I used to grow a lot of lettuce for salads in a 3 foot wide bed that was maybe 6 feet long. I didn’t want to take all the time and trouble of digging holes for starts so I mixed a variety of leaf lettuce and spinach seeds, which are all very tiny, with some clean sand. I mixed it up and broadcasted it using the big mug style salt shaker that lots of people put on the stoves. I just shook it over the dampened bed and then covered it with newspaper for a couple of days, wetting it down each day and then after 3 or 4 days I lifted off the newspaper when it was dry. I had a zillion little sprouts. Once they started getting about 3 inches high I started thinning it out and having baby lettuces long before they had that in the store. Eventually I ended up with a fairly evenly dispersed bunch of lettuces. Because I didn’t want to go through all that work again I just trimmed off the outer four leaves on a variety of plants every day. The next day I would do it again with different plants. I ate all summer out of that little 3 x 6 bed. And I ate salad every single day that summer and still gave lettuce away. I really had a lot of seeds in that sand! 😆If I had to do over again I think I would add more sand to disperse those a little less closely.
you can get many micro green seeds in the spice isle, like the amaranth, celery seed, poppy, there are plenty of seeds we use as spices, just get the bottles of organic ones and just use the shaker to put a few seeds in a shallow tray and harvest 3-6 days, and rotate which ones you do, every day there's one micro green to use in a salad, or stirfry
I planted my Teff, Alfalfa and lentil seeds. The Teff is extremely small so it was hard to see what they were doing. In about 6 hours I thought I could see a little activity. In 24 hours it was evident that there was activity. At about 34 hours I could see the sprouts. At about 44 hours they were standing up, about 1/2 inch long and turning green. I moved them to the table by my sliding glass door to get some sunlight. I looked at them about an hour later and they looked funny! I studied them and they were leaning over towards the light almost laying down!. I rotated the container and then kept checking on them about every 1/2 hr. They gradually stood up and now they are leaning towards the light again. Good lesson from Mother Nature: no matter where we are in life we can always lean towards the light for direction. I am really excited to taste them in a few days.
thank you Pam. such a wonderful video. I'm going to share this with many girlfriends. also appreciate you taking the time to post the stats on each one for us.
A good tip is that these will grow in washed sand since most of the nutrients are in the seed itself to start. Needs to be the washed sand like they use in sandboxes - it will say washed on the bag. You can always bottom water with a little nutrient water as they get bigger. THEN you can rinse, boil and reuse the sand.
Brilliant! If you have a lot of space to store the composting soil that’s OK. But personally that doesn’t work for me. I wonder if you could use pea gravel or those little clay balls that they use in some of the hydroponic gardening. Same principle - it’s just something to hold the seed while it grows upright. I have seen footage from zoos that they don’t have ANY soil or medium but I think it’s because the seeds are packed in so tight they grow it as green fodder for the animals. And it’s in big dense mats.
I have added some micro-greens to my indoor garden, because I love the quick turn around, especially if we are hosting a small dinner. Thank you for the tips. I like growing full lettuce which I use to cut and come again lettuce in self watering pots, which look like houseplants, except when they are trimmed.
Thats fascinating about putting the pressure on them from the top to make them think they're underground so the roots will go down and sprouts go up! Amazing!
This was a great video. I am new to microgreen growing and have a few questions: 1. When you have harvested your greens, do you replant the new seeds in the same container, or do you start again with fresh soil. 2. If you start again with a fresh container and soil, what do you do with the soil used previously? 3. I didn't notice, but did you poke holes in the bottom of the containers? 4. Do/have you ever allow the seeds to continue to grow into larger plants and/or allowed to go to seeds? 5. Would you please show us your record process? I appreciate how thorough your videos are. Thank you in advance for your answers! Blessings, health, prosperity and peace to you and yours and to all who read this! 👍😘😇💖
Pam, so no 'special lighting' is needed to be successful growing these indoors? I LOVE your videos. Very thorough presentations and information every time. You two are great! Thank you so much. (i made the ghee this morning and it turned out great!)
Thank you so much for your awesome presentations! I am so motivated now to grow my own greens, to pressure can, continue my garden, prepping and so much more.
Thank you for the videos on growing microgreens! We are now considering growing microgreens during the winter to avoid the chance of food borne illnesses in grocery store greens, as well as when fresh greens are scarce. We will be researching further, but hope you have the time to answer some questions: 1. Were your seeds stored in the freezer or at room temperature for the 6 years? 2. In the first video you demonstrated that the soil was soaked first. Was the same done for the kitchen greens before spreading the seeds? 3. These seeds were not soaked as were the seeds in the first microgreens video. Does the decision on whether to soak the seeds depend on the type of seed? 4. Could the sunflower, lentil and pea microgreens also be grown in the kitchen? 5. When at the stage to expose the greens to sunlight, were trays rotated to allow equal sunlight distribution across the tray and reduce lean? 6. Instead of harvesting the entire tray, could you cut a little bit at a time over a few days to always have fresh microgreens, or do they need to all be cut at the stage you harvested? 7. How long is used soil composted before reusing?
Wow--lots of questions. 1. We did not store seeds in the freezer, but they could be. They were at room temp inside the house. 2. I always dampen the soil first no matter where I grow them. 3. I pre-soak large seeds, but not small seeds. 4. I have grown all of our seed choices both in the kitchen and in the greenhouse. 5. I don't have a set process for this. If the shoots are leaning too far in one direction, then yes, I rotate the trays. Just use good judgment here. 6. Yes you could do that provided they don't get beyond the good taste stage--generally before the second set of true leaves emerge. 7. No set time--just whenever I need it next. Thanks for your great questions and I think it is great you plan to grow microgreens in the winter. We usually do as well.
