Can I Grow My Own...

[being]

you know those 1lb. plastic tubs of mixed baby salad greens, Earthbound Organics (or something) ---

Has anyone successfully grown their own continuous supply of a microgreen mix like that? Without a garden? I have a south/west exposure deck that I could put planters on, and a porch too.

I would really like to grow my own baby greens, as I eat so SO many of them it would be way more economical as well as save all those plastic tubs.

I'm not big on sprouts, but I do love the microgreens :D

I don't have any green digits at all, so I'm at a loss as to where to begin, or if it is even feasible to grow a steady supply without a mini-farm :p

Thanks.

** I just did a search and found mainly sprouting tips. It seems a tray with a layer of soil, and then seeds, and keep it moist.. does this work for baby lettuces and such though?
And do you think I would have to sow new seeds every 2 days or so to keep up a steady supply? Because at 1/2 lb or more of those baby greens per day, well, that is A LOT!!! ***

[Lay-Lay]

go for you can do it. I just did me a raised garden and I am making another one for lettuce. Lots of fun and yummy, yummy, yummy!

[Veganforlife]

Maraw's magazine "Purely Delicious" has a good article about container gardening.
www.purelydelicious.net

[Morn]

Being, Being, Being - I have been thinking about you a lot over the last few weeks and wondered if you were still here cause I hadn't seen you lately. I am so glad you are still here! Hope everything is well with you!

Don't know about your topic at hand - just wanted to say HI!

[Veganforlife]

I re-read my article from Purely Delicious and she does talk about baby greens and all.

[being]

Thanks for the heads up on the article VeganForLife. I went to her website, but tis all just for subscriptions/ordering. A bit of a luxury for me I'm afeared... I figure I can find something online though.

When I read that when greens are cut they lose up to 50% of their vitals in the first 6 hours (mind you there were no references to back this up) I thought it would be WAY better to grow and harvest my own.

I buy so many of those Earthbound Organic 1lb tubs of greens because I love them when there are mini - soft, mild, juicy.. mmmm :) But they must have been harvested at least a week before they make all the way up to me and into my mouth...

Anyways, thanks for your idea :D

Morn: HI! I saw your signature, wow you are RAWKIN' :eek: So awesome. I am so happy that you are doing so well!

[Veganforlife]

being - check your local HFS and see if they have any copies - this month (first issue) it's free!

[laurabfig]

being - check your local HFS and see if they have any copies - this month (first issue) it's free!

i know this is off-topic, but I have to ask b/c i've seen it everywhere: what the fruit does HFS mean? :)

(i have no green digits either and cannot give ANY advice about the growing your own greens original question!)

[Veganforlife]

Health Food Store

[laurabfig]

I FINALLY realized this when reading another post that said a "hole in the wall" little HFS...and it just clicked with me. (I'm so embarrased it took me this long to figure it out!) :o

[JGex]

Lettuce is a fairly easy to grow crop. If you start with a container or a raised bed, you use an organic packaged soil mix to cut out having any weeds in the container. You can do the same thing if you use weed block cloth.

Lettuces bolt (go to seed) quickly in really hot climates. I chose a semi-shady place for my bed and kept them cut back often to prevent bolting. Also, lettuce can be re-seeded... depending on where you are located, and how much space you have, a good way to plant is to sow one bed area and then sow another a couple of weeks later. If you are working in a raised bed, you may have a problem with cut worms. Kill them when you see them - best time is early am.

:D

[mattsonfamily]

I raise microgreens like cabbage, arugula, buckwheat lettuce, sunflower greens, pea shoots etc. in flats on shelving on my front porch. In a couple of months I will bring the shelving inside to a sunny window to keep out of the desert heat. I use a growing technique from wheatgrasskits.com and order most of my seeds from our co-op, sproutpeople and wheatmontana.com. In addition, I have a areogarden (hydroponic) in my kitchen on the counter with salad greens and a huge (1/2 acre) garden growing outback. The flats that I grow are really great - fresh greens continually. Great for smoothies.

If you have anyquestion or I can help you get started - feel free to email me.

Sprouts - Microgreens - Gardening are some of the things I love the most. :)

Mindi

[Stina]

great info, you guys. I'm ready to get going with some projects.