Posted by Wayne Robinson
sprouting seeds - alfalfa

Sprouting Seeds enable you to have all year round availability of highly nutritious food that is 'sow' easy to grow. All you need is a jar, oh and some water. A fantastic accompaniment to growing microgreens/microleaves for a mini indoor garden...all year round! 

Here's our guide to growing Sprouting Seeds:

Equipment for growing Sprouting Seeds: 

  • Wide mouth jars e.g. Ball Mason wide mouth (wide mouth is important as the sprouts need room to expand and air to circulate)
  • Lid
  • Sprouting Seeds 

Culture

  1. Make sure that the jars are super clean and sterile
    Lid options:
    - Use screw top lid and simply drill or punch several holes in the lid – but not too large, the water needs to be able to drain, but not the seed!
    - An alternative could be Muslin cloth secured with a rubber band around the neck of the jar
    - Replacement lid with fine sieve built-in
    Place seeds in the bottom of the jar and cover with water 
  2. Use water that is at room temperature…water that is either too hot or too cold can shock the seeds. Cold water can also slow the germination process
  3. Don't put too much seed in the jar, allow the seed sufficient room to expand…insufficient space will lead to mould issues as air cannot circulate sufficiently
  4. After the initial soak, the water needs to be emptied and filled back up with room temperature water
  5. Turn the jar upside down and let the water drain out, the seeds should be left damp and not swimming in water
  6. Rinse 2-3 times per day with room temperature water
  7. Continue the rinse cycle until harvest 

Hulls may be removed but they are not harmful to eat, removal helps to minimise spoilage in storage.

Varieties of Sprouting Seeds:

Variety Days to Sprout Harvest Length Character
Alfalfa 3-5 3-5cm Nutty and mild
Beetroot 6-8 2-5cm Earthy mild beetroot
Broccoli 5-7 3-5cm Spicy
Fenugreek 3-5 3-5cm Rich
Onion 12-14 2-5cm Mild onion
Radish 2-5 1-3cm Peppery and spicy
Red Cabbage 4-6 2-5cm Mild cabbage

 

For our extensive range of Sprouting Seeds

alfalfa sprouting vegetable seeds