@@RoseRedHomestead LOL, yes I thought after posting that there might be too many questions. Thank you so much for replying, and for sharing your knowledge!
@@SMac0628 Your comment is over one year old, but wanted to give you a little tip: I plant cress on the window sill right through the year, because they are dead easy to grow and we add it to salads, sandwiches, etc. Also, cress is high in Vit C so great for winter.
I've just got to try these micro greens. I've never had anything like that before and as soon as I find the seeds and where to get them I will have that on my list. Thank you.
I followed your video and I planted some alfalfa, teff and lentils! Anxious to see what they taste like after they are harvested. Thank you for the good advice and instructions.
Thanks Pam! I just started my first 2 trays of Kale and peas. This will be a great skill to have, of course seed availability is the main concern. I just picked up a bunch of free year end seeds which I think is the key to keep the cost down. There are some microgreens you can cut nd they will regrow. I need to research which ones.
If you find any that will do that, please let me know. I have not found any that do. Some lettuces might if you let them grow a little taller than normal microgreens and then cut them above the soil level about an inch.
Excellent video and Very informative!!! Thank you so much for showing and keeping records so we can tell how long short verses long germinating micro plants grow!!!
If I reuse the soil, I would break up the lumps and spread on aluminum trays to sun dry it completely till the tender roots crumbles. Just a thought to reuse soil if no other way available.
I just started to grow microgreens and I really enjoy them so much. I love daikon radish but I could never successfully growing it as a proper size so microgreen worked out wonderfully. Thank you Pam and Jim!👍
Thank you! I will look for all containers I have put away and will buy seeds to do this. I have a glassed in porch which gets the winter sun. Great place for this!!!
I hope YOU are enjoying these videos as much as I am! I absolutely love you And the photo if you in the intro....you are so familiar to me it amazes me Everytime I see your face!!!
My teff is beautiful! I took a picture but I can't figure out how to send it. It is about 1 inch long, a beautiful green and looks like a beautiful lawn. I haven't tasted it yet but I want to try some on Sunday. My 20 yr old grandson is interested in microgreens and he will be here for dinner. Today is day three and my lentils are just barely starting to sprout., The alfalfa is up about 1 inch. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with all of us.
I cut some of my teff to try yesterday. My grandson and I agree that it tastes like fresh green peas from the garden. I have set it out on my patio so it will catch the afternoon sun and maybe help it grow a little. It is about 1" tall. My alfalfa seeds are doing well but because they were so small and I couldn't see them very well I planted them very sparsely. My lentils have not done well. They were older lentils that I have had for quite a few years. This morning it looks like mold has formed on them. I am sure I kept them too wet trying to get them to grow. Tomorrow will be day 7 for them. I am going to throw them out and start over with them again. This time I think I will soak them for a couple of hours before I plant them. Feel good about the results!
@@RoseRedHomestead I live in St. George so it was quite warm today. I set my Teff and my alfalfa sprouts out on the patio for fresh air and a few hours of sunshine. The teff did wonderful but the alfalfa didn't fare so well. The teff was a little dry when I brought it in the house this afternoon but it had not wilted at all. It is a beautiful green . It is from Africa and has helped sustain the African people through droughts and famine. It is now being grown in Idaho.
I've been wondering about microgreens for a long time so I'm glad I watched this video. And I also read through the reply that you compost the soil and basically start from scratch each time. Love the soil mix that you use is relatively new from the time you plant to the time you harvest. There has to be a more affordable option rather than tossing out the soil to the compost and replacing it with fresh and new each time you want a new harvest. Do you have a suggestion or advice concerning this.
I harvested my teff a couple of days ago. It was about 1 1/2" long. It was delicious. I just need to grow a little bit bigger batch. I replanted my alfalfa and it shot up in a couple of days. I moved it to the table to let it grow and harvested it after just 6 days. It was about 2 inches long and was also delicious. I replanted some lentils which I soaked for about 5 hours beforehand. Only 2 of them sent out a little root before they went moldy after about 7 days. I think my lentils are just old.
This is wonderfully useful, thank you. I figure, if my seeds appear to be on the older side, instead of microgreens I'll probably allow them to grow out, if they will, and hopefully go to seed. THEN I'd have fresh seeds for microgreens😍 I was taught growing up that nothing beats failure but a try
I was given by a friend a case of dry lentils from a grocery store that were right at their best by date. I am going to experiment just to see if they will grow.
I bet they will! Those "best by" dates way underestimate the viability of foods, so I am glad you are going to run that experiment. You will have to let us know what the results are.
I’d love to know how they worked out! Sometimes beans intended for cooking are treated (heat, radiation etc) to extend shelf life which will interfere with germination. Please let us know if you are able, Ann Palmer!
Thank you! What do you do with the soil? How to you recycle the soil for further micro greens? Do you grow the next batch - same seed - in the same soil? Do you compost the soil for a bit and then use it again? I live in a high rise in NYC and need to work out this stuff. Thanks again. I've learned so much from your videos!
We recycle the soil. We leave the roots and stems in place and dump the soil into a big pile that we then let compost for a few months. Then we add a bit of new potting soil, a little slow-release fertilizer, mix, and re-use. We do not attempt to use the same soil for the same seeds--it all gets mixed up together. Great question. Thanks.
