Grow Greens Simply-Salad Microgreens in a Repurposed Cake Carrier.
4 Materials
$3
30 Minutes
Easy
Microgreens can be grown in as little as a half in of soil. This cake carrier tray is 3/8 to a 1/2 inch deep.Microgreens are fairly easy to grow and can be grown year round inside. Many of the seedlings reach harvest time in as little as 7 to 10 days. Pea and sunflower shoots ( not sprouts) take a few days longer.
For this post an inexpensive cake carrier will be used. Items needed for this post are: a cake carrier of course. ( Though following the instructions you can use any shallow container). 12 to 18 ounces dry weight potting soil. A mix of seed or single seed variety. ( I will use radish seed in this demo).A container to mix the soil and water before adding it to the tray.
It would be costly to use supermarket seed packs for this. Inexpensive seed can be found on Amazon or seed suppler. Certainly more than needed for one planting but a best buy overall.
Once you have everything you need it is time to mix the water with the soil and add it to the tray. Then lightly press the soil to fill the base evenly. When the tray is ready the seed can be sprinkled on the potting soil. I used 1 and 1/3 tablespoon of radish seed for this one. With other small seed and seed combinations 1 table spoon is enough.
After you have applied the seed pat it down lightly to be certain that it has good contact with the soil. Place the cover over the base.Then it is time to cover the carrier with a black out cloth or other to keep the light out for the next three or four days. Seed germinates best in the dark.
After three or four days the seed will have germinated. At 4 to 5 days you should see this.The yellowish color is good it has been under cover with little to no light. It is now time to expose the seedlings to the light.
By day seven it will be time to harvest some or all of the greens. It is not necessary to harvest all the greens at one time harvest what you want and keep the rest watered and they will be good for several more days. For more detail please check out my website.
Radish greens are not bitter. They are what sold me on the microgreens. You can grow these yourself in 7 to 10 days as with many of the varieties, and at a lower cost than if someone grows them for you.
Resources for this project:
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Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Comments
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3 of 4 comments
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Loved the micro greens. I am going to start it tomorrow and see what happens. Thank you for the idea. I will be able to use this all winter long.
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Great idea! Thanks for sharing!
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Thank you!
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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
When you say expose to the light, do you mean any special lighting? I have an LED light therapy lamp, would that work?
This is a great idea! Do you leave the lid on it the whole time? Or do you remove it after it’s exposed to light?