Once the seeds/grain/beans just barely begin to become a plant, tiny opening of the seed, i cook like any rice. It is considered easier to digest. Having it with shrimp tonight.

Anywho, seeds have what they need in their seed 'suitcase' to sprout once moisture is introduce. They do fine on their own food for micro greens. Mine, i've mentioned, are growing into baby salad greens and very healthy. Just not eating/using fast enough.

The trays i grew in the South window was in another home with a wood fired cookstove also used for heat. Very dry environment. A failure tray once may not be the same another time. Just no standing water.

[QUOTE=NewWestGardener;606907]Thank you Oakley and Lyn for sharing your knowledge and experience here. I started mine trial following your lead. I'm having great success with peas, but my sunflower all have moulds and had to be tossed out.
Question now: do you cover sunflower seeds? My trays did not have drainage holes (while my peas had). Is drainage the main problem here? I suspect it is, but some videos I watched do not have drainage holes in their containers. I did not use a fan. The trays are new, so no hygene issues to start with. Lighting is good.[/QUOTE]

NewWestGardener,
I always recommend that new growers start with peas - they are almost foolproof and the yield is great. Sunflowers, on the other hand, not so much. They are so quick to mold! Here is my method (even doing it this way, depending on the weather, I still get mold sometimes).

I use a 1020 tray with holes nested inside a 1020 tray without holes. I add 4 cups of pH balanced water to the empty tray and then add enough potting soil to fill the tray about 2/3rds full. I spray the top of soil in the tray with a mister bottle for extra moisture.

Meanwhile, I soak 7oz of black oil sunflowers in a pitcher with pH balanced water and 4 drops of grapefruit seed extract (organic anti-fungal agent that I buy on Amazon; not expensive). Soak for 10 minutes and then rinse. Re-fill the pitcher with more water and soak for 5-6 hours.

Drain and rinse again. Spread the seeds on the surface of the tray evenly. Using a spatula or something flat, press the seeds lightly down in the soil. I don't cover with another light layer of soil; some do. Take a third tray without holes and nest it on top of the seeds. Put something kind of heavy on top to weigh down the tray. Once or twice a day remove the top and mist the seeds. You will see them start to germinate. If you see any white mold forming, pull out the bad seed or bit of debris that is causing the mold and the rest of the mold. After the sprouted seed starts to form the first leaves, turn the inverted tray over and continue to mist and leave in the dark. Continue to remove any moldy bits. When the leaves reach the top of the tray lid, remove the lid and put under lights.

Position a house fan directly at the tray and leave it on continuously until ready to harvest. To water, lift the top tray with soil and pour water into the bottom tray without the holes. Use enough water to fill the troughs in the bottom tray. Continue to look for moldy areas and hope they don't appear!

I've found that warm weather is brutal for sunflowers in terms of mold. I gave up growing them during the hottest part of the summer just for that reason.

Another thing you could try is a different seed source. I tried 3 or 4 before finding some that didn't mold that much.

Lyn

[QUOTE=Cole_Robbie;606902]When Farm-tek started advertising their hydro systems to grow sprouts, I did a lot of reading about it, which was enough to scare me away from the idea for good. I read about a farm family in England who had killed off half of their cows by feeding them sprouts. They were having problems with contamination. Eventually they found the source of the contaminants to be inside the husks of the grain they were soaking. The guy made up a kind of washing machine to agitate the grain as it soaked, and then used a lot of chlorine powder for pools to continually sterilize his equipment. He eventually got his problems worked out, but it all sounded like a nightmare. Microgreens seem much safer than sprouts.[/QUOTE]

Being an actual plant and not sitting in a damp environment i think it is a better choice.
Certainly tastes better than those pale sprout stalks. (In grocery clam shells). Cilantro, celery, arugula, etc, micro greens do pack a flavor punch.
This is an interesting read about some of the problems. (with sprouts)[URL="http://amazingribs.com/blog/raw_sprout_are_risky.html"]http://amazingribs.com/blog/raw_sprout_are_risky.html[/URL]

We can process a small amount of 'microbial load' as we do every day. Just breathing.
If the load is more than we can handle, or if compromised immune systems, it can harm. Finding the source of an overload is getting a bit easier. Contaminated water, etc.
Factory wash water. Dry weather followed by massive storms and run-off. 'microbial soup'. Hot weather, sitting on hot docks after travel...
Seeds can be holding disease in their seed case that has been discussed with tomato seeds here. Keeping it minimal with dry conditions and a cool environment does balance that imho.

Many experiments and successes trying different methods. I did cut my 20 row trays in half as one full tray of the spicy mix was more than we could use. Having half a tray in succession is easier. The square trays, 1/8th a full try are better for individual seed for us. Not had a failure yet.
So many market gardener videos now. When i started a few years ago it was pretty bleak finding good grower methods. I'll find a post a few good ones and one bad one, 'what not to do'.
Pea shoots are easy. And so sweet and delicious tasting just like Spring peas.
Made spring rolls last night and lots of left over veg and shoots for a salad tonight.

The spring rolls

[URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEdUTwYg4N0"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEdUTwYg4N0[/URL]Curtis Stone's videos are full of information, trial and error, success and failures.
A dozen or more visit his operation and he visits other growers and how they go about it.
And how he deals with the sunflower 'helmet heads' in another vid.
Air circulation and cleaning/sterilizing methods to avoid crop failures...

[URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTClL8qZjKM"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTClL8qZjKM[/URL]

good one

And what i would not do. Sliding trays on the floor, then stacking. :?:
Filthy trays.
[URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoYjvLomq7k"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoYjvLomq7k[/URL]

This thread finally motivated me to clean up some trays and look at a few growing tips for micro greens.
For those on the fence: do not overthink this! So easy. Too many websites make this seem harder than it is.
I don't spray with a bottle or use a fan. I did all brassica mixes. Filled 1020 tray with plain Promix HP potting mix. It was slightly moist. Sprinkled 15 grams of seeds on it. Pressed it down with the palm of my hand. Watered with about 2 quarts warm water. Covered with an empty tray. Put onetray on heat mat, one on the hood of my light refelector (it germed faster). Uncovered after day 2/beginning of Day 3. Put under light. Harvested at Day 14. Could have harvested earlier or later based on needs. I am sowing 2 trays every Saturday now. One mild brassica mix, one spicy brassica mix.

[ATTACH]68850[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]68851[/ATTACH]

I want to encourage also and not over-think it. Your trays look great. Like mine. I just found a half tray treated the same has been enough coming into harvesting, brought up onto the kitchen shelf above my prep area, works best for me.

I'm growing many varieties at different grow rates so smaller trays are easier to tend. Like basils, chards, celery, cilantro, and beets.
The salad blends are the bulk of my salads.

Following....

Just like starting tomato and vegetable seeds, all our growing environments are a bit different. After a few days of snow and cold temps, it is raining today and well above freezing. high 40's most of the week and damp.
I mist with a pump sprayer lightly but bottom water once any seed tray is showing growth. Uncover and under lights.