Thanks everyone for the compliments!
Micros are easy to grow; any shallow tray or container can be used and the same seed starting mix used to start tomatoes works for growing the greens. Like Oakley showed, you can line the trays up in the window if you don't have a light to use. Just keep them from getting too hot in direct sun. Or use the lights you use to start your tomatoes.
Carolyn, I use fabric shears to cut them off. Long blades and they hold up well. I've tried a knife, which works ok, but I prefer using the scissors. I wear latex gloves while cutting and the customers feel like it's more sanitary that way.
Karen, I've never seen canola seeds for sale at any of my suppliers. I think I need to look for them, especially if they're cheap!
Oakley, have you tried covering the beet and cilantro seeds with a thin layer of soil as a top covering? I agree that they can be tricky and take a little extra time, but they taste great.
Worth, as a matter of fact, Black Oil sunflowers are the preferred seed to use for micros. The husk falls off easier than the gray striped ones, which is why they are good as bird seed. You can pick up big sacks of seeds at feed stores pretty cheaply.
There are several suppliers that cater to microgreen growers by offering bulk seeds at somewhat reasonable prices. Johnny's is usually the most expensive for seeds, unless you want something like edible flowers or a specialty product. I usually buy seeds in 5 lb sacks. I compare the prices at my usual vendors and just order the cheapest. If you're thinking of doing this, google "microgreen seeds" and several vendors will pop up. My operation isn't large enough to make giant orders of seeds (1,000 lbs or more), so I don't deal with the big seed wholesalers.
I'm happy to answer any other questions you might have!
Lyn
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