You just saved me a lot of failure. I started growing microgreens because of you and I just got thru failing a sweetpea batch due to mildew.. can't wait to stay tomorrow with this method. Thanks a bunch!
I use the same green trays for my microgreens. I grew alfalfa sprouts for myself and barley sprouts for my chickens. I used the bottom trays that came with the tops and never had a problem with mold. I stacked them on top of each other in the beginning, criss cross wise and when it was time to take them out I would just run my fingers back and forth through the roots and pull the sprouts right out of the top. The chickens loved them. This was a good reminder to start doing them again.
Ok so I tried split peas using this method. I had noticeably lower yield than with soil. I have just started a batch of green peas and they are doing really well. Will try the split peas again. I did notice that the pea shoots are more tender when grown without soil. Not woody. ❤️🇨🇦
thanks for this. Today I had to throw 2 trays of peas microgreen due to mildew and mold but I couldn't figure out the problem. Now I know. so thank you for posting this
Question - do you think making trays with stainless steel mesh would work? The reason why I ask is that I am concerned with long term use of plastics. I plan to grow fodder for my hens and sprouts for my rescued dogs and us. I am trying to grow safely and as healthy as possible. I was even wondering if there's some clay or bamboo alternatives for trays and pans....
@user-yv7kw1nr2q he could have just used sawdust or mulch. There's a vid floating around where he glues and mixes sawdust in a plastic pot, throws it in the oven to roast a sawdust pot
This is great. My peas always looked kind of manky by the end. This is a really good way of approaching it. So if the peas haven’t gone gross, can they be cooked at that point like any other bean that’s only been sprouted for a day or two? (I sprout my lentils before cooking into soup for digestibility reasons.)
I’ve tried it using a silicone dehydrator mat on these trays. I’m also experimenting with a thin layer of toilet paper as a medium. Troy Time shows how he does this with almost all of his seeds. He uses a raft technique if the roots don’t go downward. I’m experimenting with this now too. Check out his channel.
What would you recommend for growing microgreens from smaller seeds? they would probably fall through this mat. Is there a smaller grid you can purchase, or would you add something on top of the mat to prevent seeds from falling through (paper towel?)
Love your channel, recently discovered you and have learned so much already. I grow my microgreens but don't use any lights other than sunlight coming in through my window. I do notice my microgreens are literally "microgreens" with tiny leaves compared to your "baby greens". Do you think this is due to me just using indirect sunlight from a southern exposure window? Do I need to purchase LEDs/Fluorescents lighting for them to grow more? I also do not fertilize them, but have now ordered your recommended fertilizer, and just ordered your eBook on Etsy, thank you it is very helpful. Thank you and peace be with you :)
Thank you. Yes, any extra light helps. You can make due without but when you can afford it, start with a cheap light. Practice and work your way up as you learn.
Great video, thanks for making it! I've got a question, as I'm a complete newbie here. Do you take the cover off the box once they start sprouting? Or they stay in the dark the whole time.. Thanks again!
I am torn if I should use soil or water only. I have seen in places growers say that micros grown hydroponically do not have as big a yield as those grown in soil and also they do not last in the fridge as long. Did you try the soil method just for comparison? Thank you
At what point do you take them out of the dark, and can you just use the bottom trays that came with these, that the trays with holes sit in? Thank you.
I love all your info but I’ve been trying to eliminate plastic from my life/touching my food as much as possible. I’m growing microgreens in stainless steel trays. Do you think it’s possible to modify your grow towers to use an alternative to plastic and still be relatively affordable?