Pam, i have a question. So once the micro greens have been harvested from the tray...do they regrow or do you empty the tray and start again with fresh soil and seeds. So interesting. I am definitely going to try this.
Great question. When you harvest them, you have cut off the growing tip, so they do not regrow. I compost the soil and start fresh every time. I am glad you are going to try it. We find it to be very rewarding.
I feel like you would need an enormous amount of soil on hand as well if you plan on doing this for any length of time. It doesn't seem that practical in an emergency. If you compost the soil once you're done, how long does it take before you can use it again. It seems like it would be very long cycle. Im not trying to discourage the process im just more interested in it be something sustainable. I can't grow microgreens in an emergency if I dont have so.
@@bonniemechefske3838 true, you do need quite a bit of soil on hand. But for those of us who only get out to town every couple of months, especially in the winter months, it’s nice having fresh greens.
I read you can make weedy tea for the garden, the left overs I would call weeds, and probably could be recycled if you use coco core or hemp core to grow the greens.
Thanks for that. I wondered what arugula was.......I only recently discovered that Americans mean swede when they say rutabaga, and cilantro means coriander!!
Do you have a recommendation for lettuce seeds to use? I can not eat the spicy greens, although I absolutely love lettuce! This was a great series! Oh, I will certainly try try growing micro greens! Thank you for another terrific video. I did read in this that they do not regrow, so you do not need to respond about that question that I had in your first video. I am learning so much from you!!
I have been growing microgreens for about a year. But I don't use compost. I use paper, ......like with cress and sunflowers that young children grow in school! It works well. Would you say there arebetter results with your method?
I think the differences are: mine take longer to germinate and, apart from the peas (which are prolific and give a 2nd growth) they are much shorter. I have special trays - the top layer is a mesh which you line with paper. The roots grow through this. I water them twice a day.
Thank you so much for sharing all of your vast knowledge and expertise. One question- after you separate the trays do you water them at all or leave them?
I don't show sprouting because it is more susceptible to bacterial contamination, but you do make a good point. I have used lentils as microgreens and you are right about them being quick and easy.
I think this is the third time I've watched this video. So apparently I'm very much interested in growing microgreens. My only concern is the need to replace the potting soil and its cost. I understood that you said that you compost and reuse yours. Does this take very long to break down to where it is again reusable? I'm on a limited income and I'm Just slightly concerned about the cost. And maybe I'm just thinking out loud. Concerning the seeds. I'm assuming these are still the seeds that you purchased from the Canadian company Mumm's? Thank you
This is exactly the information I was looking for. Question: if I buy seeds for sprouting, can I use them for growing microgreens? In other words, are they the same seeds? Sprouting works best in my tiny apartment but might find space for small container of microgreens.
From what I have seen from other videos, yes you can use the same seeds. Just pot them as would be normal. In fact, she did so in this video with the radishes.
What potting mix can be used. I find that store bought has many barks and small sticks or not as a find soil. I use peat moss would that work for sprouting seeds? Coco core is more expensive for my use. Thank you.
Hi Rose Red. Thanks for the video and for keeping it simple. It looks as if you just put them in a sunny window and just used natural light. Will it just take longer when the days get shorter? Would we still get enough natural light in the winter? Thanks in advance.
Generally, yes, but some work better than others. Sometimes companies charge a bit more for seeds sold as microgreens that you can find in a different section of their catalogs for less. I just checked Genovese Basil in Johnny's catalog and for the same amount of seed, they charge $.50 cents more if you buy it as a microgreen.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge about micro greens. With regards to the Weck jars i saw somewhere they were talking about pressure canning and using three or four clips and this seemed to make a difference in the success of the task.
Thank you, mamma Rose 🌹. Would you have any ideas on how I could reuse the soil on another micro-green. After I’ve already used it to grow a plate full? I don’t have a backyard or compost pile, unfortunately.
I love your videos and have learned so much. I've been wanting to try my hand at growing microgreens. What type of soil do you use? I missed that part. Thank you =)
Thanks for the information about the days for different types of seeds and I will be trying some of your suggested types of greens. I am wondering if you have you ever used jute fibre grow mats instead of soil? I've noticed there is less wastage with them as you can eat the whole plant including the root so no need for cutting just plucking :) . I love the containers you use. I have a collection of Chinese food containers with lids that I am hoping will be okay if I can keep the light out at the start.
Can you dehydrated your harvest to help store up the nutrients? I know we lose so nutrients in the dehydration process, but if M.G. have the same or more nutrients. I would thing we could store much much more in the same space.
You can freeze seeds, but for these, they sat in their original envelopes out in our garage. I have just planted some pepper seeds from 2013 and they are coming up just find out in our greenhouse.
I really enjoyed your video on microgreens. I too have wondered about getting green vegetables in a time of shutdown. I think I am going to try this. I have always loved alfalfa sprouts but i don't like the sprouting process. Involves to much tending! Have you every tried microgreens with alfalfa seeds?
@@RoseRedHomestead thanks for responding to me. I know you're very busy but I appreciate it. Monday I'm going to pick up some Alfalfa seeds and try microgreens with them. My dad was a farmer and he'll really have a laugh in heaven to think his daughter is growing alfalfa on her kitchen counter!
Do you ever reuse the soil for microgreens? If not, do you just put into the outdoor garden? Also, have you freeze dried microgreens? What other microgreen seeds do you like?
