Over winter, I got tired of the cold and gray days that seemed to last forever. I was dreaming of summer and my next garden when the thought dawned on me to plant something NOW! Something that I could grow in the house. Now, you might not know this about me, but I am horrible at keeping indoor plants alive. So, what is a very simple seed I can grow inside with a high success rate? Sprouts!
I’ve never grown sprouts before, so I started doing some research. After much searching, it seems to boil down to four steps and only two supplies needed. Seemed simple enough to me!
Gathering Supplies
First, you will need seeds to sprout. I picked up the Sprouts Sandwich Mix from Botanical Interests from my local garden center.
Second, you will need a seed sprouting kit. It is basically two shallow dishes that can nest. The bottom one has a solid bottom and can hold water, the top one has holes to allow water to drain, but doesn’t let seeds pass through. I had bought mine at a different garden center as it happened to be on clearance, I would not recommend it as the sieve part was so wide, I lost most the seeds… it was very frustrating. If I am going to buy a new one (and I am considering it), this is the sprouting kit I would buy from Amazon.
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Step One: Soak Seeds Overnight
Apparently, you are only supposed to use a tablespoon or so of seeds to start – I did not. Either way, soak the seeds in water in your non-draining/bottom container. Only enough water to submerge all seeds is needed and some will try to float on the surface.
Cover and leave overnight, or about 12 hours. I forgot about them, so mine ended up soaking a full 24 hours and they did just fine.
Step Two: Drain the Seeds
After 12 hours (or 24 if you’re like me), strain the seeds through your draining container. Then, spread them out over the draining container. Try to evenly distribute the seeds so they’re not overlapping to prevent mildew. Set them aside over the non-draining tray to catch any water.
Step Three: Rinse Seeds
Frequently throughout the day, you will want to rinse your seeds over the strainer and spread them back out. Don’t forget to cover them and let them sit. In order to make this easier, I set the container near the kitchen sink so whenever I was using the sink, I would grab the sprouts and give them a rinse. This made it super convenient and easy to tend to them.
Step Four: Repeat
For the next few days (five to seven), you will want to rinse and drain your seeds a couple times a day. About three or four days in, you’ll start seeing the seeds split and their first root will emerge! Keep repeating until ready to harvest.
Harvesting
When you see your sprouts forming their first tiny sets of leaves you’ll know it’s time to start enjoying your sprouts! To harvest the sprouts, I picked them right up out of the tray. I did take off the spent seed coats, but you don’t have to.
TIP: Refrigerate any sprouts you don’t plan to use up that day.
That’s it! That’s all their is to growing your own sprouts. I enjoyed growing the seeds during winter. I’m considering growing them again in summer to make it super easy to add some greens and flavor quickly when cooking.
Have you grown sprouts? Is this something you would try?
