Welcome to my weekly microgreens update, where I talk about the latest information about my microgreens journey. I started playing with microgreens in March 2021 and found the process fascinating. Now, I am trying to experiment more with microgreens and see where it takes me.
Mold problem, too much humidity?
Mold has been a constant problem on my microgreens journey. Unfortunately, several factors make mold prosper, and my setup is not bulletproof against it.
For example, the area where I grow the microgreens tends to be very humid, which is a favorable condition for mold to grow.
I recently got a hygrometer to measure the room’s amount of humidity, and I am standing at about 67% humidity. According to some posts that I have read (Soak and Soil, and Donny Greens), the ideal humidity is anywhere between 40% to 60%, which means I could be slightly above the ideal humidity. Some people even recommend staying at 50% humidity.
So, how can I fight against this humidity? I am letting the garage door a bit open so it is not so closed and fresh air can come in from the rest of the house. Nevertheless, this is not a long-term solution, and I would potentially need to get a dehumidifier for the garage.
A dehumidifier could be the quickest solution to setting a regular and steady humidity in the growing room for the long term. I will do some research and try to get one in the next weeks.
Microgreens I started
Last week, I started fenugreek and red beet microgreens. It was my first time trying these seeds, and so far, I am not convinced about my results.
Fenugreek
The fenugreek seeds started well and growing fast, then, all of a sudden, they started slowing down their growth, and it seems like in the last two days, they haven’t progressed that much anymore. I always wonder what I am doing wrong. There’s a chance, though, that there is nothing wrong, and it’s just a slower seed to grow into its microgreen state.
I’ll keep working on my fenugreek seeds and see how it goes in the next few days.
Red beet
The red beet seeds have been a bit of a disappointment at this point. After a full week, I see that only about 1/5 of the seeds have germinated while the rest is dormant or perhaps dead. I will have to do some in-depth research to understand if I am doing something wrong or a normal situation.
Microgreens that were already there
Broccoli
The broccoli microgreens have become a staple in our home. It grows very well, it tastes wonderful, and it is very nutritious. What else could we want? I created a guide for growing your own broccoli microgreens if you are interested in doing it yourself.
Red cabbage
Everything was going great with the red cabbage until I suddenly spotted a small amount of mold. I almost gave up and discarded the whole batch, but I wanted to try to fight the mold back and see if I could recuperate the crop.
After noticing that the tray was way too humid, I decided to let air in and not water the tray again for a couple of days. Exposing the tray to light, air, and removing water eliminated the mold, and now our red cabbage crop is back on track and looking very healthy once again!
Next microgreens
To avoid experimenting too much and somehow guarantee that we can have at least a crop to harvest in two weeks, this time, I started a known seed, white mustard, and an unknown seed, Italian basil.
I am excited about the basil microgreens! I have never tasted it before, and I wonder how similar it will taste to the basil leaves. Maybe not at all!
Thank you for your time, and see you next week!
Dani