So once you cut the greens, will they come again or do you pull the roots and restart fresh? And what do you do with the roots? *My first ever micro greens that I grew I did them in a glass pie plate on a wet paper towel. I ate the whole things when they were ready lol 🤷🏻♀️ I didn’t know any better lol
LOL! We've all done things like that! Once you cut the tops, they do not regrow. I recycle the potting soil with the stems and use it again several months later. Thanks for your comments.
where did you purchase the seeds used? If they lasted 6 years, Those are the ones I want to buy. Thank you for all your wonderful information and knowledge, and showing how easy it really can be for home growing.
I just planted some from 2013 that have sprouted as well. I got most of them from what used to be Mountain Valley Seed in Salt Lake City. It has a new name, but I think if you type that in, it will take you ther.
No, they do not grow back. I dump the used potting soil out in a pile behind our greenhouse and allow it to compost for a few weeks. I then use it in my garden and flower beds. Thanks for watching.
Do you even need soil to sprout? I remember my friends mom sprouted seeds in a ball jar with a strainer top. I think she rinsed them every day, but didn’t let them sit in water. Does that only work with certain seeds? I guess you’d need a really fine mesh for some of those tiny seeds.
No you don't need soil to sprout. But there is a difference between sprouts and microgreens and the food value of microgreens is higher than sprouts. Also, sprouts are more prone to molding and spoiling. Some seeds work better for microgreens than others, of course, but you have dozens of choices. Thanks for your question!
I just use a commercial potting mix--whatever is on sale. Once you cut the tops off, you have cut off the growth region and they will not regrow. I toss the soil out in a big pile near the garden and leave it to compost for several months and then work it into the garden.
The company we bought ours from has gone out of business. The roof on ours is starting to split, which worries us. We were hoping to simply buy a replacement canvas when it wore out, but it looks as if that won't happen.
Are the seeds "microgreen seeds" or can this be done with our typical, say...basil seeds? I've seen start up kits/seeds but I have Lots of my own seed. Thanks!
I used to grow a lot of lettuce for salads in a 3 foot wide bed that was maybe 6 feet long. I didn’t want to take all the time and trouble of digging holes for starts so I mixed a variety of leaf lettuce and spinach seeds, which are all very tiny, with some clean sand. I mixed it up and broadcasted it using the big mug style salt shaker that lots of people put on the stoves. I just shook it over the dampened bed and then covered it with newspaper for a couple of days, wetting it down each day and then after 3 or 4 days I lifted off the newspaper when it was dry. I had a zillion little sprouts. Once they started getting about 3 inches high I started thinning it out and having baby lettuces long before they had that in the store. Eventually I ended up with a fairly evenly dispersed bunch of lettuces. Because I didn’t want to go through all that work again I just trimmed off the outer four leaves on a variety of plants every day. The next day I would do it again with different plants. I ate all summer out of that little 3 x 6 bed. And I ate salad every single day that summer and still gave lettuce away. I really had a lot of seeds in that sand! 😆If I had to do over again I think I would add more sand to disperse those a little less closely.
That sounds like a great plan!
you can get many micro green seeds in the spice isle, like the amaranth, celery seed, poppy, there are plenty of seeds we use as spices, just get the bottles of organic ones and just use the shaker to put a few seeds in a shallow tray and harvest 3-6 days, and rotate which ones you do, every day there's one micro green to use in a salad, or stirfry
Yes, we have purchased microgreens at the store and done the same thing.
If you use a salt shaker or herb container for the tiny seeds it helps spread the seeds more uniform. Comes in handy when trying to sow large areas.
Thanks for the tip!
Great idea!!!
I planted my Teff, Alfalfa and lentil seeds. The Teff is extremely small so it was hard to see what they were doing. In about 6 hours I thought I could see a little activity. In 24 hours it was evident that there was activity. At about 34 hours I could see the sprouts. At about 44 hours they were standing up, about 1/2 inch long and turning green. I moved them to the table by my sliding glass door to get some sunlight. I looked at them about an hour later and they looked funny! I studied them and they were leaning over towards the light almost laying down!. I rotated the container and then kept checking on them about every 1/2 hr. They gradually stood up and now they are leaning towards the light again. Good lesson from Mother Nature: no matter where we are in life we can always lean towards the light for direction. I am really excited to taste them in a few days.
Susan: This sounds fantastic. Keep us up on your seed growth. We had similar problems and had to rotate, too.
I enjoyed this video. Will do this!!
What a lovely comment, Susan🤗
Rose, you are a doll ;) Thank you for sharing your valuable knowledge
You must be reading my mind. I just started one tray yesterday, and plan on get more seeds.
thank you Pam. such a wonderful video. I'm going to share this with many girlfriends. also appreciate you taking the time to post the stats on each one for us.
A good tip is that these will grow in washed sand since most of the nutrients are in the seed itself to start. Needs to be the washed sand like they use in sandboxes - it will say washed on the bag. You can always bottom water with a little nutrient water as they get bigger. THEN you can rinse, boil and reuse the sand.
Brilliant! If you have a lot of space to store the composting soil that’s OK. But personally that doesn’t work for me. I wonder if you could use pea gravel or those little clay balls that they use in some of the hydroponic gardening. Same principle - it’s just something to hold the seed while it grows upright. I have seen footage from zoos that they don’t have ANY soil or medium but I think it’s because the seeds are packed in so tight they grow it as green fodder for the animals. And it’s in big dense mats.
