It's still just a little too early to start planting most things in your vegetable garden, but that doesn't mean you can't grow your own tasty, nutritious greens inside.
Micro-greens are a popular trend because they're healthy, easy to grow indoors or out.
Today garden master Jim Duthie is at the North End Organic Nursery in Boise with Lindsay Schramm.
We're going to be talking about micro-greens, something really easy for you to grow at home, and involve the whole family, right?"
"Absolutely. It's a great way to get some great nutrition right on your countertop in your kitchen."
"What are micro-greens?"
"Micro-greens are a stage in-between a sprout and a full grown plant. So they're kind of considered like the toddler of the plant world."
Micro-greens are easy to grow inside or outside.
"You can have fresh salad greens with high nutrition without utilizing a lot of garden space or even a lot of investment."
And it's something the kids can do, too.
"Kids love this because they're kid-sized. And all kids love to play with dirt and seeds and they can just plant them, and they water them, watch them grow. And I think it provides a lot of motivation for them to want to eat them in the end, too."
So, what can you grow as micro-greens?
"Pretty much anything where you would eat the plant itself, in the process of growing it, can be used as a micro-green."
Here, Lindsay has a selection of various types of lettuce and other greens. even amaranth, which I only thought of as a flowering plant before. But it makes a delicious micro-green. You can buy individual seed packets, or buy seeds in bulk to save even more money.
“And even if you have some seed packets from lettuce that you already purchased in the past, that’s a great way to get started.”
So let’s begin.
“All you need is some soil, a container of any kind, water, and a little bit of light.”
If you don’t have much natural light, you can substitute a grow light. Or try an inexpensive growing kit.
“So these kinds of grow light systems are great because it has the lid and it has the light and you put it on top of the tray, so it’s kind of a set-it-and-forget-it kind of system, where you don’t have to stress out not having enough light.”
Micro-greens will grow in almost any container, from trays for mass plantings, to individual pots for a variety of greens.
“All these are, are these little 4-inch pots that you can get at almost any nursery.”
“Put some soil in them, sprinkle the seeds on top, water them, give them the light that they need, and from 7 to 21 days from now you’ve got instant salad micro-greens.”
“So, from seed to feed in a couple of weeks.”
“In a couple of weeks, and it’s constant rotation. As long as you’re starting another one at least once a week, you’re going to have a constant source.”
Use a fine, organic soil, like a seed-starting mix, or a good general purpose potting soil. For an extra boost, add soil supplements, like volcanic ash, or powdered seaweed.
“I’m going to use this little 4-inch pot to make it easy. I take some of my… these are turnips and these are radishes, and I’m going to make a little mix right here… and I just sprinkle them on top and pat them down. And I’m going to take a little bit of extra soil, just to sprinkle that on top, just to make sure that they get enough. And then from here, I’m going to take my kelp and water mixture, pump up my hand tool here, and I’m just going to spray it down.”
It’s important for the soil to be moist so the seeds will germinate quickly. Most bagged soil is pre-moistened, but if you’re using some soil that’s been sitting for awhile, be sure to moisten it before planting.
“I like using a sprayer instead of a watering can because it’s simpler, and it’s going to give it nice, even moisture.”
Within a couple of weeks, when the plants are about an inch high, you can start harvesting.
“Once that first set of true leaves happens, between that first and second set, is when you want to start cutting them and eating them. They’re ready to go.”
Use a pair of clean scissors to trim off the greens just above the soil level. Rinse them off and they’re ready to eat, in salads, on sandwiches, even on pasta.
“The great thing about the micro-greens, too, is that you’re looking at from 5 to 40 times as much nutrition in that particular plant than it’s mature counterpart.”
“Thank you, Lindsay Schramm, from North End Organic Nursery. We’ve been talking about micro-greens, something you can try at home, and yes, you can grow it.
Some of the more popular things you can grow as micro-greens include lettuce, radishes, beets, broccoli, peas, sunflowers and even corn.
Micro-green growing kits are available at most garden centers and many variety stores, starting from as little as just $10. Kits with grow lights will run about $25 to $50.