@@KeepOnGrowin where would I find your coriander growing method? I'm currently experimenting with growing in saucers that are used under pots simply because I bought 100s of them but never used it for it's intended purpose. My seeds are either sewn too little or too much or too long in the dark because each batch of whatever I've grown is failing...
hi mike, i have some cardboard trays i got with some packaging and i’d like to use them for germination trays. is that doable or will it lead to a soggy moldy mess? i’m looking to have more plastic free gardening and was wondering if you’ve ever used cardboard
Great vid thank you . Could you not place the dog food containers facing up and so have no holes blocked when resting grow tray on them ? Other thing is ... compost worms as well as chickens and compost bin would love leftover roots :)
@@KeepOnGrowin I did notice how you use the knife to cut off the bottoms. I guess my roots become so hard and entwined in the mesh that I find it more difficult to remove and reuse the plastic mesh. I'll try that next time.
@@KeepOnGrowin Great! Thanks Mike. I'm just trying to figure out if I can just buy a bag of black-eyed peas or garbanzo beans from Walmart and "go to town".
OK.... So... are those micro greens going to reproduce the millions of seeds necessary to be sustainable ? If those millions of seeds had been planted in earth, so many more would have been fed. Bees, Birds, Bugs, and on up the life cycle/ food chain. It just seems selfish. Those seeds had to come from somewhere. Somewhere that grows in soil, matures, and is harvested/ manpower/ machinery. It takes A LOT of resourses to provide the seeds to produce the shoots for a few smoothies etc.
That's absurd. If you've ever purchased dried or canned beans/peas/legumes you're every bit as guilty as you want him to be. He's not being selfish growing microgreens. Being selfish is when you want to make someone do what YOU want them to do.
The nutrition in a certain weight of sprouts is monumental compared to the same weight that of fully grown plant. Therefore one negates the other. Think of all the extra resources, time and effort that would be needed to grow the microgreens in to fully grown plants and difference in harvest, handling and transport costs of the bulkier items.
By the way, chickens would love to eat all those left over trimmed roots and shoots, etc
@@cherylwmh6543 Yep, worms too. I grow microgreens this way and put the scraps in my worm bin.
I think we can them as well ...
Pea Shoot pesto is awesome. I also like to sautee them and use them to top my steaks, chicken and eggs 🎉
Nice! I will have to try that!
Pea shoot pesto sounds delish!
Oh my goodness!!! This is so awesome. Thank you for sharing your technique.
Really solid video with no unnecessary fluff. 👍
I would use canning rings then less worry on where to position the trays.
Great idea!
Canning rings will rust unfortunately. Found that out the hard way, still trying to remove the rust rings from my countertop 😢
The less plastic involved, the better. The peas will absorb a bunch of the plastic chemicals.
@@Flying_Doodle_Homesteadtry egg rings
@@FLPhotoCatcher O, nooo. Its all plastic🤪
You just saved me a lot of failure. I started growing microgreens because of you and I just got thru failing a sweetpea batch due to mildew.. can't wait to stay tomorrow with this method. Thanks a bunch!
Cool! Good luck! We love them.
I use the same green trays for my microgreens. I grew alfalfa sprouts for myself and barley sprouts for my chickens. I used the bottom trays that came with the tops and never had a problem with mold. I stacked them on top of each other in the beginning, criss cross wise and when it was time to take them out I would just run my fingers back and forth through the roots and pull the sprouts right out of the top. The chickens loved them. This was a good reminder to start doing them again.
My experience with pea shoots is that they will grow back once or twice after harvesting. Don't be too quick to "clean up".
You can. The ones that did not germinate as fast will grow. The ones you cut tend to get more woody.
I tried yellow peas and they failed because I had the tops too wet. I will give this method a try. Thank you for sharing. 🇨🇦🌱💚
Let me know how it goes. Thank you!
Ok so I tried split peas using this method. I had noticeably lower yield than with soil. I have just started a batch of green peas and they are doing really well. Will try the split peas again. I did notice that the pea shoots are more tender when grown without soil. Not woody. ❤️🇨🇦
thanks for this. Today I had to throw 2 trays of peas microgreen due to mildew and mold but I couldn't figure out the problem. Now I know. so thank you for posting this
Good luck, hope it helps! You have a cool name.