I have added some micro-greens to my indoor garden, because I love the quick turn around, especially if we are hosting a small dinner. Thank you for the tips. I like growing full lettuce which I use to cut and come again lettuce in self watering pots, which look like houseplants, except when they are trimmed.
Thats fascinating about putting the pressure on them from the top to make them think they're underground so the roots will go down and sprouts go up! Amazing!
Yes--pretty tricky of us to fool Mother Nature like that! LOL!
This was a great video. I am new to microgreen growing and have a few questions:
1. When you have harvested your greens, do you replant the new seeds in the same container, or do you start again with fresh soil.
2. If you start again with a fresh container and soil, what do you do with the soil used previously?
3. I didn't notice, but did you poke holes in the bottom of the containers?
4. Do/have you ever allow the seeds to continue to grow into larger plants and/or allowed to go to seeds?
5. Would you please show us your record process?
I appreciate how thorough your videos are. Thank you in advance for your answers! Blessings, health, prosperity and peace to you and yours and to all who read this! 👍😘😇💖
Ahhh! Now I know what micro greens are! As soon as I can get some seeds in, I’m getting busy!!! This was fun to watch!
Valorica: Glad you enjoyed! Jim
Pam, so no 'special lighting' is needed to be successful growing these indoors? I LOVE your videos. Very thorough presentations and information every time. You two are great! Thank you so much. (i made the ghee this morning and it turned out great!)
Thank you so much for your awesome presentations! I am so motivated now to grow my own greens, to pressure can, continue my garden, prepping and so much more.
Fabulous! Good for you!
Thank you for the videos on growing microgreens! We are now considering growing microgreens during the winter to avoid the chance of food borne illnesses in grocery store greens, as well as when fresh greens are scarce.
We will be researching further, but hope you have the time to answer some questions:
1. Were your seeds stored in the freezer or at room temperature for the 6 years?
2. In the first video you demonstrated that the soil was soaked first. Was the same done for the kitchen greens before spreading the seeds?
3. These seeds were not soaked as were the seeds in the first microgreens video. Does the decision on whether to soak the seeds depend on the type of seed?
4. Could the sunflower, lentil and pea microgreens also be grown in the kitchen?
5. When at the stage to expose the greens to sunlight, were trays rotated to allow equal sunlight distribution across the tray and reduce lean?
6. Instead of harvesting the entire tray, could you cut a little bit at a time over a few days to always have fresh microgreens, or do they need to all be cut at the stage you harvested?
7. How long is used soil composted before reusing?
Wow--lots of questions. 1. We did not store seeds in the freezer, but they could be. They were at room temp inside the house. 2. I always dampen the soil first no matter where I grow them. 3. I pre-soak large seeds, but not small seeds. 4. I have grown all of our seed choices both in the kitchen and in the greenhouse. 5. I don't have a set process for this. If the shoots are leaning too far in one direction, then yes, I rotate the trays. Just use good judgment here. 6. Yes you could do that provided they don't get beyond the good taste stage--generally before the second set of true leaves emerge. 7. No set time--just whenever I need it next. Thanks for your great questions and I think it is great you plan to grow microgreens in the winter. We usually do as well.
@@RoseRedHomestead LOL, yes I thought after posting that there might be too many questions. Thank you so much for replying, and for sharing your knowledge!
@@SMac0628 Your comment is over one year old, but wanted to give you a little tip:
I plant cress on the window sill right through the year, because they are dead easy to grow and we add it to salads, sandwiches, etc. Also, cress is high in Vit C so great for winter.
You are heaven sent, i am so grateful for your content & your teaching
Pleasantly: You are so welcome! Jim
I've just got to try these micro greens. I've never had anything like that before and as soon as I find the seeds and where to get them I will have that on my list. Thank you.
This is so fun!! Can’t wait to see the end results!!
I followed your video and I planted some alfalfa, teff and lentils! Anxious to see what they taste like after they are harvested. Thank you for the good advice and instructions.
I am so excited for you!!! Excellent.
I didn't even know microgreens was a thing. Glad I do now. Thank you
Yes, they are. Jim
Thanks Pam! I just started my first 2 trays of Kale and peas. This will be a great skill to have, of course seed availability is the main concern. I just picked up a bunch of free year end seeds which I think is the key to keep the cost down. There are some microgreens you can cut nd they will regrow. I need to research which ones.
If you find any that will do that, please let me know. I have not found any that do. Some lettuces might if you let them grow a little taller than normal microgreens and then cut them above the soil level about an inch.
Excellent video and Very informative!!! Thank you so much for showing and keeping records so we can tell how long short verses long germinating micro plants grow!!!
You are so welcome!
So excited I found youuuuuuuu.....learnt so so much in 60 mins, binge watching should be working...0oooooooo xxxxxxxxxxx love to you and hubby..
Thank you so much--we appreciate that. And, we are excited you found us as well!
If I reuse the soil, I would break up the lumps and spread on aluminum trays to sun dry it completely till the tender roots crumbles. Just a thought to reuse soil if no other way available.
I just started to grow microgreens and I really enjoy them so much. I love daikon radish but I could never successfully growing it as a proper size so microgreen worked out wonderfully. Thank you Pam and Jim!👍
Thanks for sharing! Jim
Thank you! I will look for all containers I have put away and will buy seeds to do this. I have a glassed in porch which gets the winter sun. Great place for this!!!
I hope YOU are enjoying these videos as much as I am! I absolutely love you
And the photo if you in the intro....you are so familiar to me it amazes me Everytime I see your face!!!
