How To Grow Sprouting Seeds
Sprouting Seeds enable you to have all year round availability of highly nutritious food that is 'sow' easy to grow. All you need is a jar, oh and some water. A fantastic accompaniment to growing microgreens/microleaves for a mini indoor garden...all year round!
Here's our guide to growing Sprouting Seeds:
Equipment for growing Sprouting Seeds:
- Wide mouth jars e.g. Ball Mason wide mouth (wide mouth is important as the sprouts need room to expand and air to circulate)
- Lid
- Sprouting Seeds
Culture
- Make sure that the jars are super clean and sterile
Lid options:
- Use screw top lid and simply drill or punch several holes in the lid – but not too large, the water needs to be able to drain, but not the seed!
- An alternative could be Muslin cloth secured with a rubber band around the neck of the jar
- Replacement lid with fine sieve built-in
Place seeds in the bottom of the jar and cover with water - Use water that is at room temperature…water that is either too hot or too cold can shock the seeds. Cold water can also slow the germination process
- Don't put too much seed in the jar, allow the seed sufficient room to expand…insufficient space will lead to mould issues as air cannot circulate sufficiently
- After the initial soak, the water needs to be emptied and filled back up with room temperature water
- Turn the jar upside down and let the water drain out, the seeds should be left damp and not swimming in water
- Rinse 2-3 times per day with room temperature water
- Continue the rinse cycle until harvest
Hulls may be removed but they are not harmful to eat, removal helps to minimise spoilage in storage.
Varieties of Sprouting Seeds:
Variety | Days to Sprout | Harvest Length | Character |
Alfalfa | 3-5 | 3-5cm | Nutty and mild |
Beetroot | 6-8 | 2-5cm | Earthy mild beetroot |
Broccoli | 5-7 | 3-5cm | Spicy |
Fenugreek | 3-5 | 3-5cm | Rich |
Onion | 12-14 | 2-5cm | Mild onion |
Radish | 2-5 | 1-3cm | Peppery and spicy |
Red Cabbage | 4-6 | 2-5cm | Mild cabbage |