Early Retirement Extreme Forums

$1 per Day for Microgreen Superfood

https://www.youtube.com/edit?ar=1&o=U&v ... xdWMu-Zwpc

If I can learn to compost the potting soil and reuse it, I should be able to get the cost down to $0.50 per day for about 130 grams per day of a microgreen mix which is designed to have the highest amount of nutrition possible.

I stay away from sprouts because of the potential issues. I'm not meticulous enough to attempt them safely. I stick to microgreens. I like them better anyway and they don't mind a little neglect.

Freezing sounds like a good idea, it should preserve nutrients. I have a dehydrater, and dried a Wellness Mix batch, but the sunflowers did not dry as quickly as the broccoli and radish. Next time I will dry only the broccoli. My goal is to create a powder which can be put into capsules. Drying may decrease the amount of nutrients, I don't know for sure.

I prefer fresh but would like to have a supply for travelling.

@sky -- I watched your new video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBigNH4EjGU

I only use my heat mats at night and only during the colder months of the year. I use natural sunlight and keep my seedlings next to the window so I need the mats when the temps are cold. I'm not sure if you'd need them in a room that maintains a constant temperature.

I am trying to get the sunflowers to mature earlier and to drop their hulls. I now have a piece of plywood over the heat mat, which should protect the tray from too much heat. I will start the next test batch tomorrow.

@sky -- What is the purpose of the box in your new video? Is it mostly for climate control? (sorry if I missed it)

It keeps dust, insects and rodents away from the greens. It allows me to use low power fans and lights. I hope to use the boxes outside in sunlight in the future, or at least have that option.

I will be adding led strip tape lights under the lid eventually.

I will probably add thermistors to monitor temperatures of the soil and air. At the moment I have fairly simple timers running the pumps, heat mat and lights, but I may find that I can increase yield with a more complex system that reacts to temperature and humidity, and changes the watering schedule over time.

@sky -- Why do you soak your microgreens before putting them into the salad spinner?

It helps separate the sunflower hulls from the greens. I don't soak the broccoli.

We put microgreen production into high gear as soon as things got really bad. I'm planting almost every day. They will be our greens until the lettuce and spinach come up in a few weeks. They really are a lifesaver in this kind of situation since you can harvest them in less than two weeks. We could go without, but I don't want our health to suffer while we wait for the garden to start producing and I don't want to drain my frozen vegetable supply too quickly.

A recommended source for low cost seed:

http://seeds.toddsseeds.com/wholesalesproutingseeds/

I have not tried this vendor yet.

sky wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 30, 2020 8:43 pm

A recommended source for low cost seed:

http://seeds.toddsseeds.com/wholesalesproutingseeds/

I have not tried this vendor yet.

I have. The last purchase was a 10lb bag of broccoli sprout seeds more than two years ago. I bought more than I needed and kept them in storage for a year while we were traveling. They are still sprouting perfectly. Recommended.