Urban farming has been rising in popularity ever since the topic of sustainability and self-sufficiency became relevant to Singapore. With rooftop gardens blooming in malls, chefs growing their own indoor farms for their restaurants, it is no surprise that people are also creating their own mini gardens at home.
A great way to start is with microgreens, baby plants grown for consumption – the go-to choice for home farming due to its convenience and ease! Not only are they low-maintenance and easy-to-grow, growing microgreens is also a fun activity to do with your kids.
Before you begin, here is a quick rundown of how to grow your microgreens:
Choosing Microgreens to Grow
With the basics down, you may be confused over which microgreen to start with. Here are our six beginner-friendly, tasty microgreen suggestions for you to try.
1. Wheatgrass
Wheatgrass is a unique microgreen commonly grown to produce fresh juice. They contain Vitamin E and B which strengthens the immune system and prevents heart disease.
To harvest your wheatgrass, snip about 2cm above the soil. You can get between 2-3 additional harvests of wheatgrass from one batch of seeds, so don’t throw them away just yet!
2. Bok Choy
Bok Choy has a sweet flavour and is known for protecting cells from inflammation. Their seeds don’t need to be soaked; to harvest your Bak Choy microgreens, cut just above the potting medium.
3. Kale
Kale is another nutritious microgreen that provides a wealth of benefits such as reduced wrinkles and age spots, strengthened hair, and improved digestion. Plus, they only take 2-3 days to germinate!
4. Broccoli
If you are a fan of broccoli, you might want to try their microgreen counterparts. Beyond great taste, broccoli in their microgreen stage contains 10 times more sulforaphane than mature broccoli, a detoxifying compound that protects against certain cancers.
5. Spinach
Another classic microgreen is spinach, which are rich in lutein, a phytochemical that protects the eye’s retina from free radical damage. Germination rates are only 85-90%, so make sure you sprinkle a generous amount of seeds!
6. Carrot
If you already had a touch with growing microgreens and want to take it to the next level, try growing carrot microgreens. They are a high source of antioxidants, carotenoids and Vitamin A. However, they take 21-25 days to harvest, so you will need some patience!
Start Your Microgreen Journey
So you must be wondering – “Where do I even get microgreen seeds?” While there are various places to purchase your seeds, we recommend heading over to everythinggreen.sg to get everything you need. They have a wide range of seeds, as well as starter kits and accessories to help you in your microgreen journey. Enjoy!