Thank you. Yes, we do really enjoy making these videos. The best part is when people tell us they are useful!
My teff is beautiful! I took a picture but I can't figure out how to send it. It is about 1 inch long, a beautiful green and looks like a beautiful lawn. I haven't tasted it yet but I want to try some on Sunday. My 20 yr old grandson is interested in microgreens and he will be here for dinner. Today is day three and my lentils are just barely starting to sprout., The alfalfa is up about 1 inch. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with all of us.
That is awesome! Congratulations on your success!
I cut some of my teff to try yesterday. My grandson and I agree that it tastes like fresh green peas from the garden. I have set it out on my patio so it will catch the afternoon sun and maybe help it grow a little. It is about 1" tall. My alfalfa seeds are doing well but because they were so small and I couldn't see them very well I planted them very sparsely. My lentils have not done well. They were older lentils that I have had for quite a few years. This morning it looks like mold has formed on them. I am sure I kept them too wet trying to get them to grow. Tomorrow will be day 7 for them. I am going to throw them out and start over with them again. This time I think I will soak them for a couple of hours before I plant them. Feel good about the results!
I love every word of your comment! This is fantastic. I am going to try growing teff! Thank you for sharing.
@@RoseRedHomestead I live in St. George so it was quite warm today. I set my Teff and my alfalfa sprouts out on the patio for fresh air and a few hours of sunshine. The teff did wonderful but the alfalfa didn't fare so well. The teff was a little dry when I brought it in the house this afternoon but it had not wilted at all. It is a beautiful green . It is from Africa and has helped sustain the African people through droughts and famine. It is now being grown in Idaho.
I've been wondering about microgreens for a long time so I'm glad I watched this video. And I also read through the reply that you compost the soil and basically start from scratch each time. Love the soil mix that you use is relatively new from the time you plant to the time you harvest. There has to be a more affordable option rather than tossing out the soil to the compost and replacing it with fresh and new each time you want a new harvest. Do you have a suggestion or advice concerning this.
When I grow up I want to be just like you! 😉🥰
What a lovely compliment! Thank you.
I harvested my teff a couple of days ago. It was about 1 1/2" long. It was delicious. I just need to grow a little bit bigger batch. I replanted my alfalfa and it shot up in a couple of days. I moved it to the table to let it grow and harvested it after just 6 days. It was about 2 inches long and was also delicious. I replanted some lentils which I soaked for about 5 hours beforehand. Only 2 of them sent out a little root before they went moldy after about 7 days. I think my lentils are just old.
Because of your comments I am going to try teff. It really soundswonderful. So glad you are having success!
Hi...great video as usual. Do you ever dehydrate or freeze dry thes microgreens ?
This is wonderfully useful, thank you. I figure, if my seeds appear to be on the older side, instead of microgreens I'll probably allow them to grow out, if they will, and hopefully go to seed. THEN I'd have fresh seeds for microgreens😍 I was taught growing up that nothing beats failure but a try
It sounds like you have a number of options to consider. Jim
Wow, you would really go through seeds quickly.
Great video, I am going to start mine this week. I'm so excited to see how fast and easy they grow. Love your videos.
So after cutting, they are done? Can you pull the remnants out and use that same soil again and again?
“...mustard, for Pete’s sake”😂😂😂
I was given by a friend a case of dry lentils from a grocery store that were right at their best by date. I am going to experiment just to see if they will grow.
I bet they will! Those "best by" dates way underestimate the viability of foods, so I am glad you are going to run that experiment. You will have to let us know what the results are.
I’d love to know how they worked out! Sometimes beans intended for cooking are treated (heat, radiation etc) to extend shelf life which will interfere with germination. Please let us know if you are able, Ann Palmer!
Did they grow, @Ann Palmer?
Did the lentils sprout?
Great video i been sharing you to my Facebook page.
Thank you! What do you do with the soil? How to you recycle the soil for further micro greens? Do you grow the next batch - same seed - in the same soil? Do you compost the soil for a bit and then use it again? I live in a high rise in NYC and need to work out this stuff. Thanks again. I've learned so much from your videos!
We recycle the soil. We leave the roots and stems in place and dump the soil into a big pile that we then let compost for a few months. Then we add a bit of new potting soil, a little slow-release fertilizer, mix, and re-use. We do not attempt to use the same soil for the same seeds--it all gets mixed up together. Great question. Thanks.
Pam, i have a question. So once the micro greens have been harvested from the tray...do they regrow or do you empty the tray and start again with fresh soil and seeds. So interesting. I am definitely going to try this.
Great question. When you harvest them, you have cut off the growing tip, so they do not regrow. I compost the soil and start fresh every time. I am glad you are going to try it. We find it to be very rewarding.
I feel like you would need an enormous amount of soil on hand as well if you plan on doing this for any length of time. It doesn't seem that practical in an emergency. If you compost the soil once you're done, how long does it take before you can use it again. It seems like it would be very long cycle. Im not trying to discourage the process im just more interested in it be something sustainable. I can't grow microgreens in an emergency if I dont have so.
@@bonniemechefske3838 true, you do need quite a bit of soil on hand. But for those of us who only get out to town every couple of months, especially in the winter months, it’s nice having fresh greens.
@@lynsmith2698 thats a very good point/perspective.
I read you can make weedy tea for the garden, the left overs I would call weeds, and probably could be recycled if you use coco core or hemp core to grow the greens.
Have you ever vacuum sealed seeds to increase the germination?
