Microgreens and Baby Greens are trending everywhere from cooking shows and magazines to fancy restaurants and food trucks. But here’s a secret – you can grow them right in your home! February is a great time to grow these nutritious greens indoors and are a nutrient-packed way to get your “green Fix” in winter. All you’ll need is a bright window or grow light, warm indoor temperature, and a few materials.
What are Microgreens and Baby Greens?
You may be thinking of sprouts, but microgreens are much easier to grow. Microgreens and Baby Greens are young, leafy vegetables or herbs that are harvested with a pair of scissors just above the soil line when the plant is 1-4 inches tall. They will include the first pair of seed leaves, called cotyledons, and one set of just developed “true” leaves. The seeds are sown indoors in pots or trays and harvested within 7-28 days of sowing. After cutting, many types will re-grow and you can cut them again.
How to Grow
Sow them relatively thickly in a shallow container filled with an inch of firmed down soil. Cover very lightly with more soil and place the container in your sunny window sill. Keep the soil moist but not wet and harvest when the seedling are green and leafy and about 1-2″ tall. Once grown, eat microgreens in salads, on burgers, or in any other way that you use baby salad leaves.
A few of our Baby Greens favorites include Super Foods, Spinach, Swiss Chard Blend and the Smoothie Mix which includes beet leaves, lettuce, spinach and swiss chard.
Favorite Microgreens selections include Early Wonder Beet, Upland Cress, Sunflower and the Mild Mix which includes beet leaves, cabbage, kohlrabi and swiss chard.
Recent research has shown that the nutritional value of microgreens can be higher than mature plants, adding to their popularity with chefs and home gardeners. So stop by Creek Side today and let’s get growing!
