Spring is coming! But until it gets here, perhaps you'd like to get a head start.
Growing salad greens such as arugula and some lettuces indoors is a lovely way to enjoy a taste of summer's freshness year-round. Here's how!
What you'll need:
Most greens grow fairly quickly and have shallow roots. That means you will be able to grow more than one crop of your greens of choice during the winter months. As soon as you harvest one crop, you can begin another. Or, you can even have plants growing at multiple stages in different containers to give you a steady supply of fresh greens!
1. Fill your containers with potting soil. Containers don't need to be anything fancy -- you can use anything from terra cotta pots from a garden supply store to a cardboard milk carton laid lengthwise with the top side cut away.
2. Plant your seeds in the containers. You will not need to bury them - simply sprinkling them on the surface or using a pencil or fork tines to make a very shallow "furrow" is fine.
3. Water the seeds very gently until the soil is moist.
4. Keep in a sunny location with a relatively constant temperature between 55 and 70 degrees. The room can be a bit chillier than that, but your seeds will likely take longer to sprout.
5. Water regularly. As your plants sprout, you may need to thin them periodically. Just use the microgreens on a salad or sandwich!
6. In a few weeks, enjoy your homegrown greens!
Growing salad greens such as arugula and some lettuces indoors is a lovely way to enjoy a taste of summer's freshness year-round. Here's how!
What you'll need:
- Seeds (arugula, spinach, or "loose leaf" lettuces are good choices)
- Potting soil
- Container(s)
- A sunny window
Most greens grow fairly quickly and have shallow roots. That means you will be able to grow more than one crop of your greens of choice during the winter months. As soon as you harvest one crop, you can begin another. Or, you can even have plants growing at multiple stages in different containers to give you a steady supply of fresh greens!
1. Fill your containers with potting soil. Containers don't need to be anything fancy -- you can use anything from terra cotta pots from a garden supply store to a cardboard milk carton laid lengthwise with the top side cut away.
2. Plant your seeds in the containers. You will not need to bury them - simply sprinkling them on the surface or using a pencil or fork tines to make a very shallow "furrow" is fine.
3. Water the seeds very gently until the soil is moist.
4. Keep in a sunny location with a relatively constant temperature between 55 and 70 degrees. The room can be a bit chillier than that, but your seeds will likely take longer to sprout.
5. Water regularly. As your plants sprout, you may need to thin them periodically. Just use the microgreens on a salad or sandwich!
6. In a few weeks, enjoy your homegrown greens!