Arugula looks like lettuce but actually is a brassica, which is the cabbage family. Who’d have thought! In the U.K. we call it rocket.
Thanks for that. I wondered what arugula was.......I only recently discovered that Americans mean swede when they say rutabaga, and cilantro means coriander!!
This is so informative, ... I now due to your great instruction will brave this! Thank you so much.
You can do it! I hope you will find growing microgreens as fun as our family has. Thanks for watching!
Do you have a recommendation for lettuce seeds to use? I can not eat the spicy greens, although I absolutely love lettuce! This was a great series! Oh, I will certainly try try growing micro greens! Thank you for another terrific video. I did read in this that they do not regrow, so you do not need to respond about that question that I had in your first video. I am learning so much from you!!
I have not grown lettuce as microgreens, but you could surely try some varieties to see what works.
I have been growing microgreens for about a year. But I don't use compost. I use paper, ......like with cress and sunflowers that young children grow in school! It works well. Would you say there arebetter results with your method?
I have not compared my way with your method, so I am not sure. If you are getting good results, then I would say to stick with what you are doing!
I think the differences are: mine take longer to germinate and, apart from the peas (which are prolific and give a 2nd growth) they are much shorter.
I have special trays - the top layer is a mesh which you line with paper. The roots grow through this. I water them twice a day.
I will for sure grow some microgreens, but after you cut them what do you do? Do the grow more or trow the seedlings away
Thank you so much for sharing all of your vast knowledge and expertise. One question- after you separate the trays do you water them at all or leave them?
I prefer sprouting as there is no soil to deal with. Lentils and fenugreek are quick and easy.
I don't show sprouting because it is more susceptible to bacterial contamination, but you do make a good point. I have used lentils as microgreens and you are right about them being quick and easy.
Do microgreen containers not need drainage since they are so small and harvested so quickly?
I think this is the third time I've watched this video. So apparently I'm very much interested in growing microgreens. My only concern is the need to replace the potting soil and its cost.
I understood that you said that you compost and reuse yours. Does this take very long to break down to where it is again reusable?
I'm on a limited income and I'm Just slightly concerned about the cost. And maybe I'm just thinking out loud. Concerning the seeds. I'm assuming these are still the seeds that you purchased from the Canadian company Mumm's?
Thank you
THANK YOU AGAIN,, I HAVE FOUND A NEW FAVORIT IN YOUR CHANNEL .. GOD BLESS YOU AND JIM..
You are very welcome. We are always happy when people can use the information in our videos. Thanks for watching.
This will be this week's project!! Thank you!
It is a great project!
@@RoseRedHomestead Thank you for the idea! And for always being so thorough in your explanations. I love learning from you.
This is exactly the information I was looking for. Question: if I buy seeds for sprouting, can I use them for growing microgreens? In other words, are they the same seeds? Sprouting works best in my tiny apartment but might find space for small container of microgreens.
From what I have seen from other videos, yes you can use the same seeds. Just pot them as would be normal. In fact, she did so in this video with the radishes.
Love this!
Boy I bet this made great compist
It does, indeed!
This might be a silly question but are the seeds the same whether it is used for micro greens or garden planting?
Yes they are. They can just charge more if they call them "microgreen seeds"! However, they package them with many more seeds per package.
What potting mix can be used. I find that store bought has many barks and small sticks or not as a find soil. I use peat moss would that work for sprouting seeds? Coco core is more expensive for my use. Thank you.
Do you use regular vegetable seeds or are there special micro green seeds? Thanks
There are special seeds available, but I use both regular and microgreen seeds.
Hi Rose Red. Thanks for the video and for keeping it simple. It looks as if you just put them in a sunny window and just used natural light. Will it just take longer when the days get shorter? Would we still get enough natural light in the winter? Thanks in advance.
I have grown them year around in that south-facing window so yes, there is enough light during the winter. Great question! Thanks.
I use exactly the same containers for my microgreens in Australia
Cool! I really like them.
Pam I have a question.. can you use any kind of seeds for micro greens? I'm doing this thank you so much. Missouri Wrightchk
Generally, yes, but some work better than others. Sometimes companies charge a bit more for seeds sold as microgreens that you can find in a different section of their catalogs for less. I just checked Genovese Basil in Johnny's catalog and for the same amount of seed, they charge $.50 cents more if you buy it as a microgreen.
Thank you
Thanks for sharing your knowledge about micro greens. With regards to the Weck jars i saw somewhere they were talking about pressure canning and using three or four clips and this seemed to make a difference in the success of the task.
I have used 3, but never 4. I may have to try that! Thanks for your comments, and for watching.
Will the dicon radishes microgreens continue to grow after being cut? Tfs! 💜🙏🤗
I missed it. What kind of potting mix was used? I've been using coco core with little success.
Thank you, mamma Rose 🌹.
Would you have any ideas on how I could reuse the soil on another micro-green. After I’ve already used it to grow a plate full? I don’t have a backyard or compost pile, unfortunately.
I would mix it about half and half with fresh potting soil.
I love your videos and have learned so much. I've been wanting to try my hand at growing microgreens. What type of soil do you use? I missed that part. Thank you =)
Thanks for the information about the days for different types of seeds and I will be trying some of your suggested types of greens. I am wondering if you have you ever used jute fibre grow mats instead of soil? I've noticed there is less wastage with them as you can eat the whole plant including the root so no need for cutting just plucking :) . I love the containers you use. I have a collection of Chinese food containers with lids that I am hoping will be okay if I can keep the light out at the start.
