Going Green
At the time of writing there has been somewhat of a surge of interest in healthy or “clean” eating and a few words and phrases have become very trendy, such as superfood, raw food, microgreens and sprouts. I’m going to look in more detail at sprouts and microgreens to see if they could be viable candidates for my growing system.
Sprouts
Sprouts are germinated seeds, with a stem that develops from the “germ” of the seed. The seeds are moistened or soaked first to bring them out of dormancy, and then drained and placed on a sprouting tray at room temperature for germination. During the sprouting process, the seeds should be rinsed 2-4 times a day to provide them with sufficient moisture and to prevent mould growth.
Within a few days, the sprouts will develop and can be harvested, ready for eating. Since sprouts are simply germinated seeds, they are rich in all the nutrients that are needed for a germinating plant to develop, including amino acids, phytochemicals and proteins. Sprouting can also reduce antinutrients (compounds that interfere with the absorption of nutrients) found in some raw seeds and legumes.
Despite their nutritional benefits, there are some health concerns related to sprouts. A number of outbreaks of harmful bacteria such as salmonella and E. coli have been connected with commercially grown sprouts. The moist, humid conditions required for germination are also, unfortunately, favourable for bacterial growth.
Sprouting requires no light and no added nutrients (everything that is needed for the seeds to sprout is naturally contained in the seed itself), so it can be done at home fairly simply without special equipment (no hyrdoponic growing system needed!).
A sprout stops being a sprout when it develops leaves. At which point it starts being a microgreen.
Microgreens
Microgreens are the edible young greens of various vegetables, herbs and flowers. They have a stem, cotyledon (“seed leaf”) and the first pair of true leaves. If left to mature further they will become “baby greens” or young greens and eventually the mature plant.
Used largely to add a visual and flavour accent to dishes, often in fine dining restaurants, due to their distinct and intense flavours and often vibrant colours, aromas, textures and interesting forms. Nutritionally, microgreens have higher concentrations of nutrients than their mature counterparts (by as much as 40x).
Hydroponically grown microgreens can be ready for harvest in 7-14 days. They are often grown using the Nutrient Film Technique (NFT), closely seeded on a matt-like growing medium.
Microgreens seem very interesting! They would be an interesting addition to salads and as a garnish for many dishes.
Leafy Greens, Salads and Herbs
Leafy greens, salad leaves and herbs are what I would typically buy on a daily basis for cooking and preparing salads, and the main trigger for me to embark on a mission to create my own indoor growing system.
Luckily, lots of others have already been growing leafy greens and herbs hydroponically indoors for many years, so there is plenty of information and resources available to help me on my way. Leafy-green plants seem to do well under indoor growing conditions, and there are a plethora of options available in terms of watering and nutrient delivery systems and lighting configurations.
Growing leaves, salads and herbs will give me the greatest flexibility in terms of system design and the most progress toward my aim of producing fresh and packaging free everyday greens. It may even be possible to add functionality which would allow microgreens to be grown from time to time!
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