Easy Gardening: Indoor Edible Plants

1. 01 Introduction: have you ever wanted to grow your own food but were discouraged by the space and resource requirements for an outdoor vegetable garden? You might be surprised to know that it's actually possible without needing a lot of space or equipment to have an easy indoor vegetable garden. A swell. How you ask. The answer is by growing microgreens. So what are microgreens? If you've ever noticed the small, colorful garnishes that come on some nice restaurant meals or had a wheat grass shots added to your smoothie, then you've probably already had microgreens without realizing it. Microgreens are simply edible young shoots and leaves of plants instead of allowing a seat to grow into a ceiling and then a mature front microgreens air harvested as seedlings in a very short time frame, typically no more than two weeks. For example, snap peas can be grown from seed and would take several months for the plant to grow several feet tall and mature enough to produce the pod to harvest and eat. But with microgreens, you would grow from seed for about 1 to 2 weeks and harvest the very young and tender shoots and leaves you're able to harvest in a consistent and productive manner all year round. You can also grow vertically, making it extremely space and energy efficient. One of the advantages for microgreens is that you're able to grow a significant amount of food indoors in a controlled environment if done properly, there no past their weeds or bad weather to deal with. So now that you know what's possible, let's get started. 2. 02 Background: So what makes microgreens like P and sunflower shoots, different from sprouts like alfalfa are being spreads in the case of being spreads. He would keep among being seat saturated with water until it produces a rude in stock and consume it before any leaves. Air produced, which typically takes only a couple of days. Sprouts, grow in the dark, hence their pale color. You consume the roots and stocks, which have been sitting in water for days, so extreme care is required if you're eating them raw for fear. Salmonella poisoning. If you were to allow that same month being to grow upright and developed for an extra week or two, it would produce a tall stock and leaves. This would then be considered a micro green. He would harvest it after the 1st 2 to 4 leaves have developed, and it has grown several inches tall. You would cut it above the water line and not consumed the routes, which have been sitting in the water. Almost all herbs and vegetables that you would grow for food can be eaten as microgreens. 1st 2 leaves that a seed will send up or called the code elite ums sprouts are eaten before the coda Leavins form microgreens air eaten any time, typically after the Kotal Eden's form. Any leaves that form after the Kotal Edens are called true leaves. Some microgreens are best harvested after the coda lead ins for but before the true leaves come out. For example, corn, wheat grass and sunflower shoots are typically harvested after the code lead ins. But before the tough and fibrous true leaves develop, others, like peas, kale and radish have delicious true leaves. There are, however, some vegetables that don't make good microgreens. Specifically, the members of the night chez family, like tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and tobacco, shouldn't be grown as microgreens. There are many benefits to growing microgreens. With a minimum of supplies and equipment, you're able to produce an astonishing amount of food. Microgreens are extremely tasty and nutritionally deaths. In fact, microgreens have greater nutritional density than its seed or mature forms. Apart from that, almost any other herb or vegetable is possible to grow and harvest doesn't microgreens. Half the fun of growing microgreens is trying out different seeds to see what grows well and tasting the intense flavors 3. 03 Supplies and Equipment: Because microgreens have a short life cycle, you'll need a significant amount of seeds. Micro green seeds can be purchased from reputable vendors. Most seed companies offer a line of micro green seeds, typically just the regular seed, but sold in bulk volumes and branded differently. However, even with bulk discounts, costs for seeds can add up. Therefore, hitting up your local supermarket is a great place to purchase inexpensive seeds. You might be thinking to yourself, but I've never seen Michael Green seeds at the supermarket. Actually, you probably have. When you think about it, popcorn kernels are simply the seeds harvested from a corncob. Dry lentils, peas and beans can be cooked or planted. Also, many spices, like mustard seed and fennel can be planted as well. Furthermore, seed that has sold his bird feed can also be used. For example, some flour, millet and amaranth is often sold his bird feed, but it can also be used to grow microgreens. We've experimented with purchasing these dry goods from the supermarket, and we have successfully grown them as microgreens or even outdoors in the garden. You want to buy organic, though, as that is more likely not to have been treated in any way. There are some seeds that are easier than others for the