Awesome method! I've seen a lot of videos on this, and your method is THE BEST! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Terri!
This is great method of growing sprouts... thank you ...
I grow on burlap using hydroponic nutrients.
Very cool!
You should experiment - one tray with nutrients one without as I suspect you are wasting money there.
I love pea shoots. I'm going to try this way because I do sometimes get some mold if I'm not careful and I over water them.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share this easy growing method.
I’ve tried it the hard ways.
Mold issue resolved!!😊
Awesome!!
If you cut the top quarter inch off the corner of your dog food containers, like a shelf, you could increase yields and stability.
Nice!
You are an awesome teacher!!! Thank you. And I like how you respond to people's questions😊
I try, thank you.
Since watching your videos I have learned how to grow vegetables.
Just Awesome Buddy, thanks a lot ...soilfree cultivation.. low cost production
Beautiful pea microgreens 🤩 TFS!
Thanks so much 😊
Excellent advise, thank you!
Excellent idea … love it! EASY
Wow, thank you! You're a great teacher!
Thank you!
Thank you for posting!💜
this was a great video, thank you for making it.
Timely for me. Getting things gathered to grow sprouts and microgreens. Thanks!
Awesome!!
Question - do you think making trays with stainless steel mesh would work? The reason why I ask is that I am concerned with long term use of plastics. I plan to grow fodder for my hens and sprouts for my rescued dogs and us. I am trying to grow safely and as healthy as possible. I was even wondering if there's some clay or bamboo alternatives for trays and pans....
@user-yv7kw1nr2q he could have just used sawdust or mulch. There's a vid floating around where he glues and mixes sawdust in a plastic pot, throws it in the oven to roast a sawdust pot
Thank you, extremely informative and I learned alot!
Excellent video ! Thank you !! Much love from Oahu .
Thank you too!
Thank you Mike. 👍🏻
This is great. My peas always looked kind of manky by the end. This is a really good way of approaching it. So if the peas haven’t gone gross, can they be cooked at that point like any other bean that’s only been sprouted for a day or two? (I sprout my lentils before cooking into soup for digestibility reasons.)
Thank you. I guess so, I have never tried it.
I guess most of the nutrition has gone into the plant by then
Why you not eating the roots..?? Or did i miss that. ?. I do. The peas then go to the chickens.
I don't like them, lol
@@ivormectin.3046 could be animal feed dried and sold, or even for compost fertilizer components
The roots should be edible as well and taste like peas. Kind of like sprouting mung beans.
Thank you. Pass.
@KeepOnGrowin guess carrots,beets and parsnips are not on the menu either 😀
Roots are tasty!
@@eastcoastwilly1373 that's different silly
That's what I thought - a lot of waste, probably could eat those roots.
I love pea greens
great video! ive never tried pea shoots. I will this winter (the only time peas grow outside in florida lol)
Do they regrow after trimming?
Can you do broccoli that same way I would like to know if you can do breakfast the same way
I will try.
I’ve tried it using a silicone dehydrator mat on these trays. I’m also experimenting with a thin layer of toilet paper as a medium. Troy Time shows how he does this with almost all of his seeds. He uses a raft technique if the roots don’t go downward. I’m experimenting with this now too. Check out his channel.
What would you recommend for growing microgreens from smaller seeds? they would probably fall through this mat. Is there a smaller grid you can purchase, or would you add something on top of the mat to prevent seeds from falling through (paper towel?)
Paper towel might work. These came with some sheets of paper.
dehydrator silicone sheets or stainless steel mesh
Beautiful Mike!!! :)
Thanks Troy!
Great idea - love this
Thank you! 😊
Love your channel, recently discovered you and have learned so much already. I grow my microgreens but don't use any lights other than sunlight coming in through my window. I do notice my microgreens are literally "microgreens" with tiny leaves compared to your "baby greens". Do you think this is due to me just using indirect sunlight from a southern exposure window? Do I need to purchase LEDs/Fluorescents lighting for them to grow more? I also do not fertilize them, but have now ordered your recommended fertilizer, and just ordered your eBook on Etsy, thank you it is very helpful. Thank you and peace be with you :)
Thank you. Yes, any extra light helps. You can make due without but when you can afford it, start with a cheap light. Practice and work your way up as you learn.
