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LDx4 · January 26, 2017

PureHarvest, what you and Oakley are growing are technically called "baby greens." Microgreens are usually younger, 8-14 days old, and only the cotyledon stage of a plant. According to some research in the scientific journal world, when harvested at the cotyledon stage, the greens are more nutrient-dense and can have up to 40 times the nutritional value of the full grown plant. Once the plant starts producing true leaves, the nutritional value, while still excellent, is less dense because energy is going into the larger leaves.

That said, when growing for restaurants, they typically want "prettier" greens with true leaves. But they still will call them microgreens. Also, if you look at the microgreens pictures on the seed websites, they usually show the greens at the baby green stage because they look prettier and more distinctive.

I grow only to the true microgreen stage for a couple of reasons: my customers are mostly health-conscious and respond positively (i.e., they buy my product)

when I tell them the health benefits of the cotyledon stage. Second, growing to the baby greens stage takes a little longer and since I am limited in my space since I grow indoors and only have two 10x12 rooms to use, I need to start a new planting cycle every Friday to be on schedule for my weekend markets. I just don't have the room to hold trays over for more than 12-14 days. Plus, depending on the variety, some do better if you add some fertilizer at about the 10 day mark. I don't want to start adding fertilizer because of cost and because I promote my greens as "organic soil + organic seeds + purified water - that's all" which is a good selling point for my customers.

Here's some definitions used in this industry:

Sprouts: grown in water; you eat the sprouted cotyledon, the seed casing and the root.
Microgreens: grown in soil or hydroponically on grow mats; you eat the sprouted cotyledon.
Baby greens: grown in soil or hydroponically; you eat the cotyledon and first true leaves.

Your tray canopy looks as dense as mine because it is as dense - you've got more leaves and they're bigger. If I were growing just for my own use, I would grow to the true leaf stage because they're prettier and less seed gets used up. If I ever get more space to grow, I will probably expand into baby greens also. But for now, I need to harvest them younger.

Sorry for the dissertation on microgreens! I've put a lot of research into this business and I'm pretty passionate about growing them (can you tell?

). I get instant gratification on a daily basis watching these trays sprout and grow.

January 26, 2017	#70
LDx4 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: San Diego Posts: 321	PureHarvest, what you and Oakley are growing are technically called "baby greens." Microgreens are usually younger, 8-14 days old, and only the cotyledon stage of a plant. According to some research in the scientific journal world, when harvested at the cotyledon stage, the greens are more nutrient-dense and can have up to 40 times the nutritional value of the full grown plant. Once the plant starts producing true leaves, the nutritional value, while still excellent, is less dense because energy is going into the larger leaves. That said, when growing for restaurants, they typically want "prettier" greens with true leaves. But they still will call them microgreens. Also, if you look at the microgreens pictures on the seed websites, they usually show the greens at the baby green stage because they look prettier and more distinctive. I grow only to the true microgreen stage for a couple of reasons: my customers are mostly health-conscious and respond positively (i.e., they buy my product) when I tell them the health benefits of the cotyledon stage. Second, growing to the baby greens stage takes a little longer and since I am limited in my space since I grow indoors and only have two 10x12 rooms to use, I need to start a new planting cycle every Friday to be on schedule for my weekend markets. I just don't have the room to hold trays over for more than 12-14 days. Plus, depending on the variety, some do better if you add some fertilizer at about the 10 day mark. I don't want to start adding fertilizer because of cost and because I promote my greens as "organic soil + organic seeds + purified water - that's all" which is a good selling point for my customers. Here's some definitions used in this industry: Sprouts: grown in water; you eat the sprouted cotyledon, the seed casing and the root. Microgreens: grown in soil or hydroponically on grow mats; you eat the sprouted cotyledon. Baby greens: grown in soil or hydroponically; you eat the cotyledon and first true leaves. Your tray canopy looks as dense as mine because it is as dense - you've got more leaves and they're bigger. If I were growing just for my own use, I would grow to the true leaf stage because they're prettier and less seed gets used up. If I ever get more space to grow, I will probably expand into baby greens also. But for now, I need to harvest them younger. Sorry for the dissertation on microgreens! I've put a lot of research into this business and I'm pretty passionate about growing them (can you tell? ). I get instant gratification on a daily basis watching these trays sprout and grow.