beginner. Typically, pea shoots and sunflower shoots are a great place to start. Seats are plentiful, inexpensive, and they grow quickly and easily. In addition, the seeds air physically large, so the shoots are substantial. Smaller seats will produce smaller shoots but are quicker to harvest radishes. A good micro green to start with because it's so fast impacts quite a flavorful punch. Microgreens can be grown on a variety of planting media, the two most popular to use our potting soil or planting mats made from synthetic materials have or coconut car. If you're growing in soil, you would want to purchase an indoor potting soil. Indoor potting soil is often heat treated to try to kill pathogens, weeds and insects, whereas if you were to bring soil from the outdoors inside, you'll have to deal with these issues. Planting mats can be purchased and used as well. They're meant for one time use only, and thus the cost can quickly add up. Other things that can be used are clay pellets, gravel, loose coconut, coir, burlap, perlite and many other options. the final option for planting media is no media whatsoever. That's right. It's possible to grow directly in a trade with the seeds and roots exposed to the air and light. In fact, we find this to be the best way to grow. Microgreens basically would recommend a hydroponic approach because it is the least costly and, in our opinion, the easiest and most sustainable way to grow microgreens. We've tested both soil and mats and had to contend with many different problems. As a result, the main issue we found with growing in soil is the inevitable growth and proliferation of mold to deal with mold. Some advocate having fans and dehumidifiers running continuously over the microgreens, which can end up being a cumbersome exercise. There's also the risk that you'll be blowing mold spores throughout your indoor environment and for mats. We found them to be costly and have a high carbon footprint to produce and transport. Growing hydroponically gets around all these issues in addition to being the least messy and resource intensive. In typical hydroponic operations, there would be a focus on liquid fertilizers to provide the nutrients the plants need to grow large enough to harvest lettuces often grown hydroponically in this matter. In the case of microgreens, because the life cycle is so short, all the nutrients of the microgreens need are within the seed itself. In other words, no fertilizer is needed. The only things required for your micro greens are literally light and water. The basic vessel to grow microgreens is a shallow tray with drainage holes. This would sit inside or on top of another trade to hold excess moisture. This bottom tray should not have any holes. You can make your own, for instance, out of a clamshell container that buries air sold in or out of plastic containers that could nest within each other. You can also buy special microgreens trays. They come in various sizes, but the one that is used most often is called a 10 20 tree. 10 20 represents the width and length of 10 inches by 20 inches. There are two standard deaths, one inch or two inches deep, the shallower one inch trade and makes it easier to cut the microgreens come harvest time. These microgreens trays are made from plastic, and some are even made with food grade plastic, allowing them to the sanitized more thoroughly after each use. You can also purchase a clear plastic dome for your trays. The's domes help the train maintain a human environment, while the seed is originally germinating. Once germination occurs, you would remove the dome. Personally, we recommend placing a dampened cloth over the microgreens rather than using a dome. You're microgreens need light, and the easiest way to provide this is to put them by a sunny window. If you don't have a window that lets in lots of light than artificial lights work. Justus well, you can purchase expensive, especially marketed grow lights. But we have found that the most basic led lights are justus, effective, if not better. There are also a fraction of the cost and require very little electricity to run. They also produce little to no heat, so you don't have to worry about burning your plants the way you would with fluorescent or metal Halide grow lights. We bought these inexpensive four foot long led shop plates. One of the advantages to growing microgreens is the ability to use vertical space. You can arrange your microgreens in many ways, but our preferred arrangement is in this four foot wide by six foot tall by two foot deep shelving unit. We've hung led utility lights on these racks with Velcro straps. This configuration allows us to place four of our 10 20 trays Perak with four racks. This allows us to grow 16 trays at home in the shelving unit. If you were to harvest around 250 grams of pea shoots. Portray that would equal four kilograms for the entire shelf approximately £9 with an approximate two week life cycle. That would be over 100 kilograms of pea shoots in a year, approximately £220 out of the one shelving unit. In other words, you can grow a substantial amount of food from your shelving unit, possibly with a greater and more consistent yield than a small backyard vegetable garden in a given year. If you're growing, you're microgreens in a small enclosed space like a closet. There may be an issue of humidity. Building up a fan or dehumidifier would help alleviate this. We grow ours in our basement and have found that there is sufficient space and air flow. That humidity build up is not an issue 4. 