Ever heard of micro-greens? They are young vegetable greens approximately 2.5–7.5 cm tall. The little leaves boast up to 40 times more nutrients, including vitamins C, E, and K, than when they are left to mature.
Because chemicals, too, tend to be more highly concentrated in the young growth, it is advisable to choose seeds which are free of insecticides and fungicides. One popular form of microgreens is a mix of purple and green radish. It is usually ready for harvest in only 6-7 days and offers a spicy radish taste.
The result is a dish that not only tastes more vibrant, but one that offers an appetising visual appeal that satisfies the eyes and is incredibly nutritious. Microgreens are also becoming widely popular among health conscious people because of their claimed healthcare benefits.
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Microgreens are becoming popular for urban farms because they are grown in limited space compared to traditional crops. In addition, the growing cycle is short, less than two weeks for most micro green varieties, and a grower can easily produce up to two dozen crops per year. For maximum returns, microgreens make economic sense for urban farmers.
Starting a microgreen farm is simple. About 1,000 square feet produces 400kg every week even without using fertilisers and pesticides.
Planting
There are many types of plants that can be grown as microgreens. When deciding which ones to grow, you should start by growing the easy ones, and decide which media they grow best in. The easiest to grow include kale, cauliflower, cabbage, Chinese mustard, lettuce, radish, sunflower and broccoli.
Generally, growing media is broken down into three primary categories namely soil based, soil-less media, and hydroponics. When using soil, you do not need to add a lot of nutrients in the soil mix since you are harvesting the crop at about 1-3” in height. Adding any nutrients should be done conservatively. Keep the surface of the soil damp, but ensure it is not too wet as this can lead to diseases.
Soil-less media comprises of different non-soil mixes such as coco coir, blends of vermiculite and/or perlite with an organic amendment among others. The advantage of soil-less media is that it guarantees a cleaner surface hence clean produce.
Hydroponic methods with microgreens at the beginner level is very simple, clean, and easy. It involves the use of a growing ‘pad’ which absorbs and retains water so as to keep the germinating seeds and emerging greens continually moist. When done correctly, your crop will be easier to harvest, you can cut right to the growing surface or even pull the crop right out of the pad and trim off the seeds and roots, making for a much easier harvesting process. All microgreens will grow in soil and soil-less media. However, there are crops that cannot be grown this way.
Harvesting
Harvesting microgreens is pretty simple. You need a pair of sharp scissors or a sharp kitchen knife that can cut as close to the growing media as possible. With some greens, you can just pull them out of the media and trim off the roots and seeds at the base. You should lay out the greens and pick out any remaining seeds and shake off any soil or other impurities.
If you’re not going to consume the microgreens right away, washing is not recommended. If watering is needed at all, do so just before serving them. Because they’re highly perishable, you don’t want to harvest more microgreens than you can sell in a given week. Start small while you build a client base. Should your supply outstretch demand, let the plants grow another couple of weeks, and try marketing them as baby greens.
