Are you looking to add some nutritional flair to a salad, sandwich or a culinary dish?

Microgreens have been used in upscale restaurants for the past few years and they are now making their way to the family dinner table.

Microgreens are micro sized greens eaten as young seedlings before the first true leaves develop. In simple terms they are regular types of vegetables and herbs that are harvested at the seedling stage.

There are many vegetables and herbs that can be used as microgreens. Salad mixes, mesclun, radish, cabbage, broccoli, kohlrabi, beet, dill, cress, arugula, cress, etc are some of the more popular microgreens. The ‘Thompson & Morgan’ seed company has come up with a line of organic microgreen seeds, that work well and taste good. Look for them in the seed displays along with the ‘sprouting seeds’.

Microgreens are easy to grow and do not require a lot of space or time. On average they can be ready in 6-10 days. They can be grown indoors on the window sill over the winter months, and in the summer you can grow them outdoors. They do not have a lot of requirements.

If you are growing them indoors you will need a shallow container (5cm) and a growing medium such as moistened potting soil, starter mix or vermiculite. Fill the container with the moistened growing medium and then sprinkle the seeds over the soil. Seeds should be spaced 2-3 mm apart. After seeds are sown they are covered with a thin layer of growing medium and then cover the container with a plastic dome.

Place the container in a warm window sill where they will receive lots of light. Keep the soil moistened and when the seeds begin to sprout remove the dome. Greens are ready to harvest when the plants are 3-5 cm tall and the second set of leaves (true leaves) begin to develop. (The first set of leaves are the seed leaves and the second set are the true leaves.)

Harvest greens with a pair of scissors and clip the stems just above the soils surface. Clip the young greens and eat them fresh. Use them as a garnish or add them to a sandwich or salad.

Under normal growing conditions microgreens will remain fresh and healthy for 3-4 days before they go on to the next stage..

If you are growing them outdoors you can leave a few of the seedlings in the garden to further develop into baby greens or fully develop into mature plants. Microgreens can only be harvested once. This is because they are snipped to ground level below the seed leaves and will not regrow.

After all the microgreens have been harvested the remaining stem and roots are removed and the growing medium can be reused again for a second seeding. By sowing seeds every 5-7 days you will be able to enjoy microgreens continuously.

Enjoy eating fresh home grown produce from your very own windowsill and impress your friends at your next dinner party. Microgreens are not always found at the grocery store, and when they are they are expensive. By growing your own you are saving money and are guaranteed to have fresh produce. These trendy, tiny, tender, tasty greens are an attractive, and nutritional addition to many of your meals.