How To Grow Radish Microgreens
These tender microgreens have a distinct peppery flavor and are a nutrient powerhouse that can easily be grown year-round indoors.
Yield: 10 oz
Cost: 1
Equipment
- 1 Plant rack
- 1 LED shop lights
- 1 S hooks
- 1 Microgreen trays without drain holes
- 1 Microgreen trays with drain holes
- 1 soil
- 1 radish seeds
Materials
- 32 grams about ¼ cup of broccoli microgreen seeds
- 1 microgreen tray without drainage holes
- 1 microgreen tray with drainage holes
- 14 cups potting soil
- Water
Instructions
- Place the microgreen tray with drainage holes inside the tray without drainage holes.
- Add soil to the microgreen tray until your soil line is to the top of the tray. I use about 14 cups of soil per tray. Use another tray to press the soil surface down, which will help them to grow evenly.
- Measure 32 grams (less than ¼ cup) of radish seeds into a small container
- Sprinkle the seed evenly over the top of the soil in the tray.
- Water evenly. Use just enough water to wet them down, do not drown them. I use the spray nozzle on my sink faucet.
- Place another empty growing tray on top of the seeded tray and place a 15 lb. weight on it. I use a 5 gallon bucket, but a paving stone works well also. This is the germination phase which usually takes about 2-3 days. You do not need to water them or do anything with them while they are sitting under the weighted tray in germination.
- The next step is to take the weighted tray off the top and sprinkle the seeds with water. Again, I just use the spray function on the faucet in my sink.
- Place them under the LED grow lights on your plant rack. Leave the lights on during the day, and turn them off at night. It’s best if they get 12-16 hours of daylight per day. If you need them to grow faster you can leave the lights on 24 hours a day, but typically I shut them off at night.
- Water once per day by gently lifting the top tray enough that you can pour about a quart of water into the bottom tray. This is called bottom watering.
- On day 9 or 10, the radish shoots will be ready to harvest. To harvest, grab a handful of greens with one hand, and cut them off close to the soil with a sharp knife in your other hand. I do not recommend cutting them with scissors as it can crimp the stem of the greens which will shorten their shelf life. It’s also best to stop watering the greens 12 hours before harvesting, so they will be dry and last longer.
- You can dispose of the leftover soil and roots in your compost pile. It will make really good compost.
- Be sure to clean and sanitize the trays to prepare them for their next use. You can sanitize the trays by spraying them with diluted food-grade hydrogen peroxide.
- radish microgreens will maintain their crisp texture in the refrigerator for 2-4 weeks if kept in an airtight container. The smaller the container the better, as the extra air in the container can tend to dry them out.
- Use as the base of any salad, in wraps, on egg dishes, or enjoy their pop of color on top of soup or anywhere you can add them to a meal. Your body will thank you for the extra nutrition and boost to your immune system, especially in the winter.
Video
Notes
Microgreen Growing Tips
Don’t Overwater
The #1 tip for growing successful microgreens is not to over water them. Over time you will get a feel for about how much water to give them based on the growing medium you choose, and the humidity and temperature of your growing environment. I usually give them about a quart of water per day.What kind of environment is best for growing radish microgreens?
The ideal environment is one with low humidity and cool growing temperatures of around 68 to 72 degrees. A lot of professional microgreen growers have dehumidifiers and other special equipment to regulate the environment in their growing area. I do not get too technical on the specifics of my growing environment, because I am growing my microgreens in my basement and I only have so many options for controlling the humidity etc.. They seem to grow just fine and be fairly adaptable.Lighting
I use two LED lights per rack because I have it set up that way for starting my vegetable seeds, but you only really need one LED light for microgreens. It also doesn’t matter if the lights are several inches away from the plants because you actually want microgreens to stretch and grow. It doesn’t matter if they start to get “leggy”, which is something you want to avoid with vegetable seedlings you are growing for the garden.Plan A Regular Seeding Day and Harvest Day
In order to have a continual supply of microgreens always available to eat, I suggest that you have a consistent schedule for seeding and harvest. I like to soak my seeds on a Monday evening, seed my microgreens on Tuesday morning and harvest the following Thursday (9 days later). You can adjust this based on your exact growing environment, but this will give you an idea of how to set up your schedule. It takes me about 15 minutes to seed 10 trays of greens for the week, and about an hour to harvest and package them for the grocery store. If you’re growing them for home use, you can always just set a tray of mature microgreens on your counter, and harvest them right as you are ready to eat them. Living superfood at it’s finest! And that’s it! Growing microgreens is a very simple and easy process, and it is very rewarding! With just a small investment in a seed starting setup and some trays, you can be growing and enjoying these nutritious superfoods all year long!