Caring for your microgreens…

Freshness

The microgreens remain vibrantly fresh for a week on most countertops with just adequate water and indoor light - and some down time overnight in the dark, just like most indoor plants.

Keep in mind that they are not in soil, so freshness will start to suffer after 7 days as they lack soil nutrients to keep them growing naturally. They will start to yellow.

Trays dimension are 10 inches wide by 20 inches long and come stacked in as two trays - a bottom tray for watering and the grow tray which holds the growing medium. The growing tray has holes to take up the water from below.

We look to minimize our plastic footprint and our trays are not single use. We pick up previous week’s trays on subsequent deliveries - whereby they are scrubbed and washed thoroughly, rinsed, then sanitized and rinsed a final time, then air dried and store in a well ventilated area ready for reuse.

While we account for some tray shrinkage, if this becomes a common occurrence, missing trays are charged at $4 each.

The grow media, Grodan, is in effect rock wool (the construction insulation). However, Grodan is specifically made for horticultural purposes, imported from Holland. Unlike construction rock wool which is chemically treated to become hydrophobic, Grodan is naturally hydrophilic and holds water naturally while retaining its structure. It does not mat, allowing the roots to breathe and take up oxygen.

With Grodan being a soil-less and inert media it ensures no soil contaminants enter the restaurant. It’s made from Basalt rock and Chalk in a similar process to amusement park cotton candy floss. At molt rock temperatures (approx. 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit) it is as clinically sanitized a material as one can get!

Watering

The grow media requires to be kept moist to the touch but not wet. The two tray system allows the micros to be watered from below and avoid wetting the foliage.

Placing approx. 1/8 to 1/4 inch of water on the bottom tray (covering the indentation grooves) every other day is usually sufficient - but it does depend on your restaurant's environment and temperature. Avoid the Two Ds of their demise - death by drying or death by drowning!

Most microgreens are do well on a counter or rack even if it gets warm, but not hot - above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Double checking for water is really the only thing that’s required. While Peas, Radish and Sunflower withstand cooler temps and can be placed in the cooler, it’s best be just overnight, remove during day. However, brassicas are best not placed in cooler but no harm will come if you need to make space and place them in the cooler for a couple of hours - same for leeks. On the other hand, micro Basil does not tolerate normal cooler temps for prolonged periods of time.