At Green and Healthy Night PS 321 students and families learned about Microgreens and started a school-wide experiment to see which seed sprouts and shows leaves fastest – Sunflowers, Corn or Beets.
The results will be published in the March Green and Healthy Newsletter.
Sprouts, Shoots and Microgreens are a great fast way to grow nutritious food indoors in the winter when space and light are tight. They are full of vitamins C, E and beta carotene, almost any plant that you eat at its mature size will work as a shoot, sprout or microgreen!
To try this at home take any clean container – you can use a clean flower pot or reuse a takeout container. If your container doesn’t have holes in the bottom add some before you get started. Put in some good potting soil and level the surface with a piece of cardboard to press the surface gently until it looks smooth. Scatter your seeds on the surface of the soil (liberally but not too close together) and then put a fine layer of soil over the top of the seeds. Gently water the soil and keep it evenly moist until your sprouts are up. You can harvest some greens within days others will take a couple of weeks. Harvest them by cutting the plants just above the soil and sprinkle them over your favorite salad, pasta or even pizza! Delicious! Store the washed, dry extras in the fridge for 4 or 5 days, like any vegetable. Some plants to try as Microgreens include: Arugula, Cilantro, Basil, Kale, Endive, Radish greens, Watercress, Cabbage, Peas, Spinach, Beets, Sunflowers, Lettuce, Corn, Broccoli or Basil.
Ready to get started? Seeds are available at:
- Whole Foods (in the produce section).
- Hardware stores (these are not sold as Micro green seeds so they will be smaller quantities and more expensive to purchase).
Online sources:
- Johnny’s Selected Seeds (johnnyseeds.com) – a huge selection.
- Territorial Seed Company (territorialseed.com)
- John Scheepers Kitchen Garden (kitchengardebseeds.com) – sprouting seeds.
If you are unable to purchase seeds contact the garden committee – we will give away anything that is left from G and H night. Contact Amy if you’re interested.
Here are links to some helpful information sheets with tips on growing sprouts, shoots and microgreens (and more info on the difference between them):