04 Process: If this is your first time growing microgreens, we'd recommend trying only a few seeds to begin as a test. This way, you haven't wasted a bunch of seeds of things. Don't work out. Soaking your seeds will quick in the germination process. Therefore, place the seeds in a bowl and cover them with water. Let this soak for 24 hours. Once done, discard the soaking water and give your seat good riddance. Proceeds that are smaller than P or sunflowers sees there's no real benefit to soaking and will actually just make it that much more difficult to handle and spread out your trade. Nest the tray with holes inside the tree without holes. Place your seeds evenly in the trade. Pour in enough water that the seeds air sitting partially covered in water for smaller seeds are ones that might fall through the drainage holes You can place down, paper paper tells the routes will grow through the paper. Dampen a cloth in place over the tree daily. Check on the seeds to ensure that the seeds have enough water and haven't dried out. Within a day or two, your seats will start Germany water when necessary. to ensure that your seats haven't dried out. Typically daily or every other day. You can remove the damp cloth after about 4 to 7 days when the seeds have started growing shoots and roots. Since the led lights use so little electricity, have them on for about 14 hours a day from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. You can water by filling the bottom tray with water. We're just from one spot. As long as you watch the water level, you want the seeds to be about 1/3 to no more than half submerged way actually had the lights plugged into a timer that turns on and off automatically. Room temperature suits the delicate microgreens just fine, so as long as they're not in too cool of a spot, they'll do well. Way. Haven't noticed any mold growing hydroponically. If you were to grow in soil or using mats, mold could be a problem. You'll have to spend some time and effort trying to regulate the humidity and air flow. To control mold issues. You'll also want just for your seeds with a solution of one to wind water and hydrogen peroxide throughout life cycle. If you're finding that you're microgreens air suddenly dying off mysteriously, disease or pathogens may have taken hold in your trays. Discard all the seeds from your affected trays and sanitized them with bleach or hydrogen peroxide. 5. 05 Harvesting: After a week or two, it'll be time to harvest your microgreens. Using a sharp knife for scissors, grab ahold of the microgreens from the top and cut them at the level of the tray edge. Take the time to savor the delicious shoots of your labor. Microgreens can store for about two weeks in the fridge. Just give them a rinse to provide them some moisture. Shake them off and then place them in a container and you can enjoy them. Any time. Once you've harvested your microgreens, you'll be left for the tangle of seeds and roots. If you have a patch of dirt or compost pile, just bury them there. Little break down quite quickly. Once you cleared out the trays, you want to clean them with soap and water, and if you want to thoroughly sanitize them, you can use bleach or hydrogen peroxide. 6. 06 Examples and Tips: as mentioned For small seeds, lining your tray with a paper tell is helpful to keep them in place. We find that sunflower seeds grow better with a paper towel as well, even though it is a bigger seed as they're growing. Sometimes the seed holes don't fall off. Given enough time, they would naturally to help this along. You can periodically spray with water to weaken the holes, and you can also just pick them off by hand. They should be harvested before the true leaves fully formed. The true leaves air fibrous and unpleasant to eat. If you look closely at the roots of some microgreens, you'll notice white fuzzy things. You might think this is mold, but it is not these air delicate root hairs to tell the difference between the two root hairs. Air white don't smell. Mold is greyish, and we'll give often odor. You will also bubble when sprayed with hydrogen peroxide. Radish could be harvested at about an inch tall. If you trade is too deep, simply lift the shoots out of the trade to cut them. The roots and paper towel can be easily composted. However, the roots and cuttings from all microgreens air, a tasty treat. Too many animals, they could be fed to rabbits, goats or any her before. As mentioned, three of the most popular microgreens air, pea, radish and sunflower shoots some other popular microgreens to grow our wheat grass, cabbage and mustard wheat grass to fibers to enjoy directly. Most people will juice it instead. Cabbage can be quite visually striking, especially if you have a red or purple variety. Whole mustard seeds are sold as a spice and are easy to find at the supermarket. The micro green is even