Winter in Downeast Maine can be cold, grey, and usually, not a time to be sowing seeds; however, you can still have a winter garden experience with microgreens. They are seeds of many commonly grown plants that are harvested as soon as they develop their first real leaves. They started being used in the 1980s in some ‘trendy’ restaurants on the west coast. Nutritionists know that they are a powerhouse of nutrition, and there are lots of good reasons to grow them yourself.

Microgreens

 

  • They are ready to harvest in about 10 days
  • They are full of nutrients up to 10x as many of some nutrients in full grown plants.
  • They taste and look delicious in salads, sandwiches and other foods.
  • A chance to experience the joy of gardening – even if it’s snowing.

 

Close up of Microgreens

Buckwheat Microgreens” by Home For The Harvest is licensed under CC BY 2.0

 

All you’ll need are some seeds (we have some we can send you to get you started), some small containers, soil, and a sunny spot in your house to grow.  If you have any grow lights, that will help immensely because it’s difficult to get a lot of sun in the house at this time of year, and microgreens like at least 4 hours of bright light each day. It’s still worth a try, even if you can’t guarantee that much light: they might be more “leggy” but you’ll still get something to harvest.

I’m including some links for how to grow microgreens. You’ll see some ideas for containers that you probably have around the house. You can buy microgreen seeds from many garden seed suppliers. If you’d like some to try, we have some seeds to share. Request them below!

 

 

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