What Is The Difference Between Microgreens And Sprouts
The key difference between microgreens and sprouts is the way that they are grown. Growing microgreens happens in soil while growing sprouts happens in water!
Both sprouts and microbes make a great addition to your food and are super easy to grow at home too!
What Are Sprouts?
Despite what you may be thinking, sprouts in this context are not Brussel Sprouts, the variety loved by many during the winter months and holiday season! They are in fact a sprouting seed that have germinated, but not yet become a full plant. They grow quickly, and can often be eaten from day four onwards!
They are nutritious and tasty, but because of the way they are grown, can make for a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. For this reason, if you’re planning on eating shop bought sprouts, it can be a good idea to cook the sprouts prior to eating so that bacteria is killed.
Growing your own sprouted seeds is less risky, so cooking isn’t a necessary step – which is good, because they add some great ‘crunch’ to salads!
Note that all parts of sprouts can be eaten – the seed and stem!
12 Different Types Of Spouts
There are different types of sprouts, from sprouting seeds to sprouting legumes! Here are twelve of the best and more easy to grow:
- Alfalfa
- Broccoli
- Chickpeas
- Clover
- Kale
- Lentils
- Mung bean
- Mustard
- Pea
- Raddish
- Sunflower
- Wheat
How To Grow Sprouts
Let’s grow some sprouts!
What You’ll Need
You’ll need a few essentials to start growing sprouts:
- Glass jars
- Muslin cloth
- String
- Choice of sprouting seed
- Supply of fresh water
Growing Your Sprouts
- Select your seed or legume of choice. Try to buy seeds and legumes that are specific to sprouting as this ensures that they are very ‘clean’ from bacteria!
- Place the seeds or legumes into clean glass jars. Cover with cold water, and stir the seed gently.
- Place a square of clean muslin over the top and secure with string. This will help to keep any pests and flies out of your sprouts!
- Leave to soak as per the sprouting seed packet instructions. Typically you’ll be soaking for between thirty minutes and eight hours, depending on the seed or legume of choice!
- Drain the water away, rinse with fresh water, and draing again, making sure as much water as possible is drained out.
- Replace the muslin over the opening, and set aside.
- Repeat the process twice a day until the sprouts have grown to your preferred length.
I only sprout a small amount at a time, so that I can use them up within one or two days, but you can store them for up to a week in the refrigerator.
What Are Microgreens?
Microgreens are the very tiny stage of a plant, when just one or two leafs have formed.
They are grown in soil for the nutrient aspect, and take two to four weeks to grow!
Due to the way microgreens are grown, the seed is not eaten, only the stem and leaves, but they are full of nutrients.
Different Types Of Microgreens
Microgreens can actually be grown from many different seeds, including ones that we are very familiar with!
Some of the more commonly known ones are:
- Amaranth
- Arugula
- Broccoli
- Beet
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Chard
- Cress
- Cucumber
- Dill
- Fennel
- Lettuce
- Onion
- Radish
- Spinach
How To Grow Microgreens
Microgreens are as easy to grow as sprouts, but take a while longer before you can eat them.
What You’ll Need
You’ll need a few things to grow microgreens at home:
- A shallow tray with drainage holes
- Potting soil
- Seeds
Growing The Microgreens
- Start by making sure there are drainage holes in your shallow tray. We don’t want to drown our seeds!
- Spread a layer of potting soil on the bottom. I aim for 1.5 inches.
- Sprinkle over the seeds that you’ve chosen to use. If you’re mixing your seeds, try to keep them in clumps – it’s easier to harvest your microgreens if they then grow at different rates!
- Cover the seeds lightly with a lottle more potting soil.
- Use a spray bottle to moisten the surface of the soil with fresh water. You’ll want to gently spray the tray twice a day to keep the soil moist.
You can also place a plastic cover over the tray to try and speed up the sprouting process – I have a solid clear plastic lid with air vents so that I can still allow air to circulate while keeping some humidity! – but once the seeds have sprouted, remove and continue spraying with water until ready to harvest.
My Favorite Sprouts And Microgreens
If I were to select just two of each that I couldn’t live without, it would be chickpea and mustard sprouts, and arugula and raddish microgreens. Tasty!
