Grow your own Sprouts & Microgreens

You can grow your own Sprouts in small trays in your kitchen.
But why? How do you do it? How long does it take?
You will find all the answers here.

Learn to grow your own Sprouts

In this article you will learn to grow your own Sprouts.
You will get answers to:

What are Sprouts?

Are Sprouts Healthy?

How to use Sprouts in any dish

How do you grow Sprouts?

How to grow Sprouts in 6 steps

How long does it take to grow Sprouts?

How do sprouts grow without soil?

6 rules for success with Sprouts

Durability in fresh sprouts

Can you get multiple sprouts from one seed?

Grow your own Sprouts and Microgreens
Grow your own Sprouts & Microgreens

What are Sprouts?

Sprouts are plants at their smallest stage of growth. Some are cultivated until they have just developed a 1-2 cm long root. Others are cultivated until they get their first small leaves.

You can grow sprouts from different seeds, legumes and grains. However, you cannot grow just everything for sprouts, as not all plants are edible to humans when the plant is just a sprout.

But you can grow sprouts of over 45 plant varieties. Here in the shop you will always find 22 varieties. I take the other varieties in stock on occation. My seeds are always 100% organic and EU approved for Sprouts and Microgreens.

SEEDS IN THE SHOP

Are Sprouts healthy?

Sprouts are very rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, plant fibers and protein.

This is because sprouts develop their small, fresh and living plant from all the nutrients contained within the seed. In other words, the seed is transformed into a plant.

Since it is far easier for your body to digest a liquid-rich plant than a dry seed, your body gets a better yield from the nutrients when you eat the sprout.

As the small plants grow right up until you eat them after 2-6 days, sprouts retain their nutrition – they don’t wither quietly as harvested lettuce. In addition, you typically eat your sprouts raw.

This means that the nutrients do not perish during heating either. Instead, you get full benefit from all the nutrition in the little sprout.

That’s why some call sprouts a “superfood”.

Which Sprout is healthiest?

Some sprouts, like all other greens, contain more of certain types of antioxidants than other sprouts. Here are a few of them:

Broccoli sprouts are very rich in glucosinolates and sulforaphane. You can read more about Broccoli sprouts here >

Lucerne sprouts contain almost all vitamins and minerals and in abundance. Read more about Alfalfa sprouts >

Endive sprouts are the winner when it comes to quantity and variety of vitamins and minerals, as they contain them all. Read more about Endive sprouts >

Pea sprouts, Lentils and Mung beans are very rich in plant protein and fibre. This makes them suitable for those of you who are looking for green proteins for training or everyday life.

These are just some of the most nutritious sprouts. You can read more about each sprout under SEEDS.

Are you ready to Sprout?

Clover salad with soy cream

How to use Sprouts in any dish

You can use your freshly cultivated Sprouts in all dishes.

Sprouts are available in all flavors from mild to spicy or strong. Their colors range from orange or green to light yellow, pink and dark violet. So there is always a sprout for any dish.

I find sprouts most beautiful and tasty when you use them raw in a dish. I use them in everything from smoothies, juices, dips, salads, wraps, soups and warm dishes. I even enjoy lightly fried, spicy chickpea sprouts as a healthy snack.

You can also use sprouts as pure ornaments or decoration on your dish. Get inspired by my Recipes.

How do you grow Sprouts?

Sprouts thrive by just letting them look after themselves. All they need is for you to rinse them morning and evening with pure, clean and fresh drinking water. This makes growing sprouts in your own kitchen very easy. You only need:

  • Organic sprouting seeds
  • A sprouter
  • Fresh drinking water
  • A clean corner on your kitchen table

The best place for the sprouter is somewhere in the kitchen where they get a little light but not direct sun. During a dark winter you can supplement with artificial LED plant light to ensure they develop well.

You can find a thorough step by step guide to grow Sprouts and Microgreens under How To Grow.

How to grow Sprouts in 6 steps

Sprouts are easy to grow even in a few days in your kitchen:

  • Buy a bag of organic seeds for sprouts + a sprout box.
  • Soak the seeds in clean water as shown on the seed bag.
  • Pour the seeds into your sprout container.
  • Place the sprouting tray on the kitchen table.
  • Rinse seeds/sprouts every morning + evening for 5 seconds under the tap.
  • Harvest the ripe sprouts, rinse in water and eat them in food.

That is how easy it is to grow your own Sprouts. Nature does most of the work, as long as you provide good seeds, clean water and a suitable sprouter.

In the FRESH SPROUTS shop you will find everything to get started quickly. Visit the webshop.

How to grow Sprouts

Step 1 Choose your Sprout Kit

Step 1
Choose your sprouting kit

Step 2 Measure sprouting seeds

Step 2
Measure out the dry seeds

Step 3 Soak sprouting seeds

Step 3
Soak the seeds in drinking water

Step 4 Pour seeds into sprouter

Step 4
Pour seeds into sprouter

Step 5 Rinse seeds and sprouts

Step 5
Rinse seeds or sprouts 2 x daily

Step 6 Harvest mature sprouts

Step 6
Harvest mature sprouts in 2-6 days

Are you curious?

