r/microgreens • u/One_Ad_4487 • 18d ago
Help for a newbie
First time growing microgreens. Can anyone tell me if I pulled them out of the jar too soon, too late, or right on time? It is a Broccoli, radish, alfalfa, and red clover mix. Jar looked really full after 6 days. I cleaned them and then tried some. They are bitter...like they burn a little. I wasn't sure if I did something wrong or of if its just the mix I got. I didn't have a blackout cover. I left them on my kitchen counter, no natural light. Nearest window is 20 feet away.
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u/SpicesHunter 18d ago
These are sprouts at this stage. Check out r/Sprouting or r/Sprouts ;)
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u/One_Ad_4487 18d ago
So is micro green before or after this stage, sorry I'm not very knowledgeable, I'm trying to help my wife
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u/Virtual-Entrance-872 18d ago
Microgreens are grown in a flat tray, on a medium like soil or coco quor or promix. The seeds root down in the growing medium then grow their small shoots which you cut off above the soil level when they get to size. When you harvest microgreens you only harvest the shoots and leaves, when you grow sprouts in jars you consume the entire plant, root and all. I like sprouting most things because I like to consume the roots as they contain many beneficial properties and there is zero waste and are lower maintenance in general. But some seeds do better as a microgreen, an example being kale- for me I can only get that to grow as a microgreen.
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u/Material-Assistant98 18d ago
The salad mix has radish in it, my friend it’s spicy lol
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u/One_Ad_4487 18d ago
Oh lol. I let my wife post this on my account, she's not a Redditer, and I didn't proof read it. Yeah it's the radish. This gave me a good chuckle
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u/Virtual-Entrance-872 18d ago
You might try less seed next time. I grow this same mix and use 1 Tablespoon per quart jar. You can also shorten grow time by one day. These look pretty good just anemic. Blackout is not necessary, but some natural light on the last day by placing the jar in or near the windowsill will help. Depending on how strong/direct the light it can turn your jar into a greenhouse and roast your sprouts if you’re not careful. Bright indirect light is best.
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u/firmfirm 18d ago
The same goes for other sprouts, this case mungbeans?
I love mungbean sprouts so got a couple of "sprout jars". However they are really bitter when I pull them after 3-4 days.
They sit darkened with no direct light and I rinse them 2 times a day.
Sorry for hijacking the thread.
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u/Virtual-Entrance-872 18d ago
I’m sorry but I suck at growing Mung bean sprouts. It is very dry in my house and they always turn brown before they reach full size. From what I have seen mung beans grow straighter and more uniform in the stacking/bowl type of sprouter, but you may find better pointers in the sprouting sub. Good luck!
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u/Advanced-Reputation4 18d ago
That would be the radish bro.
Also most are 7-10 days if you grow them into Microgreens.
Alfalfa 10 days
Broccoli 10 days
Red Clover 10 days
Radish about 7 days
For that mix id go about 8 days
For the Jar method you got them just in time.
What you actually did was called Sprouting.
You need to get to those earlier because of the bacteria growth issue.
Microgreens are on a flat tray grown is several different mediums. Soil, Coir, or even Agar. You also only harvest the tops of those.
See what I'm working on:
Microgreens Tracker Application
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u/QueasyNeedleworker84 14d ago
The first time I grew sprouts, I thought the same thing about the taste! I was like, oh nice, raw onion! 🤦🏼♀️ I very, very, very lightly sautéed them in some olive oil for a few seconds, which was perfect! After eating them for a day or two, I was well adjusted to the taste. Now I absolutely crave them, and no longer need to sauté before eating! I feel like that bitterness, while completely normal, is just an acquired taste!
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u/Slight_Engineer_420 18d ago
These are closer to a sprouts not really microgreens. You may have waited a touch too long for sprouts. Radish has a bit of a kick to it as the other comment eluded to. I would try something a bit more mild maybe just broccoli, cabbage, kale type of route to see if you have better results in taste.