spicier than the seat, and a little goes a long way. It makes for a tasty garnish. Most people aren't familiar with microgreens because they're so hard to obtain. Their flavor and texture changes the longer they sit around after harvesting. As a result, we don't transport well. If you're lucky enough to see them in a specialty grocery store, they're often very expensive. This is because only small local growers produced them. They must be delivered right after harvest. Many people have never had microgreens in any large quantity because of how scarce they are . This is unfortunate because they're some of the tastiest unhealthiest things you can eat. We personally enjoy eating them raw as heat or freezing will destroy their distinct flavors with smaller shoots. A little goes a long way, as they often have very intense flavors. For instance, radish shoots are a spicy addition to any meal, so it is often user the garnish to give a kick to anything you throw it in. Pea shoots air substantial enough that you could use it as a salad base. They have a very fresh and sweet flavor. Sunflower shoots have a satisfying crispness to them and actually tastes like some bladder seats. They have a mild, nutty flavor, whether it's in sandwiches mixed into soups added onto pasta or part of a salad. The applications. Aaron Limited. Assuming you're willing to share any, we're sure you won't be able to keep up with the demand from friends and family. 7. 07 Bonus Recipes: as mentioned, We prefer eating or microgreens raw as he or freezing contain away from their freshness and flavor. A micro green salad is a true delicacy that very few people will have the pleasure of enjoying way. Prefer toe lightly. Apply a simple vinaigrette so as not to mass the flavors of the chutes. To build your salad. Harvest some larger shoots like P or sunflower shoots. Add additional microgreens like mustard and cabbage. Vinaigrette is one part lemon juice to one part sweetener to two parts. Oil way like to add one teaspoon of lemon juice to a mason jar than two tablespoons of avocado oil and a tablespoon of maple syrup. Put on the lid. Give it a good shake and then drizzle onto your salad according to your preference. Enjoy adding microgreens as a filling for a tortilla or flatbread makes a great meal. Repair them with homemade tortillas made from sweet potato. And, yes, it tastes this fantastic. As it sounds, the tortillas only have two ingredients sweet potato and all purpose white flour. To prepare the sweet potato, peel and dice into one inch cubes for two cups of diced sweet potato. Poor half a cup of water into a pot and set it to boil. Once boiling, throw in the sweet potato. Let the sweet potato steam like this for 15 minutes. Check periodically to ensure that the water hasn't all boiled away. Check doneness by inserting a knife into a cube. It should pierce and come out without too much resistance. Turn off the heat and mash with a fork or potato masher once mashed at an equal amount of flour. So for two cups of sweet potato at two cups of flour. Mix and knead until it forms a soft dough. Form into a ball and let it rest for 10 minutes. To give the gluten in the flour a chance to relax, Form into balls by pinching. Rollout each ball to about 1/4 inch or thinner. Heat up a skillet until hot turned down to the medium high heat. Place the tortilla on the skillet. After about two minutes or one brown spots have appeared, Flip over press on the tortilla, and this will cause the tortilla to puff up. This helps separate the layers of the tortilla, making for a lighter texture. Once brown spots have formed, removed from the skillet. Place in a tea towel as he cooked the other tortillas. This prevents them from drying out and keeps them warm. Fill with microgreens and any other filling and condiments of your choice. Bon Appetit. One great way to use microgreens is in deviled eggs. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place eggs in the water with a spoon so as not to craft the eggs. Cook at a simmering boil for 12 minutes. When done, placed the eggs in a bowl of ice water. This will help separate the egg white from the show. Remove the shells. Cut the eggs in half with a sharp knife. Clean the yoke off the knife between cuts. Scoop the yorks into a bowl mixed with mayonnaise in a 1 to 1 ratio. We like to use Japanese Kewpie mayo. Normally, devil legs would have mustard, but we like using mustard microgreens instead, mixing a handful and scoop into a plastic bag. Cut off the tip. If you own a piping bag, you can use that instead. Pipe the mixture into the egg, garnish with more microgreens and voila even though these eggs air deviled their heavenly 8. 08 Conclusion: There are many reasons why an indoor microgreens started makes sense in these uncertain times. With minimal space and resources, you can have a beautiful, bountiful garden full of fresh, tasty and nutritious microgreens. Way hope you benefited from this course and are inspired to give it a try. Don't forget to follow us so that we can notify you. When we upload new content. I feel for you to check out our other courses. And if you have time to leave a review as well, that would be appreciated. Happy gardening.