Microgreens Podcast

There are so many light options for growing microgreens you can drive yourself crazy trying to choose the best one.In this episode of the Microgreens Podcast, I'll tell you that there is no best one light. Choosing a light depends on what you attend to grow, your budget, and how you want to mount them above your microgreens.Click this link for more show notes and links to the recommended lights in the podcast. For most people, LED shop lights with a Kelvin (K) rating above 5,000 will be more than enough light. These lights are easy to set up with very little hassle and grow microgreens just fine. On the other hand, LED grow lights take more trial and error, and there are other factors that you need to consider, such as the mounting height above the trays and what you plan on putting above the lights if anything. In most cases, LED grow lights must be hung from the ceiling, not on a shelf. While LED shop lights produce little heat and are used in a rack system with no trouble. Support the show

Are microgreens the same as sprouts?  If not, what are the differences? These are common questions, and we will provide you with our answers.  In this podcast, we dive into this question and give our interpretation of what a microgreen is. Click here to visit the show notes and see the bonus we have provided for those that listen soon after this podcast is published. You can visit any of our previous podcast show notes pages by typing the following into your web browser: homemicrogreens.com/3-digit episode numberFor instance, for Episode 8 type in homemicrogreens.com/008Support the show

In this episode of the Microgreens Podcast, we discuss the reason to grow microgreens all year round, including the summer months when there are so many fresh veggies coming out of the garden. We have four main reasons.Insect pestsGarden SpaceFlavorEnjoymentand probably one I should have included separately but did discuss is time.You can visit the show notes by clicking here or going to homemicrogreens.com/024.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/HomeMicrogreens)

In this episode of The Microgreens Podcast, we discuss the common insect pests of microgreens and provide solutions to prevent and eliminate them. There are 3 common pests that bother microgreens grown in the home. These include aphids, whiteflies, and fungus gnats with the last being the most common.In the podcast and show notes, we provide preventative measures and solutions to eliminate these pests. Show notes can be found at homemicrogreens.com/023Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/HomeMicrogreens)

Watering microgreens seems like a simple enough task, but I receive 100's of emails with people having issues with their microgreens. Most of the time, it's a watering issue. So in this episode of the Microgreens Podcast, we explain our methods and philosophy of when to water and how much water to give microgreens based on the tray size.There is a related article that discusses water with more in-depth information. The article is titled How to Water Microgreens - We Find This To Be The Best Way.Show notes can be found at Watering Microgreens - When and How Much.Or HomeMicrogreens.com/022Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/HomeMicrogreens)

Do microgreens regrow after cutting? The answer is it depends. Some will easily regrow, others are more difficult, and most will not regrow to the point that they are worth harvesting. Take a listen to this podcast and see which microgreens will regrow after cutting.Special care is also required for those microgreens that will regrow. We discuss all of this and more in this episode of the Microgreens Podcast.You can get a copy of the Home Microgreens Quick Guide to Growing Microgreens by clicking this link. Show notes to this podcast can be found here. Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/HomeMicrogreens)

In Episode 20 of the Microgreens Podcast, we answer another question from the Answer the Public list.The question is, How to Grow Microgreen Beets. Coincidently this question comes after we published an article on How to Grow Magenta Sunrise Swiss Chard, which grows exactly the same way. The articles referenced in the podcast are listed below with links to the articles.Beet Microgreens - Does Soaking the Seeds Improve Germination? Growing Beet Microgreens - Bull's Blood BeetsThe Secret to Removing the Seed Husk from Bull's Blood Beet MicrogreensTry saying Bull's Blood Beets 3-times fast...it's hard. Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/HomeMicrogreens)

The topic of this episode is taken from Answer the Public. We randomly chose a topic from the 700+ questions presented by the website and answered it from the top of my head.We discuss how to grow microgreens cheap, or a better choice of words is how to grow microgreens inexpensively. We go through all of the equipment and supplies you need to grow microgreens and the best way to do this on the cheap. Take a listen. Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/HomeMicrogreens)

I always wondered how much microgreen seed is too much. So my philosophy is that I want to grow the best microgreens for each tray size and not grow just stems. In this episode of the Microgreens Podcast, we discuss the planting density of micro-lettuce. Usually, in the winter, I grow lettuce indoors as baby leaf. But several people have asked me about the planting density for micro-lettuce. So I planted some trays with the amount of seed that popular websites suggest and others at much less density.This podcast summarizes the results.Using lettuce as an example, it appears that many people are throwing money away by over-seeding their microgreen trays. Using less seed can be more economical for those that grow microgreens at home for their own use. Even though the experiment uses lettuce, more than likely, it will apply to other microgreens as well.Of course, Home Microgreens will test this theory. That's what we do!You can find show notes at homemicrogreens.com/018.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/HomeMicrogreens)

In Episode 15 of the Microgreens Podcast, we grew microgreens on bamboo and hemp mats as well as on soil.We noticed that the trays affected the growth of the microgreens grown on mats.In this episode, we use different trays to see if we can correct the effects.Bamboo grow matting will grow decent microgreens if enough light is given to the whole plant and liquid fertilizer is applied when watering. The two associated articles can be read by clicking the links below.Article 1 Microgreen Grow Mats Verse SoilArticle 2 Bamboo Grow MattingWe will be testing the three microgreen soil media again, using different trays. We will update the show notes as soon as the article is published. Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/HomeMicrogreens)

