Microgreens, sprouts and germinated seeds. In the spotlights: Garden Cress

Microgreens - the shoots of salad vegetables, picked soon after the first leaves have developed

Sprouts - young shoots of recently germinated seeds

Germinated seeds - sprouted seeds

There are some differences, but I put these all 3 in the category of microgreens - those small, aromatic, tasty greens that are packed with vitamins.

Sprouting radish seeds - already edible,
but can be kept to develop more

There are a few good reasons to grow microgreens and sprouts:

• It's easy. Even if you are not a gardener and have never tried growing anything, you are going to succeed even without any special equipment.
• Some of them require just a few days from starting until getting on your plate.
• Many sprouts and microgreens successfully grow even without soil - perfect solution for urban gardeners in small apartments.
• If growing a big plant takes time and often requires some basic knowledge of gardening to keep it alive and healthy, growing microgreens happens fast enough that you are not going to kill them if they get enough of water. You don't need fertilizers, you don't need to know when and how to replant them because they don't live that long to need it all.
• You can grow them in pots, in plates even in plastic containers that get into your home - they don't have to go directly to the trash, because you can use them for seed germination and growing microgreens.
• Microgreens are packed with vitamins and nutrients. They literally are vitamin bombs, because each seed contains everything a plant needs to grow and develop. This is the most nutrient-dense version of any plant.
• Delicious and fresh greens - yes, that's what the heart is longing for and body is thanking for after long winters!
• Oh, and they look good!

The best seeds for growing microgreens are: cress, beets, radish, coriander, basil, dill, carrots, spinach, cabbage, sunflower seeds, mizuna, mustard, kale, kohlrabi, celery, clover and others. It's also a great use for leftover seeds that simply won't have a place in your garden.

Arugula - Day 3 and Day 5

In the spotlights: Garden Cress

Day 1

Day 2

Garden cress (Lepidium sativum) sprouts are one of the first plants for indoor garden when the winter is still outside, but the spring already knocks on the door of your heart.

Growing these microgreens is fast and easy. Garden cress leaves are great source of Vitamin A and C, calcium, folate and iron. Basically, what can be better than adding some natural vitamins to your meals?

Growing Cress Sprouts indoors

Day 3

It truly doesn’t need much. You can even grow

them without soil. Just lay out in a dish, tray (or a plastic box that somehow managed to get into your home buying food, or even egg container can be a great place for cress sprouts) a few layers of paper towels or napkins.

Sprinkle the towels with water, lay the seeds on the towels (you can also cover the seeds with another (thin!) layer of napkin - it helps to keep warmth making seeds to germinate faster) and that’s it!

Day 5

Basically, you need just moist paper towels/napkins, water and seeds. For growing cress sprouts you can also set the seeds on a thin layer of soil and cover them with another thin layer of soil.

Cress seeds need water, so, you need to keep the soil or paper moist. The best option is lightly sprinkling it with water. Do not allow the seeds to dry out!In the right conditions the seeds will start sprouting already the next day. You can use the sprouts already about a week later (depending on the growing conditions). Cut them to add to your meals when microgreens have 2,5-5 cm long stems(1-2 inches).

If your home or windowsill is not warm enough, try to find a mini-greenhouse solution!

Here are a few ideas: 

To the left - mini greenhouse from the store, to the right - plastic cake box

Egg container

If you make indoor mini greenhouses, remember that your plants need to breathe and those "greenhouses"need ventilation to prevent mildew. Don't just leave your plants covered! 

If I use "greenhouses"  I usually open them during the day and place on a windowsill, and close (or leave open  depending on what and how is growing) and put closer to the source of heat (radiator). 

By the way, I found online this nice website dedicated to growing and using cress: http://cressinfo.com/

Sprinkle with cress sprouts potatoes, add them to your salads, soups and sandwiches, make pesto and wherever else the culinary imagination can take you!