@@KeepOnGrowin Thank you for sharing so much and giving so much of your time 🙏🏼
Im curious if you’re keeping covered through the whole process or just the first few days
Until they are a few inches tall.
Thank you!!
can you get more cuttings from one sowing?
I'm wondering 🤔
Or do you just keep buying seeds, any seeds? Or do you have a garden to harvest from ?
Do you then eat the peas and/ or roots?
Amazing
TY
THIS IS AMAZING. I HAVE TO TRY THIS... DO YOU THINK THIS WOULD WORK WITH LETTUCE?
Try it. Do peas first.
How do you harvest the seeds to regrow instead of having to buy them?
You have to grow them in soil and harvest some peas.
Thank you for an exelent video Mike! I missed your trusted electric bread cutter with your harvest today🤣
Scary thing, lol.
Great video, thanks for making it! I've got a question, as I'm a complete newbie here. Do you take the cover off the box once they start sprouting? Or they stay in the dark the whole time.. Thanks again!
Welcome! I uncover them after they sprout and are about an inch tall.
@@KeepOnGrowin Okay perfect, thanks!
Brilliant
I am torn if I should use soil or water only.
I have seen in places growers say that micros grown hydroponically do not have as big a yield as those grown in soil and also they do not last in the fridge as long.
Did you try the soil method just for comparison?
Thank you
You see the results of everything I do on my channel and you see what they do. You just have to decide for yourself.
As no soil was used, couldn't you also eat the roots? Your system reminds me of sprouted seeds, where you eat the shoots, seeds and roots.
I do not like them.
Is there a reason you don’t use the green tray that comes with the white tray? More water capacity? More space for roots? Darkness for germination?
Yes, more room and darkness during germination.
Question: At what point do you remove the blackout lid? Thank you.
When they are about an inch tall.
once they start sprouting do you still put the cover over them?
No, I let them have light
Are the roots edible?
I don't eat them.
How long did you keep them covered? Did you allow the light to shine on them at anytime?
When they were about an inch tall, I gave them light.
Humidity techniques on growing food ? With low water 💧 situations?.
This barely used any water.
Thank you Mike. Can you grow other microgreens that method? Like Broccoli?
Some, they take more work. Peas shoot out a long tap root, that's what helps here.
@@KeepOnGrowin Thank you
At what point do you take them out of the dark, and can you just use the bottom trays that came with these, that the trays with holes sit in? Thank you.
when they are about an inch or two tall
I love all your info but I’ve been trying to eliminate plastic from my life/touching my food as much as possible. I’m growing microgreens in stainless steel trays. Do you think it’s possible to modify your grow towers to use an alternative to plastic and still be relatively affordable?
You can try. Maybe an oak barrel. Would look cool too.
just wondering why you do not use green tray that comes it?
Easier in the tub where I can black it out and then bottom water. You can do it any way you like though.
Could you do a grow with Fenugreek and Coriander with this method please and make a video?
I would use my other method either with sand or soil for coriander. Fenugreek might work, I have not tried it like this yet.
@@KeepOnGrowin where would I find your coriander growing method? I'm currently experimenting with growing in saucers that are used under pots simply because I bought 100s of them but never used it for it's intended purpose. My seeds are either sewn too little or too much or too long in the dark because each batch of whatever I've grown is failing...
hi mike, i have some cardboard trays i got with some packaging and i’d like to use them for germination trays. is that doable or will it lead to a soggy moldy mess? i’m looking to have more plastic free gardening and was wondering if you’ve ever used cardboard
I used to blend cardboard egg cartons in a blender and make my own grow mats. You could always place those on a metal screen.
