I have been buying tons of buckwheat and sunflower microgreens at the Farmer’s Market each week. The people there said that with as much as I buy, I should grow my own. I agree. So they sold me 5 pounds each of whole buckwheat and sunflower seeds. I will plant those and also some flax seeds that I already have. All the seeds are organic.
They gave me some general directions and I also have been reading here. We have trays and plastic lids for the trays (which create mini green houses). I am unclear as to how much sun the microgreens will need. I will be putting them outside and if it gets too sunny, I have shade cloth I could put over them, but first I would have to erect a frame for that. Or I could move the trays into the shade when the sun gets too direct. Our garden area is still in the works so I hesitate to create anything permanent. That’s why growing these in trays seems doable.
Please note that microgreens different than sprouts. Sprouts are grown in water, while microgreens are grown in soil. We eat the entire sprout – roots, stems and leaves; of microgreens, we eat only the stem and leaves, leaving the root behind in the soil. Sprouts are grown with little light and high moisture; microgreens are grown in sunnier and drier conditions. Sprouts are eaten shortly after seeds/beans/grains are germinated; microgreens are eaten when the young plant is more mature. Finally, when we eat sprouts, the cotelydon leaves may or may not be exposed, while the microgreens will have matured cotelydons and at least a first pair of true leaves.
I’ll probably have to bring the trays inside at night because of the deer. Here I go…
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Wardeh, how exciting! I grow a mesclun mix of greens. Lets see, it has arugula,lots of different lettuces, mustard, mache and chicory. But I have never grown or eaten sunflowers, flax or buckwheat for greens! How do they taste?
Sylvia, I haven’t eaten the flax microgreens before. I am trying those only because I read about them on the internet. I have been buying sunny and buckwheat microgreens though and they are delicious! Mild and tender. The sunny microgreens have a similar thickness to spinach. The buckwheat are much more thin. My trays have been out since Saturday morning and as of yesterday, no sprouts. I hope to see some today!