The how and why of growing microgreens
Everyone can grow microgreens. In fact, most people already have… there can’t be many who haven’t grown a punnet of cress on the windowsill and snipped off the tasty baby leaves to sprinkle over a salad or add to an egg sandwich.
Microgreens are a really easy way into homegrown flavour if you have limited space, time or experience. Even if these things aren’t an issue, microgreens are so quick to grow and packed with nutrients, everyone should have a tray of them on the windowsill all year round. They can be added to salads, wraps and sandwiches, used to make pesto, scattered over soup or a freshly baked pizza.
Start now and you could be harvesting seriously tasty greens in just a couple of weeks.
What you need
A shallow container with drainage holes in the bottom
Peat-free multipurpose compost
A tray to stand container on (to catch any water that drains out)
Seeds – rocket, kale, basil, dill, coriander…
A spray bottle
A piece of sturdy cardboard slightly larger than your container
How to grow
Fill the shallow container with compost to a depth of about 2cm and firm down very gently – more to level the surface than anything else, you don’t want to compact it. Stand the container on a tray to protect your windowsill from water spills. Sow the seeds evenly over the surface of the compost. You want to sow them reasonably thickly, a lot thicker than you would if you were going to grow the plants to full size but not so close that they are touching. It can be tempting to sow a mix of seeds in one tray, but it’s best to stick to one thing at a time because different seeds will grow at different rates making harvesting more difficult.
Give the seeds a light watering using the spray bottle, then cover the top of the container with cardboard, or anything that will keep light out. Check each day for signs of germination, it should be about 3 or 4 days before you see tiny white roots appearing. Once the plants are growing, remove the cardboard and put the tray onto a light windowsill. Keep your microgreens watered as they grow, but don’t overdo it.
Harvesting
Microgreens are usually harvested when the first true leaves appear. At this stage they are full of flavour and super nutritious. Use a sharp pair of scissors to snip the tops off the seedlings. If you’re careful you should be able to harvest them cleanly, avoiding taking any compost with them. Growing your own microgreens means you can use them at their freshest and most flavourful, immediately after harvest. But if needed, they will keep in the fridge for a few days.
Tip the roots and compost out onto the compost heap, then wash and reuse the container for minimal waste. For a constant supply of microgreens, sow regularly. You’ll find they grow faster in the warmer summer weather, but even in winter things like rocket and dill will produce a good harvest in a short space of time.