Are Microgreens Sprouts?
 
Sprout are when the seed starts to germinate or break out of its shell.

Growth timeline - Eat in 3-4 days

Plant spacing - There is no rule for spacing these out. Just place all the seeds you want into a jar and then start your cycles.

Growth cycle - Soak 6-8 hrs before starting the fill drain technique. Sprouts are eaten on around day 4.

Water consumption - Add 1 cup of water to jar or container, light shake, and drain 2-3 times a day (8 cups of water used).

Size - Close to 1" in height. 

There are great benefits to sprouts, but also some concerns with Ecoli within the seed shells for pregnant people. 



What are Microgreens? 

Microgreens -Microgreens are plants that are grown up to the point of the first true leaf.
 
Growth timeline - Eaten in 6-14 days on average, but up to 30 days for herbs

Plant spacing - There is also no rule to this except its best to leave a little space between the seeds for airflow and to reduce the risks of mould growth. Just like sprouts, Microgreen seeds are planted very close to one another.

Growth cycle - Its best to soak larger seeds for a period of time 6-8 hours before placing the seeds on the medium you choose. The seeds will germinate, yellow leaves (introduce to light), green leaves (first leaf), True leaf, harvest.

Ways to grow - There are many ways to grow microgreens from soils to hydroponics to aeroponics. Let me know your best way to grow. There is great benefits to each way.
Soil - We like the soil way as its very simple and doesn't require a lot of your time. It will take 3 cups of water via our kits (day 1,6,8). Soil is nice as it holds water nicely and does contain some nutrients for the little plants. 
Hydroponics - This is a great way to grow microgreens if your taking your business to the next level. Biggest benefit is less cleaning of the product at harvest and for starting the next cycle.
Aeroponics - This method works well and is more for the commercial grower as the materials to get started can be quite costly. 

Adding Nutrients - Some soils have micronutrients which will help the microgreens grow. I wouldn't get to picky on this as the seeds will have all the nutrients needed to get the microgreen to your table. There is a small difference between soils used. Coco coir has zero nutrients but a good ph, The root system will be big if growing on this medium. The reason for this is the roots are trying to find extra nutrients  to help with growth so its spending energy in the root system rather than the growth of the plant. Soils with micronutrients we have noticed that the root system is smaller and the microgreen looks richer. Let us know how hydroponics goes.
Please if your using a micronutrient fertilizer make sure you trust the supplier as sometimes they aren't completely truthful in there organic ingredients. Some ingredients will be organic but not all of it. 

Water Consumption - The Microgreens in our kits will consume around 3-4 cups before harvest. Some deveation dependant on the seed growing.

Size - Microgreens herbs will be short 0.5-1" tall where as some will get up to 3-4" tall. We suggest harvesting at a 2" height for the taller microgreens (peas usually get stringy and sunflowers usually give a squeaky teeth feeling if grown longer.

Microgreen Nutrients - Microgreens are rich in all sorts of Vitamins, minerals, and antioxidents. A study was done by MarryLand University and a few other locations and the study said that microgreens are anywhere from 4-40 times more nutrient rich then the mature plant itself. Ill reference a few websites that have shared there findings

Flavour - Microgreens have a very distinct taste either with a milder or more explosive aromatic flavour then the mature plant.



When and where can I grow Microgreens?

When can I grow Microgreens - Microgreens can be started any day of the year 365 days a year. 

Where can I grow Microgreens - These little plants just need a 4"x9" space to grow and can produce a lbs of microgreens in 10 days. All that is required is a little lights and these little microgreens can grow anywhere as long as following the directions for growing them.

 
How many seeds do I Plant?

Our kits have been measured out to our kits so it really depends on the size of the seed. Peas (30g about 100 seeds) will be less than basil (1g about 500 seeds). Each seed will produce a different final weight of Microgreen's.



What do Microgreen's taste like?

These little plants all have a very distinct  taste t to them. Micro radishes have a nice spice to them, Micro peas taste like a pod of peas, Micro sunflowers taste like sunflowers seeds,Micro  broccoli  and kale have a mild taste, herbs taste like the mature plants, and a lot of the salads have some bitter, sweet, tangy flavours. There are spicy, bitter, sweet, earthy flavours and crunchy texture.



Can Microgreen's help with my illness?

Most Microgreen's are organic and non-GMO (natures gift). Im not a doctor and cant claim to fix anyone as we are all very different individuals. Researchers are finding new discoveries about the benefits of Microgreen's, what inside of them and how it can help boost our bodies. I'll keep updating this research and suggest helpful ideas. I'll also make a section below that describes what vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants do to help our bodies (2024 more in depth topic).