Little seeds and how to plant them ~ Microgreens and Salad Greens

Have you planted anything this spring?

Do you need any help?

I have been sharing on my Instagram stories tips and ideas for planting from seed this year. There is a ton of info out there, but really you don’t need to do anything fancy, just sunny windows and a little love.

Any container will do, but I have found it easy by using a bunch of these plastic lettuce containers.

Poke a few holes in the bottom for drainage.

Fill them up with wet soil (not dripping, just enough that it forms a ball and breaks apart). Lightly pat and level the soil with your hand.

              

Sprinkle seeds on top.  This is how many I used, but if doing microgreens add more.  Again, pat down the seeds lightly with your hand onto the damp soil, brushing off your hand over the container just in case you picked up a seed or two.

              

Put the lid back on and place it in a bright spot until you see some sprouting action.

When you see the greens starting to appear, remove the lid and place it underneath the container to catch any water that might drain. Put in a sunny window and keep watered with a spray bottle or use a watering can that has a little spout. You don’t want the soil to dry out. These were sown 4 days before.  They grow fast!

You could use them as microgreens by cutting off the tops with scissors.  This works great for salad greens, leafy vegetables, herbs and other greens. Also, sunflower, chia, mustard, broccoli, and cauliflower are good too. I’m sure there are more, and I think some companies sell seeds as a microgreen mix.

Harvest comes about 2-3 weeks after planting. They are good to add to sandwiches, soups and salads. It’s very expensive to buy microgreens in the store and they are so easy to grow.

If you want more mature plants, you can transplant them directly into your garden or other containers. (I’m sorry, I don’t have any pictures yet, but I will add some later when my plants are bigger and ready.)

Transplants should have 4 to 5 leaves and be about 3 inches tall.  They need a good root system before planting out and should not be planted in the garden until you are close to the last frost-free date for your area. Ours in PA is around Mother’s Day.

You can also plant them in containers if you don’t have a garden. Prepare your new container by using the same method above with the damp soil. Make sure there are plenty of drainage holes in the bottom.  Using a thin stick, I use a chopstick, make small holes in the soil to put the plants.  For varieties with only leaves, they can be placed closer together…maybe 3″ apart. For varieties with a heart, like romaine lettuce, you will need to leave more space in between each hole, about 8″. Gently pull out your plants using the chopstick, put each into the prepared container and press lightly around the plants.  Spray the plants with water lightly, and place in a bright location.

When planting in the garden, I do the same as with the containers, but directly into the ground. Check your seed packets to see how much sun they need.  After planting, I crunch egg shells around the plants to help keep the snails and slugs away. Lastly, I do a succession of planting so that I always have lettuce available in the warmer months.

Please feel free to message me if I missed something or if you have any questions. Thanks always!