I learned a good lesson this week while growing Wasabina Mustard microgreens. One would think that you can grow all mustards the same way and get good results. But, unfortunately, that was not the case with Wasabina.It got to the point where I was going to blame the seed lot on the poor results. But instead, I decided to go back to the basics and give them another try.That did the trick, as the next tray was beautiful.The lessons learned are not to assume all microgreen cultivars in a family of microgreens will grow well using the same methods.Also, if something isn't working, fall back on the methods that have always given you good results and modify from there. Show notes can be found by clicking this link.We also have a related article on How to Grow Mustard Microgreens.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/HomeMicrogreens)

In this episode, we discuss how well bamboo microgreen grow mats compare to hemp grow mats and Home Microgreens Potting mix. You can visit the related article Microgreen Grow Mats Verse Soil - Which is Better, Hemp, Bamboo, or Soil?The bamboo microgreen grow mats are made by VegBed.The Hemp mats are made by TerraFibre and can be purchased in the Home Microgreens Store.The potting mix is a  coconut coir base with some peat and other additives. You can get more information and purchase the soil in the Home Microgreens Store.The show notes can be found here.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/HomeMicrogreens)

In this episode of the Microgreens Podcast, we discuss all things mold.This podcast is associated with a full-length article we wrote on the same subject. You can read the article and see all of the images talked about in the podcast by following the link below.11 Proven Ways to Stop Mold on Microgreens Unless they're Beautiful Root HairsYou can also go to the show notes for this episode at HomeMicrogreens.com/014 to find links to the associated article, where you can see many images of mold and root hairs described in the podcast.There are also links to the products recommended in the podcast on the show notes page.Again, that is HomeMicrogreens.com/014.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/HomeMicrogreens)

In Episode 13 of the Microgreens Podcast, we discuss how well Espoma Organic Potting Mix did in the most recent soil trial.Espoma potting mix held it's own, not quite as good as Home Microgreens potting mix but we'd use it for sure.This also leads to a discussion on how to best store soil in the home using totes. Get rid of the bags, dump the soil into appropriate sized totes.It's much easier to get the soil out of the totes than the bags. Also, use a high sided tray when filling your microgreen planting trays. You can scrape off the extra soil into the tray and when you're finished, dump the soil back into the soil tote. No mess and no vacuum cleaner or anything to pick up spilled soil.So many people have emailed wanting me to start working with fiber mats. We discuss how I'll do the trials.Each type of mat will be run on a one-on-one matchup with Home Microgreens potting mix for a comparison of how well or how badly microgreens grow on fiber mats.Show notes can be found at Homemicrogreens.com/013Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/HomeMicrogreens)

Swiss chard and beet microgreens are beautiful and tasty! They may take a bit longer to grow than other microgreens, but worth the wait.Except for those nasty, ugly, hard, bark-like seed husks.If you've ever bitten into one of these seed husks, you'll never forget it. Grown conventionally, it's almost impossible to have husk-free microgreens. Worst, when you go to pick them off the microgreens, the husks usually take most of the leaf with it.At first, we tried soaking the seeds before planting, hoping that they would soften and come off as they grew.That wasn't the case, however.Finally, we found a way to remove almost all of the husks.In this podcast, we explain how we accomplished this task.More information can also be found on the Microgreens Podcast show notes page at HomeMicrogreens.com/012.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/HomeMicrogreens)

In this episode, we discuss the purpose of the blackout period for microgreens. As well as the two methods commonly used to blackout microgreens.The methods are the Weighted Blackout Method and the Domed Blackout method.The weighted method makes for better seed to soil contact and usually better germination and more vigorous, sturdier microgreens.The domed method is used for fragile stemmed microgreens like amaranth that don't recover from the weight bearing down on them. The blackout means that the microgreen trays need to be covered with something to exclude light from the seeds. A tea towel will work well if the weight you use doesn't stop light from reaching the seeds.For more information listen to the podcast and see the articles linked in the show notes at HomeMicrogreens.com/011Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/HomeMicrogreens)

What LED lights are best for the home microgreen grower?We discuss the LED light specifications that are needed to grow microgreens in the home. It doesn't take special grow lights to produce good microgreens.Of course, the more intensity, power, and fuller spectrum of light you can give your microgreens, the better the microgreens will grow. But the growth difference between a couple of inexpensive LED shop lights compared to a $130 grow light isn't that much. Maybe for a commercial microgreen grower, but not the person looking to grow a couple of small trays a week.The show notes have links to the inexpensive lights we use on our shelves.The show notes can be found at HomeMicrogreens.com/010.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/HomeMicrogreens)

