Microgreens- A quickest food crop urban gardeners can grow!

Precisely, just our regular sprouts that are grown a little taller around 2-3 inches with tiny leaves.

Simply put, they are baby greens

The difference is, Sprouts are newly germinated seeds that are harvested just as the seed begins to grow thus having a much shorter growing cycle of 2–5 days, whereas, Microgreens grow from the same sprouts but they have leaves. 

When the cotyledon leaves (embryonic leaves) that is the first true leaves have emerged, the plant becomes a microgreen, they are harvested at 10–20 days of growth (depending on the seeds and the growth medium/bed as soil grows them quicker than other mediums).

Microgreens are very convenient to grow, as they can be grown in any given location. The reason I tried growing them was because of the pandemic, as there was no free access to buy fresh fruits & vegetables, forget getting fresh greens. 

Also, most of our urban apartment lives has paved the way to balcony gardening, I went a furthermore and planted the available mustard and methi seeds using a no soil method i.e. used layered cotton cloth as a bed to grow them (also tried Tissue paper but that didn’t work out for me, as it developed molds). But this doesn’t need any extra space or soil for that matter; considering these Microgreens can be grown anywhere given with a little optimized condition.

My beautifully grown Mustard Microgreens 

Microgreens Are Nutritious!

When discussed with my colleague Dr Karthikeyan, who’s working on microgreens, he said: “They may be micro but their impact is on a macro scale!” So definitely we can consume microgreens just like sprouts as it’s the next growth stage of sprouts.

Despite their small size, they pack a nutritional punch, often containing higher nutrient levels than our regular greens. Their nutrient content is concentrated, which means that they often contain higher vitamins and minerals.

(Xiao Z et al., Assessment of vitamin and carotenoid concentrations of emerging food products: edible microgreens, J Agric Food Chem, 2012; 60 (31):7644-51).

What’s more, research also shows that they contain a wider variety of polyphenols and other antioxidants than their mature counterparts. For instance, one study compared nutrient levels in sprouts, microgreens and fully grown amaranth greens. It was noted that the fully-grown greens often contained as much, if not more, nutrients than the microgreens. Therefore, although microgreens generally appear to contain higher nutrient levels than mature plants, this may vary based on the species at hand and growing method.

Thanks to the high amounts of vitamins, minerals and beneficial plant compounds they contain, similar and often greater amounts of these nutrients than mature greens. As such, they may similarly reduce the risk of many ailments.

Is Eating Them Risky?

Eating microgreens are generally considered safe.

But there is a slight risk of food poisoning, though the potential for molds is much smaller in microgreens than in sprouts, if, exposed to sunlight properly at the right time, molds can be avoided.

Also It’s not necessary to consume them every day. As they say, it's good to consume greens on alternate days due to the high protein content it contains, the same applies for microgreens as well.

How to Grow them..??

Microgreens are easy and convenient to grow, as they don’t require much space or time. They can be grown year-round, both indoors or outdoors. Microgreens require slightly less warm and humid conditions than sprouts do. The most common growing mediums used are water, peat, vermiculite, cotton/ paper.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Seeds of your choice. (good to start with what seeds you find in your kitchen- methi seeds, mustard seeds)
• A good growing medium, a flat tray (of 3 to 4 inches tall) filled with potting soil or homemade compost or coconut peat or just layers of cotton cloth/ tissue paper which just works fine as well.
• Proper lighting — ideally for 12–16 hours per day. 

Notes:                                                                                     

• If you use soil- make sure you don’t over-compress it, spray water well.
• If you go by the cloth as a growth medium- just use 4-5 layers of cotton cloths that are slightly wet.
• Sprinkle the seed of your choice on top of as evenly as possible.
• Lightly mist your seeds with water and cover your tray with a damp cotton cloth.
• Check on your tray daily and mist water as needed to keep the seeds moist.
• After the seeds have germinated, you may remove the cotton cloth to expose them to light (indirect sunlight or in a well-lit area for 12-16 hours/ day)
• Mist water twice a day.
• After 14-20 days, your microgreens should be ready to harvest.

 

How to Include Microgreens in Your Diet

They can be incorporated into a variety of our dishes including roti’s/ paratha’s, dal/ sambar, kootu, veggie stir fry/ poriyal, chutney, batter and salads.

Microgreen varieties:

Mustard seeds, Methi/ fenugreek seeds, flax seeds/ watercress, fennel, coriander seeds, ajwain, chia, melon seeds, cucumber and any grain, pulse, legumes that sprouts (green gram, ragi, chanas, wheat, barley, millets).

Any greens variety can be used from Amaranth (mulai keerai) to spinach, the seeds should be available in nurseries.

The crux of the matter

Given that they're easy to grow at home, it’s a cost-effective way to boost nutrient intake without having to purchase large quantities of vegetables “esp in such current pandemic”. That being said consume it little on a daily basis or on alternative days. 

Sustainability

There is a growing interest in sustainability, and microgreens could be a good way to provide city-dwelling families’ fresh greens at a low cost.

Finishing, it’s a good homestead vegetable production option to enhance food and nutrition security in the urban continuum.