“What do you recommend for growing microgreens and baby lettuces? I am interested in buying your products at retail for now to test.” Question from Karman of Indianapolis, Indiana
Answer: We recommend growing microgreens and baby lettuce in OMRI Listed Black Gold Seedling Mix. Our seedling mix holds water well and is porous and fine, to encourage the development of small roots and shoots. To find BG seedling mix, search for stores that carry it in your area via our Store Finder or purchase it online at Ace Hardware or Urban Farmer. We also recommend purchasing seeds from a quality source, such as High Mowing Organic Seeds, Johnny’s Selected Seeds, and Truleaf Market. They all offer a wide selection of microgreen seeds.
When growing microgreens at home, we recommend starting them in well-drained flats or large seedling trays as you would start any seeds. (Click here to read our many useful seed-starting blogs.) Fill the pots with a pre-moistened seedling mix, evenly sprinkle seeds along the top at a good density, and cover the seeds with a plastic hood to keep them from drying out. Place the flats in a sunny window or beneath grow lights, then keep them lightly misted and irrigated until they have sprouted. Once they have sprouted and begun to develop second leaves, microgreens can be harvested.
When growing baby lettuce, space seeds around 1 square inch per seed, being sure to surface-sow them (lettuce seeds need light to germinate). Once the lettuce plants have sprouted and developed several sets of leaves, they can be harvested. I also encourage you to watch the video below about great lettuce varieties and how to grow them.
“What is the best window to place my herbs in during the winter? We’re growing basil, parsley, and oregano.” Question from Gregory of Gloversville, New York
Answer: Most culinary herbs are sun lovers, so choose a south-facing window, if you have one. The sunniest window you have will be your best window for herbs.
For more information on how to make the most of your indoor herbs, read this blog article about Bringing Herbs Indoors for Winter, and watch our video (below) about the best herbs for indoor growing!
“What are the best LED grow lights for indoor growing of herbs and vegetables?” Question from Terrance of Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Answer: It is essential that LED lights be labeled as “full-spectrum” for indoor growing. Without going into too much detail, LEDs must provide light at the wavelengths needed for full plant health, growth, and flower and fruit production. This is because plant chlorophyll gathers light at wavelengths over a broad spectrum (view the chlorophyll wavelength chart by clicking here).
There are lots of companies that produce full-spectrum LEDS for indoor growing. Some of the more respected names in LED grow lights for serious growers and pros include California Lightworks, Fluence Bioengineering, and Lumigrow. Smaller LED grow light sets for hobbyists are also available. Look for good reviews to get a sense of quality and customer satisfaction.
Large LED grow light systems can be quite pricey, but they work the best. If you invest in some, be sure your plants are placed close enough to the bulbs for good growth and spaced well to capture full light on all sides.
Still, no indoor grow light works as well as natural sunlight. A room lit with sky lights, a sun room, or a greenhouse will always give you the best growing results.
Cut-and-come-again lettuce is the perfect cool-season crop for fall and winter gardens.
Windowsill greens, such as small lettuces and micro-greens, are fast-growing and gratifying. Growing them indoors is a piece of cake, as long as you have good sunlight, quality soil, the right watering regime, and some gardening know-how. Start with the right greens, master some of the cultural basics, and you’ll be eating fresh salad through even the coldest winter months.
Growing Windowsill Greens
Planter troughs or window boxes can be purchased in a variety of sizes and are best for growing windowsill greens. Adequate pot and soil drainage is a must for success. Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Mix is a great mix choice. It provides superior moisture retention, excellent drainage, and is specially formulated with a controlled release fertilizer that feeds plants for up to six months. Just be sure to fill the pot to a depth that allows at least 2” of headspace at the top for watering and planting.
Planters should be placed in as sunny a location as possible. Supplemental light can be provided with the use of broad-spectrum grow lights, but natural light is best. When watering, provide just enough water to wet the soil—allowing the mix to dry slightly between. Once plants are actively growing, the need for water will increase. Just be sure to avoid wet soil, which can rot roots and encourage soil-borne pests and pathogens, such as shore flies and fungus gnats. (Click here to learn how to rid pots of fungus gnats.)
Salanova Red Incised Leaf grows well in pots and is pretty in salads.
Seeds can be directly sown on the soil’s surface or seedlings planted. The seeds of many greens require light to germinate, so surface-sow seed for best results. This means gently sowing the seeds along the soil’s surface and keeping them lightly moist. Once they have germinated, thin seedlings to around 2 to 3 inches apart. This is a little closer than outdoor-grown greens, but denser plantings yield more greens indoors.
Finally, be sure you choose the right crops for indoor growing. Here is a sampling of the types of salad greens you might consider:
Micro Lettuce
Mixed Salanova baby lettuces (55 days from seed) are a great, fast choice for indoor growers. They form dense, small heads that are sweet and crunchy. The mix offers a variety of purple- and green-leaved selections. Baby Leaf Mix is another great choice. Rather than heads, this mix offers cut-and-come-again looseleaf lettuces that produce edible greens in just 28-35 days from seed.