Nice job. Will this work for every other seeds?
No, just experiment. Peas have a long tap root.
@KeepOnGrowin all seeds having long roots might work?
What kind of peas are these? Just regular ones?
greenerharvestseeds.com/products/pea-speckled-organic?ref=kog
and from there the companies that produce household plastic products wil you more
Which peas do you use? Do you have a link on Amazon?
Here is Greener Harvest Seeds: greenerharvestseeds.com/products/pea-speckled-organic?ref=kog
If you put them back in the black grow box, won't they just keep growing and send up new/fresh shoots? My lettuce works that way.
The smaller ones will. Any more growth will get more woody.
@@KeepOnGrowin very good, thanks.
Can we purchase the pea seeds from you? Thank you for your videos!
Look for speckled pea here: greenerharvestseeds.com/?ref=kog
Great vid thank you . Could you not place the dog food containers facing up and so have no holes blocked when resting grow tray on them ? Other thing is ... compost worms as well as chickens and compost bin would love leftover roots :)
Great idea. When I added water to the bottom the last few days, they would float if I lifted the tray. Compost and/or chickens are a good idea too.
@@KeepOnGrowinyou could puncture holes in the bottom of the dog food containers so they don’t float
Do you keep them in the dark the whole time?
Yes, that’s what I was wondering, too. Or do you take the lid off after the shoots appear?
@@MelanieParal I assume they need light as soon as there are leafs to do photosynthesis.
He answered someone above saying expose to light when sprouts are about an inch high.
Why won't bean seeds for sprouting work this way?
Some might. Peas shoot out a very long tap root.
Is there a reason you didn't use the trays they came with?
deeper root growth
@KeepOnGrowin cool! Good to know
@@KeepOnGrowinwhat if you put some type of spacer between
My chickens will eat all the scraps 😊
How do you clean all the roots? I find it hard.
I don't clean, I compost them. I show it in the video.
@@KeepOnGrowin I did notice how you use the knife to cut off the bottoms. I guess my roots become so hard and entwined in the mesh that I find it more difficult to remove and reuse the plastic mesh. I'll try that next time.
@@jdfi1403 I cut close to the plastic, they pop out the top side easy.
Do you have a list of microgreens that I can grow this way?
I do not. My containers are usually full of peas or bean sprouts. Others I grow with my self watering microgreen growers.
@@KeepOnGrowin Great! Thanks Mike. I'm just trying to figure out if I can just buy a bag of black-eyed peas or garbanzo beans from Walmart and "go to town".
@@EnFuego79 Some of them work, depends on how they were processed. I used to get lentils and mung beans from ethnic markets. They were a lot cheaper.
Do these stay in the dark the entire time?
No, under lights when they are about an inch tall.
You didn't say if they ever get light? If so...when?
After they are an inch or two tall
❤❤❤❤❤❤
OK.... So... are those micro greens going to reproduce the millions of seeds necessary to be sustainable ?
If those millions of seeds had been planted in earth, so many more would have been fed.
Bees, Birds, Bugs, and on up the life cycle/ food chain.
It just seems selfish.
Those seeds had to come from somewhere.
Somewhere that grows in soil, matures, and is harvested/ manpower/ machinery.
It takes A LOT of resourses to provide the seeds to produce the shoots for a few smoothies etc.
Do you get on to everyone who eats peas, beans, grains, corn, etc. Think again.
That's absurd. If you've ever purchased dried or canned beans/peas/legumes you're every bit as guilty as you want him to be. He's not being selfish growing microgreens. Being selfish is when you want to make someone do what YOU want them to do.
The nutrition in a certain weight of sprouts is monumental compared to the same weight that of fully grown plant. Therefore one negates the other. Think of all the extra resources, time and effort that would be needed to grow the microgreens in to fully grown plants and difference in harvest, handling and transport costs of the bulkier items.
wow maginiicuebt