As we all know broccoli is healthy and nutritious. But what if you can get an even more nutrient-dense form of broccoli? Yes, They are broccoli microgreens. These powerful little plants add a crunchy texture, freshness, and much less bitter broccoli flavor to dishes compared to their matured counterparts.
Broccoli microgreens are well-known among customers as they are easy to grow. They can be harvested after 6-10 days of planting. These microgreens don’t need pesticides, fertilizers, and farm-to-table transport. Hence they can be easily grown indoors or outdoors, in a greenhouse, or even on your windowsill. Growing plants is therapeutic and it can help in decreasing anxiety and improving moods.
Growing Broccoli Microgreens
As mentioned above, growing microgreens is easy and simple. Broccoli seeds are easy to manage. They germinate and grow quickly and can be easily harvested. Let us see how we can grow broccoli microgreens at home.
Firstly gather all the materials required to grow these microgreens. Start by collecting some good-quality seeds. You will need containers/trays with drainage holes to grow the seeds. The holes will help in seeping out the extra water. Next prepare the growing medium. Using the potting mixture, coconut coir is a good option for growing these at home. Also, if you are growing these indoors you will need a lighting source. You can install grow lights or LED lights. Use a misting bottle for watering the microgreens. A shallow dish that is larger than the growing tray can be used as a watering dish.
Planting the Broccoli microgreens.
The size of broccoli microgreens is small and hence they do not need much help in breaking them open. So soaking before planting them isn’t necessary here.
Begin with filling the container with the potting mixture or soil. Now spread the microgreen seeds as evenly as possible throughout the entire surface and tap on them gently. Cover as much soil as possible to produce a dense mat of microgreens. Spray some water on the top of the soil. Make sure to not overwater them. Place another tray on top to cover the seeds. Let the seeds be in the blackout phase for 2-3 days. The seeds will use this water and darkness to germinate.
Growing
After a few days in the blackout, you will see small leaves shooting out of the soil, and then you can remove the tray from the blackout. Fill the watering dish and keep the tray on top of it. Once the soil absorbs its fill of water, take out the tray and allow the excess water to seep out. Watering this way will help in keeping the soil moist and prevents the chances of any bacterial growth.
Don’t mistake the roots for mould here. The white fiber that you see coming out of the soil is root hair and with time, they will settle in the soil. It will take a few days for the sprouts to grow into microgreens. The broccoli might be a little off-color in the beginning, but it will turn green once exposed to sunlight. You can make of sunlight or grow light but give them the light they deserve.
Harvesting
Microgreens should be harvested before the true leaves grow in as it can affect the flavor. They will be about 2-3 inches tall (This can be between 7 days to 14 days). Harvest the broccoli microgreens when the leaves are still in the cotyledon stage. Make sure to stop watering them 12 hours before harvesting. Cut the microgreens in bunches with the help of scissors. Cut them slightly above the soil level to avoid the dirt coming along. You can cut all of them or only how much ever needed depending on your requirement.
Storing
It’s suggested to wash microgreens before using them just like other vegetables to ensure there are no bacteria. The microgreens will be tastier when they are fresh. So it’s always better to cut what you’re going to use that day. In case you couldn’t use all of the broccoli microgreens you can keep them in a zip-lock bag with several small slits. Make sure the microgreens are dry when you are storing them. If they are dry, they will stay fresh and you can use them for about 3 to 4 days.
