Microgreens
Microgreens are normal crops that can be grown inside
Some people confuse them with “sprouts”, but there are two major differences. First, microgreens are grown in actual soil, not just water. Second, any seed can potentially be a microgreen. The main benefit of using soil is that soil has natural biotics (bacteria), as well as natural minerals. The biotics will fend off against toxins in the water, and the minerals will transfer to the plant, making it much more healthy than sprouts grown in water.
A microgreen is really just a regular vegetable that is harvested early in its development cycle. We really like sunflowers and radishes, but there are hundreds of seed varieties that have proven to grow quickly as microgreens.
They have been called the “veal of greens” because of their short life. Some crops are better suited to being harvested early than others are. There are several advantages of microgreens, especially for the living room farmer:
- Microgreens are grown inside, and so are not as susceptible to insects and other predators. Mold can be a problem, but there are ways to deal with that.
- Because of their fast growing cycle and early harvesting, you can get real food really fast.
- Unlike sprouts microgreens are grown in soil. Depending on the soil we choose, this will provide plenty of micronutrients.
- Because they are grown in soil, there is less of a chance of bacterial contamination than a soil-less crop such as sprouts.
- Having a shelf full of green crops growing in your living room really lifts the soul!
In this class, you will learn about the various chemical and biological actions that are a part of any seed’s life. Then we talk about the equipment needed (very little) and the processes for getting your first crop of microgreens.
After that, we go to the green room and make our first flat of microgreens. Since this takes 3-4 days for harvest, we have a mature flat available and we can harvest and sample that.
You will leave with your own flat that you will grow at home to become delicious, nutritious microgreens in less than a week.
Time: 3 hours
Cost: $40
