Master Gardening: Growing microgreens through the winter
Are you ready to grow your own nutrient packed healthy foods throughout the winter? Well, you can with microgreens. What are microgreens? Microgreens are also known as "vegetable confetti". Microgreens are fast-growing, nutritious greens that are the perfect pick-me-up for winter days. Microgreens are just miniature plants or seedlings of salad greens, vegetables or herbs that are packed with nutrients and beneficial enzymes because of their rapid growth. They may contain 40 times the nutrient value of their mature counterparts. They are harvested much before maturity. Microgreens are the next stage in a plant's development. You could say that they are kind of like the "toddlers" in the plant world.
Microgreens are a great way to have greens available for salads, soups or garnishes. In fact, they are all the rage at many upscale, farm to table and fine dining restaurants. You can also find them in the produce section at specialty grocery stores. These tiny, delicate greens add color, texture and flavor to many foods as either a garnish or ingredient.
Microgreens are not the same as sprouts. Sprouts are grown in water in special containers, require less light and are harvested differently, in as little as 3 to 5 days. Microgreens are easier to grow and some researchers think they may be healthier than sprouts. They are super-fun to grow and they taste delicious! Microgreens need a soilless mixture, sunlight and good air circulation, which reduces food-borne illnesses. It is that easy! Sprouts are harvested as the soon as the seed germinates whereas microgreens are harvested 10 days to a few weeks later depending on the variety you choose to grow. You do not have the potential for bacteria growth with microgreens as you do with sprouts.
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To grow microgreens, you need to create your own little "microfarm" with either a tray or shallow container with drainage holes (plastic take-out containers and aluminum pie pans are great). You will need a plastic cover or plastic wrap for the top and a drip tray. Fill the container with potting soil, seed starting mix or any sterile and fertile soil substitute.
You may use seeds leftover from last gardening season, but the most popular seeds for growing microgreens are arugula, chia, sunflower, buckwheat, celery, swiss chard, beets, chives, watercress, cilantro, basil, fennel, kale, mints, parsley, mustards, kohlrabi, cabbage, kale and a variety of lettuces, such as mesclun. You can even find some seed companies that have created their own mixes specifically for growing microgreens. The seeds contain enough nutrients to grow seed leaves and their first set of true leaves.
Once you have your seeds, sprinkle them 1/8 inch apart on top of the soil and then spread some soil gently on top of them, no more than 1/8 inch. They only take a few weeks to grow 1 to 2 inches tall. Use a spray bottle to water them with a fine mist. To begin, place the container on a drip tray containing water and let it sit for 10 minutes. Drain the drip tray. You will need to water frequently by misting the top and also watering from below to prevent drying out. Place the tray in a sunny location. Once the seeds begin to germinate, remove the plastic cover. It is not necessary to fertilize them, because they are harvested as seedlings.
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Once the seedlings are peeking out of the soil, make sure that you check them daily. They will grow very quickly. When the second set of leaves form, they are ready for harvest. Most of these seedlings will be ready to harvest about 10 days after the seed were sown.
To create a continuous harvest, start another microfarm tray a week or two later. When it is time to harvest, you will simply want to take a pair of scissors and snip between the leaves and the soil. You will then gather up the leaves and use them as soon as possible. You can store unused microgreens in the refrigerator by putting them into a loosely closed plastic bag. They will last about a day or two. When you have harvested all the plants, the tray can be used again to create another microfarm with new seeds. Once you see how easy they are to grow, you may grow them year-round. Now go plant that microfarm before the winter doldrums set in!
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Michelle Mayer-Haas is a York County Master Gardener. Penn State Master Gardeners are volunteers for Penn State Cooperative Extension. For more information, contact the Master Gardener office at 717-840-7408 or YorkMG@psu.edu.