Tender shoots of lettuce

baby lettuce sprouts

One way to have fresh vegetables all year round is through growing young shoots or microgreens. Just by sowing the seeds and waiting for them to have cotyledons (primitive leaves) or a couple of definitive leaves, we can prepare, for example, delicious and nutritious salads at any time of the year.

In addition, it will not be necessary to have a patio, since inside the home they will be able to grow enough before they are ready.

What do I need to grow tender shoots?

First of all, it is important to prepare all the material that we will need, which is:

  • Container: pot, tray, or any other that is wide and deep (about 20 × 8 for example).
  • Substratum: vermiculite o coconut fiber, and peat black.
  • Organic seeds: are those that have not been treated. The most recommended plants are leafy vegetables (lettuce, spinach, chard) and aromatic herbs (parsley, cilantro, basil, dill), but we can actually grow just about any edible plant.

How are they grown?

Freshly sprouted seedlings

newly germinated seedlings

Following this simple Step by Step:

  1. The first thing we will do is fill the container with the substrate that we have chosen.
  2. Afterwards, we sow the seeds by placing them on the surface of the substrate, and covering them with a very thin layer of black peat.
  3. Next, we spray the tray until the substrate has been well soaked (but not puddled).
  4. Then, we will cover the container with transparent plastic.
  5. Finally, we will place it near a heat source.

Once they germinate, we will remove the plastic and put them in a bright area, protected from direct sun. Keeping the substrate always moist, we can harvest them after 2-3 weekswhen they measure between 3 and 7cm.

Growing tender shoots is the perfect excuse to be able to taste tasty dishes all year round, and without having to complicate things. Regardless of the experience you have in growing plants, surely you will not have problems with them, although you already know that if you have any questions you can contact us .