Autumn and winter are upon us, but that does not mean you cannot grow a lot of greens in the greenhouse. In addition to a lot of different greens and mushrooms, you can also grow your own microgreens in the greenhouse, as long as the weather permits maintaining 10 degrees in the greenhouse. Otherwise, you can prepare to grow microgreens in the spring.

Spice up your dishes with microgreens

Perhaps you have tried growing cress on cotton wool at home? If you- or your children, have fun growing cress at home on the windowsill, then microgreens are fun for you as well. It is exactly the same concept, but instead of using cotton wool, you can grow your microgreens in a more sustainable growth medium in the form of the less water-demanding and unbleached hemp material, produced in Denmark. And besides cress, you can also grow a whole lot of different types of seeds, such as red radish, broccoli, fenugreek, or sunflower, just to name a few.

Microgreens can therefore have many different flavours, smells, and colours, which can spice up your sandwich, salat or soup. Try to imagine how freshly harvested sprouts of sunflower and radish can brighten up a grey autumn day when you long for spring, the new greenhouse season and growing your own greens again.

To grow your own microgreens, you need the following:

• A container to grow your greens in, for example a recycled milk carton, a saucer, or a plate.
• Seeds approved for growing microgreens
• A growth medium, for example hemp fibres
• Possibly clay soil or pebbles
• A pair of scissors

Upcycling a container, you already have

In the guide, we urge you to find a container you already own, because we want to encourage the recycling of resources. Rather than growing microgreens in a newly produced special ‘’microgreen container’’, we think it makes much more sense to upcycle, for example using an old milk carton or using something you already have, such as a saucer that otherwise just sits around collecting dust.

This is what you do:

1. Find a container in which to grow your microgreens. It can be anything from a saucer, a milk carton cut in half, a lid or something completely different.
2. Adjust your growth medium to suit your chosen container. If you choose to use hemp fibres, make sure you have an amount, that can form a layer of approximately 1 cm in your container.
3. First, you must spread your clay soil in the bottom of your container and then lay your hemp fibres, or another growth medium, on top. The clay soil is not a necessity, but it ensures a good oxygen flow to the roots of the sprouts, which creates a better result.
4. Add water to the container until the growth medium is just about covered. The growth medium must be completely soaked; however, the water must not exceed the growth medium. Distribute the seeds evenly on top of your growth medium in the container. They can lie close together but must not lie in layers on top of each other. NOTE: seeds such as peas, sunflowers or lentils must be soaked overnight and rinsed with clean water before seeding – see information on the seed packaging.
5. Place the container in a bright spot in the greenhouse – it must be at least 10 degrees for your microgreens to sprout. When growing microgreens in warmer temperatures, avoid placing the container in the direct sunlight.
6. Check on your sprouts every day, and make sure the growing medium is always moist. Add more water approximately every two or three days. Tip: if you are away for a few days, put your microgreens in the fridge. In this way, the germination is paused without the seeds drying out.
7. When your sprouts have grown to a suitable size and have developed their first set of leaves, you can harvest them by cutting them off 1.5-2 cm above the seed (slightly different from species to species). The time to harvest depends on the type of microgreens you grow, as well as the temperature in which they are grown. With autumn and winter temperatures in the greenhouse, you can expect the development time to be up to a week longer than it says on the package of the seeds.
8. When you have harvested all your sprouts, remove the clay soil from the growing medium. The hemp fibres can be composted, and then later on improve the quality of the soil in your greenhouse. Use the clay soil again as a new drain under your next sprouts or at the bottom of a pot in the greenhouse.
9. Enjoy your microgreens on almost every dish! Microgreens are super healthy and taste delicious.

This guide has been developed in collaboration with the company Nabo Farm.