Microgeens are the very young, newly sprouted stage of many common vegetables. Most micros are harvested at the cotyledon stage, before the first true leaves appear. Anything that grows can be a microgreen but some plants do better than others. At Uphill Farm we grow pea, radish, sunflower and a salad greens mix. Each has their own characteristics. We also are always experimenting with new plant varieties; beet, buckwheat, chard, and basil are greens that we have grown in limited quantities.
Microgreens start with a dense seed planting in a standard 10×20 plant tray filled with a mix of natural peat, vermiculite, and perlite, with a touch of powdered limestone, about a 1.8 to 8 ounces of seed per tray depending on the variety. They are kept in total darkness for a few days after germination, this makes them “stretch”, which is just the opposite of what we want to have happen when growing plants for transplant, we want transplants in the light as soon as they germinate. When the micros are removed from darkness, they are pale white, but green up in a matter of hours once exposed to light.
Once in the light, the plants are watered once a day. They get no fertilizer of any kind, since the seed holds all the food they need for this stage of their life. After 10-14 days from seeding, micros are ready to harvest.
Microgreens are much more than a garnish: they add beneficial nutrients and antioxidants to your diet. Microgreens are very versatile and each variety has flavor all their own. They’re great on a salad, in a sandwich, on soup, in your taco, in your eggs, or with fish or meat.
Microgreen Types at Uphill Farm
Pea shoots are great on their own as a mini-salad or as addition to whatever you can think of. Raw or very lightly braised they are a real treat with a mild flavor reminiscent of … well, peas.
Radish micros have a bit of a tangy taste, like a radish. They give an added flavor dimension to whatever you add them to.
We have two types of salad mix, a spicy one and a basic greens mix. We call these “salad mix” because it is the same mixes that we use for our summer greens mix. Each one is unique.