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.
A great harvest yield
We started a stack of four trays of Arugula microgreens two weeks ago, and we harvested them this week. We used 12 cups of coconut coir per tray, and the results were impressive!
- – Tray 1 (top): 162g.
- – Tray 2: 190g.
- – Tray 3: 211g.
- – Tray 4 (bottom): 204g.
We harvested a total of 767g and an average of 191,75g per tray.
We noticed that the two last trays (3 and 4) had more water than expected, accounting for the weight difference. So, why did the two first trays (1 and 2) have less water? Because the ventilators blow more wind to the trays that are further away from it, which are trays 1 and 2. Since trays 3 and 4 don’t get direct air hitting them, they stay a bit more humid, impacting the final harvest.
We will switch the trays the day before harvesting to get a bit more balanced to combat this problem. We will see if this little trick works.
One tray with an enormous harvest
We recently started a one tray experiment with Broccoli Calabrese because we wanted to record the whole process in detail by video. When we harvested the tray of microgreens, we realized that we had a great harvest! One single tray produced 284g of Broccoli Calabrese microgreens, which is more than we ever had before.
We believe the difference was using one tray with all our attention and not four different trays on a stack. We know that stacking is an excellent technique to start several trays simultaneously and save space, but it seems the single tray does better. We will need to do more experiments to see if this is accurate, though.
Slow and low seed germination due to low temperatures
Last week, we sowed five different seeds on our trays, Cress, Kohlrabi, Mizuna Red and Mustard Green. We noticed, however, that the germination rate was poor and slow. In the beginning, we thought that the quality of the seeds was poor, but then we realized that the real problem could have been the temperature and not the seed quality. At the moment, our garage is going as low as 17 degrees centigrades, which may be very low for growing certain seeds.
We will seek a solution to make our garage warmer, but that may include making an expense for a dehumidifier that regulates temperature. However, we believe it is not the right time to make such an expense, and we will make a minor adjustment to combat the temperature.
Instead of getting a dehumidifier, we will move the trays to another room nearby where the temperature doesn’t drop that much during the germination stage. Once these trays need light, we will relocate them to our farm. As our operation grows, we will probably need to buy a dehumidifier that also regulates the temperature.
Microgreens update
Our weekly giveaway is Arugula!
We grew four trays of Arugula microgreens, and we were happy to give them away to anyone interested in trying them. Several people came to try our microgreens, and we are pleased to say that we ran out of them quite quickly!
Broccoli Calabrese
Last week, we also started four trays of Broccoli Calabrese. These are looking great, and they will be our next weekly giveaway!
Cress, Kohlrabi, Mizuna Red and Mustard Green
These microgreens are doing well, but they are looking a bit empty since we had a low germination rate. We are, nevertheless, super excited about the colours and taste of these new microgreens! We will try again with all of these seeds with a higher room temperature and see if we notice a difference in the germination rate.
Thank you for your time, and until next week!
