Hello! Today I want to tell you about my windowsill farm, or how I grow pea microgreens.
I didn't get good results right away. It took two winters of experimentation. I watched and read a lot of videos and articles on the topic. But the results were poor. The peas kept drying out, or growing moldy, or only a few sprouts grew. But, as they say, through trial and error, I developed my own growing method. In my opinion, it's the easiest and most effective.
So how do I grow microgreens or pea sprouts?
I use coco peat as soil. One brick lasts a long time. I follow the instructions.
I use halves of sushi containers as a base. They can be reused many times before they break. I fill the base with soil to about half the height.
I used different pea seeds, but I didn't notice any significant differences in germination quality. These are the ones I currently have; I ordered them from a marketplace.
I soak a handful overnight, and the next day or evening, whenever I can find the time, I pour the swollen peas into the soil.
I also pour the water the peas were soaked in there. I also water them generously, so it feels like all the peas are submerged in the soil.
I place the substrate on the windowsill and leave it alone for two days. After about this time, the soil will dry out, and you'll notice small sprouts appearing on the peas.
That's it, from now on I just check the soil daily, and if I see it's dry, I water it. That means practically every day or every other day. You have to keep an eye on the watering; if it's not watered enough, it'll dry out; if it's watered too much, mold will develop. But the advantage of coco peat is that you can immediately tell whether watering is needed.
In a week the sprouts will look like this.
In two weeks they will grow to about this size.
And after three weeks you can already cut it and use it for food.
For additional lighting in the evening, we use a regular lamp, which we bought at Leroy Merlin.
Typically, on my farm, peas grow in four substrates at once, with different planting dates.
P.S.: There's a downside to farming: small flies appear. I'm afraid to use strong poisons, as we grow peas for food. Orange peels don't help. If anyone knows of effective and safe ways to control flies, I'd appreciate your advice.
Thank you to everyone who read my story. If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them.
Your farmer, Maria))
How wonderful! You're so clever! 👍 I love green pea sprouts 🌱😋
I regularly buy microgreens at the supermarket, but I've never grown my own. Now I'll definitely give it a try. Thanks for posting!
By the way, pea sprouts are very juicy and delicious, so I add them to more than just vegetable salads. They make amazing sandwiches with a steak, cheese, tomato, bell pepper, and pea sprouts topped with sauce. You can make a simpler filling (egg, vegetables, sprouts, and sauce) or a purely vegan sandwich. I recommend it. How do you eat sprouts?
Thank you!)
We add them everywhere: to salads, to soups, like dill, to raw food porridges, to smoothies, or just as a snack.
My mother-in-law used stove soot against gnats. She sprinkled it on the soil under her seedlings. However, I read somewhere that soot is poisonous.
Use bay leaves to repel flies. You can crumble them by hand and scatter them over the entire soil surface. Replace them periodically once the smell has evaporated.
Thank you very much for the recommendation. I'll definitely try it, but next year. I've stopped growing peas for now. I'm having fun growing spinach. So far, the results aren't very encouraging.
Interesting. I need to try it.
Be sure to try it. Pea microgreens are very easy to grow.
I think they're too sweet, but it's a matter of taste. Personally, I grew peas in my garden until harvest.
Yes, peas have a specific sweet taste.
But it grows quickly and easily.
I'd love to grow spinach micro-sprouts as quickly, of course. But I'm having absolutely no luck. They grow very, very slowly and are tiny.