The harvest from a normal 22cm x 38cm seedtray planted with 15g of Red Lentil seeds on 22/12/2020 (date quoted previously was too early) on 6/1/2021 (ie 15 days or 2 weeks) was 48g.
Observations:
1 - Height is approx 100-150mm. If it is close together it does not flop.
2 - It would have been nice to have a bit more weight, though this is several nice portions of a side salad salad, or perhaps a bowl of soup for one.
3 - The seed tray shows that perhaps more dense sowing is possible, or that germination rate may be low. Need to reflect on that.
Learnings (with apologies to Borat):
4 - I'll try planting the seed on the surface of the compost, uncovered. The latest set of crops I planted have actually bodily lifted parts of the compost sprinkled the top layer of compost - that may suggest it was not sprayed enough in the first few days and formed a crust.
5 - Recipe. For lunch - lunch tongue open sandwich and pungent cheese on toast, both with a red lentil garnish. Might be nice to try with White Stilton on wholemeal bread.
“Rivers know this ... we will get there in the end.”
I don't have the fancy lights, but there is an orange lit lamp post just outside. May do the trick. I'll start with some cress. Oh yes! Once cut, do they come away again or do you pull them up by the roots?
TBH I think you may be better off on the traditional kitchen windowsill, rather than in a cold greenhouse - at least until after the frosts. Needs a modicum of heat as well as light.
Whether they come again depends on the crop and how you cut it. You need to look up each one, or it may say on the packet.
When I have done with something, the whole contents of the seed tray go in the compost bin.
“Rivers know this ... we will get there in the end.”
100g from half a seed tray. Planted 28/12 so it is on day 14-15. Something is working
Learnings
1 - I think this has done better due to more consistent attention, plus heat from below. 2 - There is a shorter lengthways Section down the middle where there was a little less light.
“Rivers know this ... we will get there in the end.”
I've now had such a glut of microgreens that I have had to get a real smoothie / soup maker, as there are too many to use in garnishes and side salads.
In seed trays without too much compost under close lights it really is necessary to mist the greens every day, and check the water every day, and water from below if necessary.
Otherwise they can flop very, very quickly. Though caught the next day they can recover equally quickly.
Flowerpots on windowsills for eg herbs will be more resilient to neglect.
There are a few things that need thinking about when doing a number of microgreens:
1 - Matching slow growing greens in seed trays - eg chives and sweet basil are both slow growers. 2 - Difference greens lit at different heights. 3 - Should these be treated as "cut and come again?"
“Rivers know this ... we will get there in the end.”
when a seed can produce a whole plant, which can often be " cut and come again" it seems very wasteful, and expensive, to me to let it only produce a pair of leaves or so before eating it. Just a thought
Yes - I have some sympathy with that. But would you be without mustard and cress to seed on your student house-sharers bathmat?
I've never had mustard and cress. " Something and nothing " springs to mind. To each his own, but it seems a very expensive exercise in terms of seed, equipment and running costs.
Yes - I have some sympathy with that. But would you be without mustard and cress to seed on your student house-sharers bathmat?
I've never had mustard and cress. " Something and nothing " springs to mind. To each his own, but it seems a very expensive exercise in terms of seed, equipment and running costs.
I don't know yet.
But looking at the price of some salad stuff in supermarkets, it may add up if I need it to. When I ran the numbers it would all pay back in 18 months or so, compared to the supermarket price of the microgreens I can get.
Potentially it is £300-£500 worth per annum from about three or four bookshelves of space, plus a 12 month season and a lot of stuff that cannot be obtained easily. And all those extra concentrated nutrients.
Plus it is all completely fresh.
And I get a seedling hatchery as part of the deal.
I cut my hair all over with the trimmer this morning, and now I look like a teasel. I wonder if that is the fault of all these greens.
I guess that sprouts are even worse in terms of yield per seed .
“Rivers know this ... we will get there in the end.”
Posts
The harvest from a normal 22cm x 38cm seedtray planted with 15g of Red Lentil seeds on 22/12/2020 (date quoted previously was too early) on 6/1/2021 (ie 15 days or 2 weeks) was 48g.
Observations:
1 - Height is approx 100-150mm. If it is close together it does not flop.
2 - It would have been nice to have a bit more weight, though this is several nice portions of a side salad salad, or perhaps a bowl of soup for one.
3 - The seed tray shows that perhaps more dense sowing is possible, or that germination rate may be low. Need to reflect on that.
Learnings (with apologies to Borat):
4 - I'll try planting the seed on the surface of the compost, uncovered. The latest set of crops I planted have actually bodily lifted parts of the compost sprinkled the top layer of compost - that may suggest it was not sprayed enough in the first few days and formed a crust.
5 - Recipe. For lunch - lunch tongue open sandwich and pungent cheese on toast, both with a red lentil garnish. Might be nice to try with White Stilton on wholemeal bread.
Whether they come again depends on the crop and how you cut it. You need to look up each one, or it may say on the packet.
When I have done with something, the whole contents of the seed tray go in the compost bin.
These are three trays that were started on December 28th. From left to right, Red Kale, Radish Vulcano and White Mustard. Looking quite good.
100g from half a seed tray. Planted 28/12 so it is on day 14-15. Something is working
Learnings
1 - I think this has done better due to more consistent attention, plus heat from below.
2 - There is a shorter lengthways Section down the middle where there was a little less light.
I've now had such a glut of microgreens that I have had to get a real smoothie / soup maker, as there are too many to use in garnishes and side salads.
In seed trays without too much compost under close lights it really is necessary to mist the greens every day, and check the water every day, and water from below if necessary.
Otherwise they can flop very, very quickly. Though caught the next day they can recover equally quickly.
Flowerpots on windowsills for eg herbs will be more resilient to neglect.
There are a few things that need thinking about when doing a number of microgreens:
1 - Matching slow growing greens in seed trays - eg chives and sweet basil are both slow growers.
2 - Difference greens lit at different heights.
3 - Should these be treated as "cut and come again?"
Just a thought
Yes - I have some sympathy with that. But would you be without mustard and cress to seed on your student house-sharers’ bathmat?
I have left my Red Lentils, and one of the two trays (the lower density planting one) has indeed come again - at somewhat less density.
Of the two end trays here, the well regrown one is the 10g sewing, the other is the 15g sewing.
There may also be something to learn about cutting level.
Incidentally my lane this am.
To each his own, but it seems a very expensive exercise in terms of seed, equipment and running costs.
But looking at the price of some salad stuff in supermarkets, it may add up if I need it to. When I ran the numbers it would all pay back in 18 months or so, compared to the supermarket price of the microgreens I can get.
Potentially it is £300-£500 worth per annum from about three or four bookshelves of space, plus a 12 month season and a lot of stuff that cannot be obtained easily. And all those extra concentrated nutrients.
Plus it is all completely fresh.
And I get a seedling hatchery as part of the deal.
I cut my hair all over with the trimmer this morning, and now I look like a teasel. I wonder if that is the fault of all these greens.
I guess that sprouts are even worse in terms of yield per seed