I have not used jute, but it sounds interesting. Thanks for sharing.
👋 hello. I love your videos. Very informative. Thank you. What state are you in?
Thanks! Jim
Will the plants not regrow afte4 cutting?
Can you dehydrated your harvest to help store up the nutrients? I know we lose so nutrients in the dehydration process, but if M.G. have the same or more nutrients. I would thing we could store much much more in the same space.
Yes, you certainly can .
@@RoseRedHomestead thank you ma’am
What do you do with the dirt when you're done cutting the sprouts? Do you put it back into compost?
Thank you for this info I was going to try doing micro greens.
You are so welcome! They are fun to grow and use.
Your hair aways looks so pretty. You're fortunate to have such thick natural red hair.🌹
How often did you water those while they were underneath the towel thank you very much I enjoy your videos very much
I kept them damp at all times.
How did you store your seeds through the years? Is freezing them necessary?
You can freeze seeds, but for these, they sat in their original envelopes out in our garage. I have just planted some pepper seeds from 2013 and they are coming up just find out in our greenhouse.
I really enjoyed your video on microgreens. I too have wondered about getting green vegetables in a time of shutdown. I think I am going to try this. I have always loved alfalfa sprouts but i don't like the sprouting process. Involves to much tending! Have you every tried microgreens with alfalfa seeds?
Not yet. There are so many delicious ones to choose from that I just keep trying new ones!
@@RoseRedHomestead thanks for responding to me. I know you're very busy but I appreciate it. Monday I'm going to pick up some Alfalfa seeds and try microgreens with them. My dad was a farmer and he'll really have a laugh in heaven to think his daughter is growing alfalfa on her kitchen counter!
Do you ever reuse the soil for microgreens? If not, do you just put into the outdoor garden? Also, have you freeze dried microgreens? What other microgreen seeds do you like?
So once you cut the greens, will they come again or do you pull the roots and restart fresh? And what do you do with the roots? *My first ever micro greens that I grew I did them in a glass pie plate on a wet paper towel. I ate the whole things when they were ready lol 🤷🏻♀️ I didn’t know any better lol
LOL! We've all done things like that! Once you cut the tops, they do not regrow. I recycle the potting soil with the stems and use it again several months later. Thanks for your comments.
where did you purchase the seeds used? If they lasted 6 years, Those are the ones I want to buy.
Thank you for all your wonderful information and knowledge, and showing how easy it really can be for home growing.
I just planted some from 2013 that have sprouted as well. I got most of them from what used to be Mountain Valley Seed in Salt Lake City. It has a new name, but I think if you type that in, it will take you ther.
@@RoseRedHomestead Thank you!
Do they grow back at all after cutting? Are you able to reuse the potting soil? Great video, very informative, thank you!
No, they do not grow back. I dump the used potting soil out in a pile behind our greenhouse and allow it to compost for a few weeks. I then use it in my garden and flower beds. Thanks for watching.
Do you even need soil to sprout? I remember my friends mom sprouted seeds in a ball jar with a strainer top. I think she rinsed them every day, but didn’t let them sit in water. Does that only work with certain seeds? I guess you’d need a really fine mesh for some of those tiny seeds.
No you don't need soil to sprout. But there is a difference between sprouts and microgreens and the food value of microgreens is higher than sprouts. Also, sprouts are more prone to molding and spoiling. Some seeds work better for microgreens than others, of course, but you have dozens of choices. Thanks for your question!
Wonderful!!!!!
Many thanks!!
Hi Pam, have u dehydrated any micro greens yet?
I have two questions; What kind of soil do you use? Do you leave the harvested soil to regrow?
I just use a commercial potting mix--whatever is on sale. Once you cut the tops off, you have cut off the growth region and they will not regrow. I toss the soil out in a big pile near the garden and leave it to compost for several months and then work it into the garden.
Do they sprout, or grow any more edible leaves after you cut them? If so what do you do with the soil afterword's?
No, they do not regrow. I recycle the soil and use it again in about a year. Thanks for your questions!
Did you keep your seed in the freezer for those six years ? Thank you .
No, they were in a plastic bin out in the garage.
Hi Pam and thank you, So what do we do with the used food containers? throw it out or sift throught to save some soil?
I save the containers and dump the soil on our soil recycle pile.
Will they grow more after they are cut?
What kind of green house do you have? We have really high winds here in NM, so I was wondering where you bought yours.
The company we bought ours from has gone out of business. The roof on ours is starting to split, which worries us. We were hoping to simply buy a replacement canvas when it wore out, but it looks as if that won't happen.
Go to a surplus store or Army store and buy an old parachute
I just started sprouting wheat. I'm on day 3 and they just started growing the green part.
Sprouting and growing microgreens are two different things. Sprouts can mold quite easily, so just be watchful.
What company did you order your seeds from, and do you have a link for that company?
The company I bought those seeds from does not exist anymore. Except for the sunflower seeds which I bought at the grocery store.
Wonderful.. Blessings
Thank you! You too!
Rose do you have a course?
Ive seen someone use an electric carving knife to harvest microgreens
Great idea! Thanks for sharing that.
Are the seeds "microgreen seeds" or can this be done with our typical, say...basil seeds? I've seen start up kits/seeds but I have Lots of my own seed. Thanks!
You can use any seeds you like--there is nothing special about "microgreen" seeds except they charge more for them!
Hi there did you mention type or nrand of soil you are using
It is just a basic potting soil.
Any certain soil to use that’s the best?
I just use a potting mix.