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Tis the season for micro greens and sprouts. The weather outside is frightful freakin’ cold – the coldest on record in 25 years. Too cold to sprout seeds outdoors, even under cover, so I’ve brought the operation indoors.
A few years ago I gleefully ripped open my festively-wrapped automatic sprouter and started the winter tradition of growing fresh greens on my kitchen table in the less pleasant months. There are many seeds that benefit from spouting in this manner (hydroponically) like radish, alfalfa, lentil, clover, and many more. Sunflowers however, do much better when grown as micro-greens: seeds that are sprouted in soil and harvested as seedlings.
Indoor Gardening Project: Sunflower Micro Greens
Equipment:
- makeshift mini greenhouse
- organic black oil sunflower seeds
- clean potting soil
Directions:
No fancy equipment need for this high-brow salad trimming. I used a biodegradable plastic dome (make sure it’s food safe) from a pre-cooked organic chicken: a prefect soil tray and greenhouse. You could also use a milk jug cut in half, a cake tray, or whatever you can imagine that would create a mini greenhouse.
Add about an inch of clean, rich soil to the bottom tray, and spread sunflower seeds over the top. I generously cover the soil with seeds not letting any of them overlap. Cover those seeds with just enough soil to hold moisture on them and put in a warm place out of direct sunlight. The top of the fridge is a great place to sprout them. In 1-4 days when the seeds have sprouted, remove the dome and get them to a bright windowsill. Don’t bother using a grow light or worrying if the sun isn’t shining every day. Who cares if they are leggy?! You just get more yummy sprout to eat.
The micro greens are ready to harvest when the mighty seedlings push up the soil (which helps to knock off the black husks) and grow two fat seed leaves. Snip the seedlings at the base and wash in a salad spinner. The nutty flavour is a fresh treat in the colder months and it only takes about 7 days from seed to table.
A great winter project for those days when you want to eat a salad and imagine yourself in Hawaii.
This looks very interesting. I just happened to save a cover and base from a half a sheet cake that I knew would come in handy. Where do you get you sunflower seeds from? Is there a specific type? I have bird food, but I suspect that isn’t the correct type. It does look tasty.
Thanks,
Veggie PAK
Hi Veggie -
Use black sunflower seeds, organic, from a sprouts supplier like West Coast Seeds: http://www.westcoastseeds.com/product/Sprouting-Seeds/Sprouting-Seeds/
Don’t use bird seed.
Can I use sunflower seeds that I have saved from sunflowers this year (the original seeds were not organic)?
And the seeds are not black, they have white and black stripes.
I have so many of sunflower seeds, there will be enough for the birds and I could try sprouting some of the for me.
vrtlarica – I think you should absolutely use your own seeds! I used the striped ones a while back and they worked fine – not as nice flavour as the black ones though. I only say organic because I try not to eat the pesticides / damage the earth…but I figure once you have grown them without pesticides yourself – they are organic enough!
Mmm, yummy looking harvest and great sprout starter. I’m pretty sure that I can rig myself up something like that. The extra sunflower oil seeds can be used to feed the chickadees. Thanks for the inspiration.
Ottawa Gardener – I would personally NOT use commercial birdseed myself, but any other raw sunflower seeds in the shell should work just fine.
What a fabulous idea. Enjoy your snow while it lasts :)
Delicious. I love sprouts in salads and on sandwiches. Your roasted chicken greenhouse if very clever and the perfect size. Looks like I have another project to clutter my table with this winter.
When I buy a sandwich for my lunch I always get sprouts on it. I never do it at home. Time to try that because I do love them.
I have saved those biodegradable plastic domes from roasted chickens to use in the garden, I never thought to grow greens or sprouts in them. What a terrific idea. Thanks.
Last year I did a little sprouting, but I hope to do more this year. I really want to try peas though as the ones I’ve had while eating out are wonderful.
Daphne – pea micro greens are delicious. I’m doing them next.
yum – sounds great. I haven’t tried sunflower sprouts, but I’ve always made it a habit to sprout during these cold indoor months. Maybe it’s a need to play around with seed.
My aunt always grew sprouts on the window sill when I was little. Yummy!
Delicious. I love sprouts in salads and on sandwiches. Your roasted chicken greenhouse if very clever and the perfect size. Looks like I have another project to clutter my table with this winter.
This is such an awesome idea!
Just wanted to say there are other places who say you could use bird seed meant for wild birds. for example,
sorry, as I was saying, for example see http://www.hippocratesinst.org/faq . I think if it is meant for birds it probably hasn’t been treated with anything harmful. read the ingredients to be sure
Rebecca, if you feel comfortable eating seeds meant for birds, then go for it. I personally wouldn’t feel comfortable unless I can see where there were grown and processed. Standards for food safety for humans don’t apply to bird seed growing/harvesting/packaging/storing/etc, so I only grow sprouts from food packaged for humans. Just a personal preference. If you have done the research and are happy with your choice, then you have made the right decision for yourself!
That being said, I was contacted a while back about this issue and I gave my feedback via e-mail. We went back and forth a bit, but when I heard that the person wanting to use birdseed for sprouting was planning to sell the sprouts, I was quite surprised. As a customer, I would never want to buy anything that is not intended for humans, so it was a great reminder to check with vendors at farmers markets on where they purchase their supplies.
Thanks for the link you shared. Have fun sprouting!