Red Garnet Amaranth and other

5 years ago

microgreens.. I have been growing a very large for me crop of microgreens to show a small online group how I go about it.

These are so tiny that I see them principally as decorations. Boy they are pretty though.

I hope everyone is warm and cozy. I had some inklings of spring. Then the temperature fell 40 degrees overnight. Plus an insanely windy day. Winter is back...

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sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)

5 years ago

No special lights needed. I use a cheap Ikea LED under counter light. Even a gooseneck desk light with a round LED bulb works. A sunny window is good.

-I have a big grow room downstairs but micros I like handy near the kitchen.

This is three 4x5 inch trays. 5x12 inch shelf space. One foot. My city friends without gardens started immediately during lock-down Spring 2020. Usually 5 small trays always in harvest with 15 trays total in rotation. Starting 5 new trays every 5-7 days.

Every dried seed, large or small, has an endosperm and a suitcase of food in its shell. Moisture wakes up the future plant. It has everything it needs for a week or so to thrive. 2-3 weeks most plants need supplemental food having spent their own supply.

Microgreens are consumed before that is necessary.

Those of us that garden, enjoy the fresh salad greens and herbs all winter...without much effort.

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Comments (12)

dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
I grow Red Garnet Amaranth in my garden.

Every spring, my garden is covered with beautiful micro greens (Reds) amaranth volunteers.

dcarch
agmss15
Original Author
5 years ago
I grew brilliant pink lambs quarters once. Still pops up in my garden along with many of it’s more prosaic green cousins.
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sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
5 years ago
24/7... 365days...always a stack of micros. On the back burner...😜
annie1992
5 years ago
Those are really pretty, agmss, and would sure liven up a salad. I've never seen pink lambsquarter either. I grew some amaranth in the garden last year, I thought it was the small salad type amaranth and it turned out to be about 6 feet tall, LOL. It was beautiful, though, Elery said he'd plant it as an ornamental because it was so striking.

I've been sorting seeds and making garden plans, a few more weeks and it's time to start my garden plants.

Annie
Islay Corbel
5 years ago
They are so appealing. I bet you can feel them doing you good on the way down!
bbstx
5 years ago
Could someone please explain micro greens to me and how they are used and why they are grown. Pretend I just landed from another planet and my English is nascent.
agmss15
Original Author
5 years ago
Microgreens generally are leafy greens grown very densely to a stage between sprouts and let’s say baby salad. They take between 9-30 days from seed.

Some like this amaranth are pretty tiny and are principally used like a garnish. Others are relatively large and can be a salad or vegetable serving on their own.

If you live in a frigid climate (like me) or an urban setting it is a way to grow fresh vegetables all the time in a relatively small area. I used to grow a fair amount of sprouts in the winter but I prefer the dark green of microgreens.

As far as uses - I tend to make a big mix which I can use as salad. I also add to say stir fries or soups. Sandwiches. I do usually keep a few varieties separate.

Fenugreek/methi - which has a very strong flavor and is used in Indian cooking. So far I made a potato dish. And then what is basically a samosa filling that I put in a yeast dough and baked not fried.

Pea shoots - partly because they are bigger. I like them uncooked but I mostly use them in stir fries solo.

Herbs - I have grown cilantro (photo) , basil and a few other herbs.

Hope that helps...
agmss15
Original Author
5 years ago
Occasionally I let them go too far and then pick them more as a baby salad leaves than harvesting a whole flat. I have been picking tiny crops from this flat every couple of days for weeks and will continue until I get impatient. It is much easier to just harvest whole flats.

Sorry for the sideways photos... They are upright on my phone.,
bbstx
5 years ago
@agmss15, Thanks for the explanation. I may have to give a small tray a try sometime!
sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
5 years ago
Well said agmss.

This comes up a couple times a year. The 'why'.

Important to note they are nutrient rich being dense plants. 7-10 days to the table from sowing seed for a fresh cut salad. With my garden under snow for some time now...no brainer for me. The flavor is intensely addictive.

Salad greens are non-climacteric. They start to loose their nutrients immediately after being cut. If you have ever had farm stand corn that was harvested that morning....so different than store bought who knows when it was picked. Those of us that garden know the difference from fresh picked or grocery.

I grow year round. Not only gorgeous but edible and healthy. (I do grow micro sunflowers to have fresh flowers all winter)...

Usually just seasonal gardeners understand the reason and process. BC, (before covid), I gifted to friends, family, co-workers. Like this pic on the right. Going way back a few years. Birthday gifting, house visits, dinner parties, etc. Holiday 2019...

Top is mixed micro radish probably 7-8 days. Rubber band holding newly seeded trays in a tight stack. The right pic is what I've been getting from friends, etc. via texting during covid. NYC apartment dwellers now growing at home. (actually that pic is from a couple years ago). Those that don't have yards and garden space. Sunny window or an LED desk lamp.

Fresh salad greens. Grown in my kitchen pantry. Cut daily. Herbs when I need them....coriander, parsley, basil...in about 4 square feet.

Most important is fresh. And a tenth of the cost of grocery salad coming from ?. Packaged where ?, then sent across the country...
bbstx
5 years ago
Sleeve, in your pantry? Do you use a grow light?