Micro greens

[Small pumpkin]

Anyone growing micro greens ?
What growing medium do you use? Hydroponics anyone?

And your micro greens seeds, do you use any seed or do you use the proper micro greens seed? Is there a difference? What's the difference ( apart from price )


Presently I grow in lengths of guttering, with a small amount of MPC.
I was wondering if I could line the guttering with capillary matting to help keep the plants cleaner. but I don't know how to get nutrition into the plants without compost, and without going down the hydroponics route.

Would just a weak liquid feed when watering be enough?

[Ms-T]

I would like to know too.

[Penellype]

The idea of microgreens is that they grow quickly for harvest within a couple of weeks. Most of the nutrients that the plant needs at this time are contained in the seed, so as long as it has sufficient water it should be able to produce the seed leaves and a couple of small true leaves. This is why you can grow them on damp kitchen tissue and they don't need feeding.

You can use any seed, providing that the leaves etc are edible. I do sometimes buy special microgreen seeds but I also use other seeds that I have already got, for example I am growing some choy sum at the moment.

Personally I only want small quantities, so I use a small plant pot full of MPC and put it under grow lights. I find the plants stand up better if they have plenty of light whereas on a windowsill they tend to lean. I also find them easier to cut from a pot than from a larger tray.

[Penellype]

A few ideas - micro greens need not just be mustard and cress!

Most brassicas including oriental greens, broccoli, kale, cabbage, radish.

Annual herbs - I like chervil and purple basil. Some, like parsley take ages to grow and are better grown as big plants.

Celery and celeriac

Any sort of lettuce, salad mixes, corn salad, beetroot, spinach, spinach beet, chard, rocket - I tend to let these develop 4-6 small leaves

Related, but not quite the same - pea shoots, sprouting seeds.

[Bren In Pots]

I'm growing Celery as micro greens after it failed in the garden nice and tasty in salads.

[Small pumpkin]

A few ideas - micro greens need not just be mustard and cress!

Most brassicas including oriental greens, broccoli, kale, cabbage, radish.

Annual herbs - I like chervil and purple basil. Some, like parsley take ages to grow and are better grown as big plants.

Celery and celeriac

Any sort of lettuce, salad mixes, corn salad, beetroot, spinach, spinach beet, chard, rocket - I tend to let these develop 4-6 small leaves

Related, but not quite the same - pea shoots, sprouting seeds.

That's brilliant Penellype thank you.

Funny you should mention peas shoots & sprouting seeds
I've just brought some peas for shoots ( I'm guessing I could use any variety for this )
And I started my very first sprouting seeds off yesterday. Mung beans in a home made sprouter.

[Bren In Pots]

Puy lentils work well in the sprouter as well SP.

[Ms-T]

What kind of lentils please.

[veggiechicken]

For pea shoots you can use those Leo dried peas from the shop - Other brands are available

[veggiechicken]

What kind of lentils please.

Puy (pooey) lentils

[mothhawk]

I have a big bag of kale seeds, home saved off just one plant, that I use for micro-greens. If you examine the little plastic boxes of supermarket "cress", more often than not the seeds growing are not cress at all, but kale.

Sometimes I sprout them in a jar, other times in compost. I sowed some last week, and to see if I can keep them cleaner, I've sown them on a single layer of kitchen roll, which is laid on top of damp compost in a pot.

My theory is that when I put seeds to chit on damp kitchen roll, invariably some put their roots through the kitchen roll before I have a chance to pot them up, so micro-greens ought to be able to do the same and grow through the kitchen roll into the compost, thereby keeping the greens away from the compost and clean.

I've also noticed in supermarkets, their cress is sometimes growing in what appear to be fine clean wood shavings instead of compost. Might be worth a try if you have access to shavings.

[Ms-T]

Puy (pooey) lentils

so where do i get them

[mothhawk]

so where do i get them

At the supermarket, or in health food stores

[treepixie]

I grow micro greens on and off have just started some salad leaves, I found this video on you tube to be helpful when I started he is doing it on a commercial basis but still intresting

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZetEHMvdJ0k

[Small pumpkin]

Thanks treepixie that's a very interesting video. I've got the start up information he was offering as well. It's all very interesting.