Welcome to the weekly oh! nènè microgreens update, where we talk about the latest information on our microgreens journey. We started experimenting with microgreens in March 2021 and found the process fascinating. As we discover the wonderful world of microgreens, we feel inclined to share with you our progress.
Stacking trays and weight
We know that adding weight is essential when starting a tray of microgreens. We have talked about the advantages adding weight has for the seeds when they are germinating. For example, the roots seek water by growing strong directly in the medium.
When we started stacking our trays to become more efficient during the germination process, we knew that we had to add weight to the tray on top. After a couple of trials, we noticed that the tray on the very top was the one getting all the advantages of having that weight directly on top, while the other three trays beneath were not enjoying the benefits as much. The lowest tray seemed to be the worst, meaning that it wasn’t looking as good as the other three trays.
Weight distribution
We were scratching our heads about the weight on the trays and how we could fix this minor issue. We understood that the brick pushes the top two trays from the centre, and both push the seeds down to the medium very well. However, the weight of the brick doesn’t push enough the medium in the third and fourth trays. To solve this issue, we decided to add more coconut coir to the third and fourth trays, so both mediums would be higher and touch their top trays better.
If we are correct, we will see an improvement in the germination of all four trays when stacking. We started our first experiment this weekend.
A bunch of new bricks
We were hunting for new bricks because we only had four old bricks at home, which is not enough to sustain a more significant microgreens production. We contacted a few people via Facebook Marketplace and found the perfect bricks to use for our trays. Best of all? We got the bricks for free!
These bricks weigh about 3kg each, and they are the perfect size to use with our trays. We will use two bricks per stack.
Weekly microgreen giveaway
At the same time, there are still several things that we need to figure out about our business, and we are trying to master our technique to grow microgreens. While we do all that, we are producing microgreens that we are happy to give away to our early supporters and anyone interested in getting a taste for our tiny greens.
Our first giveaway was the Radish China Rose that we started two weeks ago! We gave away all the four trays of microgreens to several enthusiasts who came to pick up their share!
Do you want to get some microgreens for free?
Register to our waiting list by going to our homepage, and we will send an update every week with the harvest of the week. Then you can come to our urban farm and grab your share of fresh microgreens!
Microgreens update
Last week, we started four trays of arugula with the stacking technique. The four trays did great, with no signs of mould and very even germination across the four trays. The tray on the top did better than the tray on the bottom, but the difference is almost negligible.
Broccoli Calabrese
This week, we are starting once again Broccoli Calabrese. This time, we will try to amend the weight problem so that all four trays have the weight distributed evenly.
Thank you for your time, and until next week!