We are often asked, almost daily in fact, if you can reuse microgreen soil once the greens have been harvested.My old blanket answer was "No". However, we recently ran a test to see if it is possible to grow a decent tray of microgreens in reused soil.We expected some ugly trays of microgreens.But boy, were we shocked!It turns old that in some cases clipping down the old crop and planting on top of the stubble will work.The question, however, is should you reuse microgreen soil. Is there too big a risk of disease?We still recommend not reusing microgreen soil. Regardless of what our testing shows.But check out the results and make your own decision. Check out a video and photos of our test and results at HomeMicrogreens.com/009.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/HomeMicrogreens)

It's so easy to grow lettuce indoors and we talk about all of the steps in Episode 008 of the Microgreens Podcast.As with most of the Microgreen Podcast episodes, this podcast has an article associated with it. You'll want to visit this article and at least look at the photos as we discuss growing Outredgeous lettuce. Yes, Outredgeous and not outrageous. It's a play on words and the red color of the Outredgeous baby leaf lettuce is gorgeous!The reddest of the red lettuces.You can see those photos by clicking here.There is also a video in the article that shows you how to grow lettuce indoors. So in one article you can listen, read, and see how to grow fresh lettuce all winter long in your home!The show notes for this podcast contain links to all of the equipment used to grow lettuce indoors. Click here to visit the show notes.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/HomeMicrogreens)

In Episode 7 of the Microgreens Podcast, I answer my four most frequently asked questions in comments and in emails. These four questions come up time and time again so why not do a podcast to answer them. You can also visit HomeMicrogreens.com/FAQS to see answers to 20 more frequently asked questions. Many of the question tabs include photos to help you better understand the answer. The questions are:Can you re-use the soil?Is this fungus?Are microgreens the same as sprouts?When do I bottom water?These questions are answered in the podcast and on the FAQ page.Visit Home Microgreens for a Free Growing Guide!The show notes for this podcast can be accessed here.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/HomeMicrogreens)

We talk about microgreen growing trays in this episode and give you recommendations of the 3 best microgreen trays. We also talk about the criteria that a container needs to be a good microgreen tray.Cheaper or free is not always better and we understand why home growers sometimes re-use produce clamshells and other re-usable items; but, they still end up in the recyclable container after one or two uses.This podcast has an associated article published on HomeMicrogreens.com. Here's a link to that article.Links to all of the recommended microgreen growing trays can be found in the show notes at HomeMicrogreens.com/006Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/HomeMicrogreens)

In this episode of the Microgreens Podcast, we go over our methods of growing celery microgreens. Celery microgreens have an intense celery flavor, more so than celery stalks. The best part is celery microgreens don't have to deal with the tough strings!We do not recommend that beginners start with celery because it takes patience to grow. In fact, it can take over 2-weeks before celery seeds germinate. After 30 or so days, celery microgreens are ready to harvest and can be used anywhere; celery stalks are used. We like to add chopped celery microgreens to stuffing (dressing), chicken and vegetable soup, and casseroles after cooking. The show notes can be found at HomeMicrogreens.com/005.The related article can be read at Micro Celery - Intense Flavor Without the Tough Strings.Here is a link to the Home Microgreens Seed Calculator.You can purchase Celery Microgreen Seed at the Home Microgreens Store.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/HomeMicrogreens)

Learn how we grow our purple Rambo radish microgreens. Actually, the same methods can be applied to any radish microgreens as we tend to grow them all the same except for the amount of seed we use.Radish microgreens are easy to plant and grow, but you shouldn't do a couple of things. These no-nos are discussed in the podcast.Links to the podcast articles are listed below and on the show notes page at Homemicrogreens.com/004.The article associated with this podcast can be accessed by clicking this link - How to Grow Stunning Rambo Radish Microgreens.Click to visit the article containing the Home Microgreens Seed Calculator.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/HomeMicrogreens)

Microgreen growers have two choices if they want to grow in soil. Either peat moss or coconut coir. Tens of thousands of people plant microgreens in peat moss. But we can't stand using it here at Home Microgreens. This episode of the Microgreens Podcast explains why we hate peat moss for growing microgreens.The podcast has a companion article, you can find the article by following this link: Why We Hate Peat Moss.Show notes for this podcast can be found at HomeMicrogreens.com/003Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/HomeMicrogreens)

We planted two trays of cilantro microgreens; on one tray, we planted whole cilantro seeds; on the other, we planted cilantro split seeds.The purpose is to see if there's a difference between the two forms of seed. There is no sense in carrying both types of seeds, so whichever one grows the best is the one we will continue to grow.We found that the cilantro split seeds germinated quicker grew straighter, and were ready to harvest sooner than the microgreens grown from whole cilantro seeds.This episode is created to provide additional information to an article published on HomeMicrogreens.com.Show notes can be found here: https://homemicrogreens.com/002The article can be found here: https://homemicrogreens.com/split-cilantro-seeds/Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/HomeMicrogreens)

An introduction to the Microgreens Podcast. Background information on why HomeMicrogreens.com decided to create a podcast and what is to be expected in the future episodes. The podcast is aimed at those that want to grow microgreens in their home. There are many differences between growing a large 1020 tray of microgreens and smaller trays more suited for those wanting to grow on a window sill, kitchen counter, or small shelving unit. This podcast and Home Microgreens is focused on helping those that want to grow nutritious and flavorful microgreens in their home.Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/HomeMicrogreens)