Welcome to iGrow News, Your Source for the World of Indoor Vertical Farming
How To Grow Microgreens From Seed
How To Grow Microgreens From Seed
January 9, 2018
Want to grow your own microgreens at home? Here are 12 procedures that are sure to help.
Introductions
What are microgreens, exactly? Many people think they are sprouts, but that is a different product. Others think they are baby lettuce, but that's because they haven't tried microgreens. So what are microgreens and what makes them distinctive from sprouts and baby lettuce? Microgreens are tiny seedling plants of many varieties of vegetables, herbs, lettuces, greens, and flowers, grown 7-21 days from start. These tiny young plants have flavors that range from very mild to totally intense, and people are often surprised by heavenly flavor that they can add to any dish. Specific varieties that can be grown as microgreens are large, and include mustard varieties like ruby streaks, mizuna and tatsoi, herbs like parsley and fennel, vegetables like radish, carrot and celery, even flowers like nasturtiums and marigolds.
Growing Methods
Microgreens are grown on a pad made from 100% sustainable plant fibers to hold the seeds in place and keep them from rolling around before they sprout. If you lay the pad in the 10x20 tray dry, they would not lay flat, and the seeds would go rolling off the high spots and end up crowding up the low spots. The pads would also have a hard time becoming evenly moist to begin with. Before placing the pads in the tray PRE-SOAK THEM in a bucket of vegan boost water. This helps them lay flat in trays, which makes planting a lot easier and helps give the seeds a germination boost. Plan to put the pads in a couple hours before you plant.
Planting and Growing Procedures
1. Pre-soak microgreens pad in vegan boost water
2. Weigh out the correct amount of seeds to be planted
3. Place seeds into a season shaker
4. Place the wet pads into the tray
5. Smooth out the pad until completely flat
6. Evenly shake the seeds in each tray, one tray at a time, using a gentle shaking motion
7. Spray each tray, one at a time, spray generously.
8. Spray humidity dome and place dome on the trays
9. Place the trays in a dark area for a couple of days
10. Day 3 take off the humidity dome and place the tray under a grow light
11. Look for the first set of "true leaves" as a sign of readiness.
12. Grab scissors and cut the microgreens just above the pad line
Product Uses
Microgreens are quite versatile and can be used in a numbers of ways. Put them on tacos, pizza, soups, in salads, on sandwiches, anywhere you'd put baby greens or lettuce or cook them in stir-fry. Use them as an amazing garnish or ingredient on any dish. They can also be eaten as a salad and added to sushi and wraps.
If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy these posts about growing:
"Microgreens - It starts with a seed"
"How to grow micro basil in six easy steps"
Tags: microgreens growing microgreens growingtips nick greens grow team
Italy: PiantaNatura Promotes Microgreens
Italy: PiantaNatura Promotes Microgreens
With its urban agriculture project, PiantaNatura is a start-up that managed to bring micro-vegetables to Italian tables and to commercialise them as well.
"We grow over 25 varieties of edible plants including mustard, watercress, radish and rocket. We called these shoots Micro Ortaggi, which is the closest term to the English Microgreens," explains Marta Crippa, owner of the company together with William Thake.
William Thake and Marta Crippa, creators of the PiantaNatura start-up.
PiantaNatura was founded in 2015 in Mezzago in the Monza Brianza province north-east of Milan. It has a well-equipped production workshop covering 200 square metres with one hectare of experimental crops (which will soon become 5).
The philosophy behind this company is a sustainable approach towards food production with the objective of growing products with a high nutritional value and a low environmental impact.
PiantaNatura microgreens are grown from high-quality organic seeds.
The range includes cabbage, radish, beetroot, peas, coriander, basil, borage, red and white mustard, rocket, watercress and much more
"We want to supply interesting high-quality products without giving up our social and ecological commitment, which aims at food education and awareness."
"If we want a different future, a better one, we need to find a new way to do agriculture and establish a new fair relationship with nature.
"In our case, consumers can eat something that is still alive, that is still planted and so remains fresh for days. We noticed how very few products meet this criteria."
"Another interesting element is the micronutrient content, which is much higher than that of vegetables usually found in supermarkets. In addition, our products are organic and the packaging is entirely biodegradable made using energy deriving from renewable sources."
William adds that "currently, 100% of our products are destined to Italy but we are working to establish supply agreements abroad. In 2018, we would also like to implement short chain distribution, this is why we have set up a Business Network with the Mezzago asparagus grower cooperative."
"We do not fear competition as our main competitors work on an industrial level."
"We believe our bio-plastic packaging and organic certification can make a difference. The strength of this project lies in the challenge we share with the clients who choose us day after day. We would like to set up a quick production process with little waste."
"The time is ripe for such small plants with such great potential to become part of the eating habits of aware consumers."
Contacts:
Soc. Agr. PiantaNatura di Marta Crippa e William Thake
Via G. Puccini, 33
20872 Cornate d'Adda (MB) - Italy
Cell.: (+39) 331 4772185
Email: info.piantanatura@gmail.com
Web: www.microortaggi.it
Web: www.piantanatura.it