Charles Warner once said, “Lettuce is like conversation: it must be fresh and crisp, and so sparkling that you scarcely notice the bitter in it.” After our recent cold snaps, finding crisp, fresh and sparkling lettuce in your garden may be impossible. Unless you have a greenhouse or a hoop house system, you're probably relegated to buying your greens.
But you can grow your own greens indoors without an elaborate set up. Grow microgreens. These nutrient dense gourmet favorites are easy to grow. Plus, researchers have found microgreens contain up to 40 times higher levels of vital nutrients than their mature counterparts.
To set up your microgreen indoor garden, start with a specially blended microgreen mix, mesclun mix or a single crop such as sunflowers. You can purchase a microgreen growing system or use a left over clear, plastic salad container with drainage holes. Line the bottom of the container with a 2-inch deep layer of moistened seed starting mix. Sow your microgreens on top of the soil layer, gently pressing the seeds into the soil. Cover the seeds with a thin soil layer and mist. Cover with a clear plastic top and place in a sunny window with 4 hours of direct sun a day. Mist the soil daily. The seeds should germinate within a week. Remove the top once they germinate and keep the soil moist. Once the true leaves form (in about a week), harvest the microgreens snipping them at the soil line with a scissors. Consider staggering a few plantings of these containers so you always have some microgreens to eat.
And now for this week's tip: I know you meant to plant all those spring flowering bulbs, but oops! There's a bag in the closet you forgot. What to do now? Even though the weather is frightful, as long as the ground isn't frozen, plant those bulbs. They won't survive the winter indoors and if you mulch the soil well after planting, they may still flower in spring.
Next week on the Vermont Garden Journal, I'll be talking about picking out your holiday tree. Until then, I'll be seeing you in the garden.
Broadcast on Friday, November 28, 2014 at 5:57 p.m. and Sunday, November 30, 2014 at 9:35 a.m.
The Vermont Garden Journal with Charlie Nardozzi is made possible by Gardener's Supply, offering environmental solutions for gardens and landscapes. In Burlington, Williston and Gardeners.com
Resources:
How to Grow Microgreens
Growing Microgreens Indoors
Microgreens are Packed with Nutrients
