Organic Fava Bean

Sprouting Directions

Grow Microgreens! Soilless Method 

Soak - Using a tray with drainage, rinse enough seed to cover the bottom of the tray. Soak the seed for 6-12 hours. Drain, rinse and drain holding at an angle to remove excess water. Spread the seed evenly on the bottom of the tray and cover with a lid or plastic bag.

Rinse - Rinse with water twice a day, using either a gentle flow from a tap, dipping in a sink, or spraying. Drain thoroughly. 

Grow - The roots will form a mat from which the microgreens will emerge. At that point, put in indirect sunlight, florescent lights or grow lights. The watering is then easy: fill the container 1 cm deep with water and allow to sit for a few seconds, then gently hold the mass and decant the water until heavy moisture remains in the root area. You will find that the microgreens form a mat of roots that retains moisture well. This technique is easiest with a small tray or container. Otherwise, continue to rinse or mist twice a day as described above. 

Harvest!

Typically, microgreens grown without soil are harvested at 7-12 days. Harvest before the next expected rinse so the shoots are dry. Tip the tray on its side. Put the sharp knife under the bottom of the tray and slice off the bottom roots.  Pull the roots/shoots out of the tray.  Lay them on their side and slice the root bed away from the shoots in a back forth motion.  Or place the root bed on the cutting board and cut with Scissors separating the stems from the roots.

Instead of harvesting all at once, you can start to harvest microgreens as soon as the first two leaves are spread out. Take only what you need for your meal and allow the rest to keep growing or put the tray in the fridge loosely covered and a plastic bag or dome to harvest another day. 

Helpful tips:

To moisten your bag of soil, add water ahead until almost fully hydrated.
The roots grow under the soil so it works well to water from below if the tray has holes in it, or open the side of the tray and pour water beside the soil when using flexible plastic trays. Otherwise misting or watering from the top works well too.