Find all you need to get started in the Shop

How long does it take to grow Sprouts?

You grow some sprouts until they just have a short root. Grow other sprouts until they unfold their first set of leaves. Therefore, some of your sprouts are faster to mature and ready for your food than others. Below you can see a quick breakdown. Each seed bag from FRESH SPROUTS also show the optimal germination time for your chosen seed.

There are three groups of Sprouts when divided by germination time:

Group 1
Sprouts of Beans. Peas and Lentils are mature in 2-4 days when they have a small root.

Group 2
You can grow sprouts of Peas and Fenugreek for either short roots or leaves.

Group 3
Sprouts of other seeds – Broccoli, Radish, Clover, Alfalfa, Sunflower etc. – are ripe after 6 days, when they have a small leaf with deep colors.

SEE THE SPROUT CHART
LED light for Microgreens and sprouts in SproutPearl sprouter

How do sprouts grow without soil?

It is natural to wonder how sprouts can grow without soil or fertilizer.

That is because the seed contains both the germ and all the nutrients needed to create a new plant. However the small sprout can only live off the seed for the first 6 days. If you want to grow your plants for more than 7 days, you have to give the plant a type of fertilizer.

Sprouts that have grown for more than 7 days are called Microgreens. Microgreens are also fun to cultivate yourself. However, they require a more time and space + they need both feritlizer and artificial light to grow well.

MORE TIPS FOR SPROUTS

6 rules for success with Sprouts

Sprouts are easy to grow when you just follow 6 rules:

  • Use only approved sprouting seeds for your sprouts.
  • Soak the seeds in clean drinking water for 8-12 hours in a clean glass before growing them.
  • Place the sprouter in light shade on the kitchen table.
  • Wash your hands before handling the sprouts.
  • Rinse seeds / sprouts with pure, clean, drinkable water morning and evening.
  • Wash the sprouter with a clean sponge after each round of sprouts.

If you follow these 6 easy rules, your sprouts should succeed for you all year round.

How to grow your own Sprouts and Microgreens

SHOP

Can you get multiple sprouts from one seed?

You can only harvest one sprout from each seed.

This is because inside the seed there is a germ which becomes the germ itself. Since you eat the whole seed including root, there is nothing left to form a plant more of the seed.

Fortunately, my certified sprouting seeds have been tested for high germination rate. Therefore, you are guaranteed that at least 98% of all seeds in the bag will germinate when you grow them as directed.

If you are not content with the germination of the seeds please feel free to contact me. There is often a practical reason why you are not getting the expected germination rate. Therefore you are very welcome to check my Checklist for Sick Sprouts before you contact me.

CHECK LIST FOR SICK SPROUTS

How long is the durability in fresh Sprouts?

Your sprouts can stay fresh for up to 1 week after they reach their mature state.

Note that your sprouts taste best when they have just reached their mature stage. You can cool your sprouts down in the refrigerator when they have matured to preserve their flavor longer.

In the fridge, sprouts of beans, peas, lentils and chickpeas can hold their flavor for two days. All other sprouts can keep the taste for up to 1 week.

The best way to store the sprouts is to put the whole sprouter in the refrigerator. Note that sprouts grow despite the cold. Therefore, they should be rinsed once every day, even if standing in the refrigerator.

Always drain away excess water so the sprouts do not rot due to wet roots or leaves. The sprouts should only be moist.

Rose radish sprouts

Learn more in the free Guide

Are you curious to learn more?

I have created a Free Step by Step Video Guide The guide briefly explains how to grow your sprouts and gives you a quick start.

If you want to learn much more, I have written a book with everything about sprouts. The book FRESH SPROUTS A Guide to Sprouting is an A-Z with everything about your sprouts. With the book, all sprouts will be successful for you, because you will learn to understand the needs of your little plants day by day.

Are you ready to Sprout?

Questions from other Customers

Can you grow Sprouts yourself?

Yes, you only need organic food approved sprouting seeds, drinking water and a sprouter to grow your own sprouts. They are ready for harvest in 2-6 days depending on the variety.

Is it easy to grow sprouts?

Yes, Sprouts pretty much take care of themselves. You just need organic sprouting seeds and a good quality sprouting tray. The seeds must then be soaked for a few hours. Then you pour them into the tray. The following days you just need to rinse them morning and evening with clean drinking water. After two to six days you can harvest the mature sprouts. It’s that easy.

Can children grow Sprouts?

Yes, Sprouts are a fun hobby for both children and adults. If the child is small, the adult can help with the rinsing every day. Children quickly get to grips with the technique and then children can care for the sprouts by themselves.

Is a sprout box easy to use?

Some sprout boxes are well designed and make growing easy. The SproutPearl sprouter is in this category. It is suitable for growing all sprouts and most Microgreens and you can use it again and again for many years.

How do I choose the right seeds for my Sprouts?

The best seeds are organic, certified Sprouting seeds from a professional store. After that your choice of seeds depends on the flavor you want for the food. Alfalfa, Clover, Pea and Sunflower are neutral in taste. Radish, Mustard, Mizuna, Cress and Rucola are strong in taste.

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