Microgreens: How to grow and harvest? Health Benefits | Knackit

Whenever we order food from a fine restaurant's menu. You are likely to find microgreens garnished on the dish with the final touch. They are tiny, delicate green that adds color, texture, and flavor to a variety of foods.

Microgreens culture began on chefs' menus as early as the 1980s in San Francisco. Colorful mixtures like arugula, basil, beets, cilantro, and some more varieties are called "Rainbow Mix". Today, the US has formed many companies for a variety of microgreen seeds and growers.?

Microgreens are rich in nutrition and flavorful, which can be expensive to purchase. It can be grown at home in a tiny space with cost-effective and simple supplies. You can grow your own microgreens with a sunny windowsill, container, and some suitable seeds. This is a great start-up for urban gardeners who can grow in limited space and water.?

What is a microgreen?

Microgreens are young, tiny, tender shoot vegetables that grow approximately 1-3 inches. They are rich in nutrient content and have an intense aromatic flavor that comes in a variety of colors and textures.?

Microgreens are considered as baby plants that fall between a sprout and baby green category. They are edible. They are small in size which can be cut and used while cooking until they are alive. Microgreens can be grown at home easily with no big investment.

How to grow microgreens at home?

A few essential supplies are required to grow your microgreens at hikes like growing medium, growing tray, sunlight, and seeds. Once you have collected the supplies and started it must be easy. Following these simple steps will help you to ensure success harvest:?

Essential supplies?

• Good-quality seeds.
• Good growing medium. It can be a container filled with homemade compost or potting soil. You can even use a specially designed single-use growing mat for microgreen culture.?
• Proper light source - Either sunlight or ultraviolet lighting.?

1. Spot a Location

Clear the area where microgreens will be grown. Assure that the soil is conserved from overspray or overflow from drain holes.

2. Ready With Growing Trays

If you are reusing any container which is at home, make sure that it's dry and disinfected. Fill the tray with an inch of growing soil and make the soil level by dragging or pressing the soil surface with a piece of cardboard.?

3. Sow Seeds

Seeds should be soaked overnight or for a few hours before sowing. Spread the seeds evenly over the entire surface of the soil, and sprinkle a little bit of soil or growing medium over them.?

4. Press Seeds into Soil

Pressing the seeds into the soil helps to establish good soil contact, which allows them to absorb more moisture and encourage growth and germination. If the growing tray is the same size, it is possible to stack seeds on top of another er and apply uniform pressure across the entire soil surface.?

5. Let's wait

Some growers require no light source to germinate what they need is just moisture. So stacking trays isn't a problem. Trays that come with a moisture dome must be covered at this point. You can even cover the tray with plastic bags or plastic wraps to encourage germination in the beginning.?

6. Spray Water as Needed

Trays that are under the sunny windowsill or uncovered need to be misted at least once a day with a spray bottle. The most important thing is to keep the seeds moist and not wet until germination. Once they get sprouted, spraying twice a day is recommended.?

When and how to harvest??

Usually, two or three weeks after planting microgreens will be ready for harvesting. Harvest once you see a few inches of highly grown plant with a real set of leaves.??

Using sharp scissors, snip the microgreens just above the soil line. Rinse them gently and dry them in a salad spinner or on a paper towel or tissue.?

Why to grow your own microgreens?

There are many reasons why to grow microgreens at home. Let's see the primary reasons:?

• Easy to grow with less space.?
• If cultivation is unsuccessful, just a little time and resources will be lost. Starting again would be easy.?
• You can get a continuous supply of fresh nutrient greens at home.?
• Great gardening for beginners.?
• As it's an indoor method, there is no climatic restriction.?
• You can add microgreens to any dish. Try adding them on top of your next meal for fresh flavor.?

You can add microgreens to almost any dish, including soups and smoothies. For your next meal try adding them on top for a fresh flavor!

Microgreen benefits

Here are some microgreen benefits:?

• Microgreens contain more vitamins and antioxidants than the full-grown vegetables
• It reduces the risk of chronic diseases.
• It's good for people with poor kidney function?
• Easy to add high nutrients to the kids.
• Good for gut health.

Microgreen in food

Microgreens can be added in many ways to our daily foods. Here are some ways:?

• Microgreens can be integrated into a variety of dishes like salads, wrap, and even sandwiches.?
• It can be blended into smoothies or juice.?
• Microgreens can be garnished on soups, omelets, pizzas, and other warm dishes.?

Which seeds grow fast?

Mustard, red cabbage, broccoli, kale, and pea are the ones to start growing microgreens. It is a very common seed and easy to grow.?

These microgreens need just 7-12 days to be ready for harvesting and seeds are available almost everywhere.

Bottom Line?

Microgreens are easy to grow with limited space and flavorful which can easily be incorporated into your diet in a variety of ways. They are also very nutritious and reduce certain risky diseases.?

It's easy to grow at home in a cost-effective way to boost nutrient intake without eating large quantities of veggies. They are a good portion for dieting.?

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Sri Nandhini G