‘Red Russian’ is a lovely kale that can be harvested young and grown indoors. (Photo care of Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
Baby Kale
Looseleaf kales germinate fast, grow quickly, and can be clipped back regularly for home salads. There are several varieties to choose from—‘Red Russian’ and ‘Toscano’ being two of the best. Both are mild and produce edible leaves in just a few short weeks.
Baby Chard
Just about any chard can be grown inside. All are tender and can be harvested young. Most growers opt for colorful varieties because they are high in antioxidants and look pretty in salads. Bright Lights Mix and ‘Ruby Red’ are two festive chards that always taste great when young.
Mizuna
One of the fastest greens for growing is mizuna. Popular in Japanese cooking, its tasty leaves have a mild, spicy flavor and look feathery and pretty in salads. Purple mizuna is a popular choice that will begin to produce edible leaves in just 21 days.
Mustard Greens
The easy-to-grow micro mustard green ‘Green Wave’ is so easy and delicious that you will wonder why you didn’t start growing your own greens sooner. It produces harvestable microgreens just two weeks after germination. Grow plants a little longer to harvest larger leaves.
These are just a few of many salad greens for indoor growing. Gardeners new to indoor growing may want to try one or two greens, like lettuce and kale, before experimenting with other types. One good success will get you hooked.
Cut-and-come-again lettuce is the perfect cool-season crop for fall and winter gardens.
Windowsill greens, such as small lettuces and micro-greens, are fast-growing and gratifying. Growing them indoors is a piece of cake, as long as you have good sunlight, quality soil, the right watering regime, and some gardening know-how. Start with the right greens, master some of the cultural basics, and you’ll be eating fresh salad through even the coldest winter months.
Growing Windowsill Greens
Planter troughs or window boxes can be purchased in a variety of sizes and are best for growing windowsill greens. Adequate pot and soil drainage is a must for success. Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Mix is a great mix choice. It provides superior moisture retention, excellent drainage, and is specially formulated with a controlled release fertilizer that feeds plants for up to six months. Just be sure to fill the pot to a depth that allows at least 2” of headspace at the top for watering and planting.
Planters should be placed in as sunny a location as possible. Supplemental light can be provided with the use of broad-spectrum grow lights, but natural light is best. When watering, provide just enough water to wet the soil—allowing the mix to dry slightly between. Once plants are actively growing, the need for water will increase. Just be sure to avoid wet soil, which can rot roots and encourage soil-borne pests and pathogens, such as shore flies and fungus gnats. (Click here to learn how to rid pots of fungus gnats.)
Salanova Red Incised Leaf grows well in pots and is pretty in salads.
Seeds can be directly sown on the soil’s surface or seedlings planted. The seeds of many greens require light to germinate, so surface-sow seed for best results. This means gently sowing the seeds along the soil’s surface and keeping them lightly moist. Once they have germinated, thin seedlings to around 2 to 3 inches apart. This is a little closer than outdoor-grown greens, but denser plantings yield more greens indoors.
Finally, be sure you choose the right crops for indoor growing. Here is a sampling of the types of salad greens you might consider:
Micro Lettuce
Mixed Salanova baby lettuces (55 days from seed) are a great, fast choice for indoor growers. They form dense, small heads that are sweet and crunchy. The mix offers a variety of purple- and green-leaved selections. Baby Leaf Mix is another great choice. Rather than heads, this mix offers cut-and-come-again looseleaf lettuces that produce edible greens in just 28-35 days from seed.
‘Red Russian’ is a lovely kale that can be harvested young and grown indoors. (Photo care of Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
Baby Kale
Looseleaf kales germinate fast, grow quickly, and can be clipped back regularly for home salads. There are several varieties to choose from—‘Red Russian’ and ‘Toscano’ being two of the best. Both are mild and produce edible leaves in just a few short weeks.
Baby Chard
Just about any chard can be grown inside. All are tender and can be harvested young. Most growers opt for colorful varieties because they are high in antioxidants and look pretty in salads. Bright Lights Mix and ‘Ruby Red’ are two festive chards that always taste great when young.
Mizuna
One of the fastest greens for growing is mizuna. Popular in Japanese cooking, its tasty leaves have a mild, spicy flavor and look feathery and pretty in salads. Purple mizuna is a popular choice that will begin to produce edible leaves in just 21 days.
Mustard Greens
The easy-to-grow micro mustard green ‘Green Wave’ is so easy and delicious that you will wonder why you didn’t start growing your own greens sooner. It produces harvestable microgreens just two weeks after germination. Grow plants a little longer to harvest larger leaves.
These are just a few of many salad greens for indoor growing. Gardeners new to indoor growing may want to try one or two greens, like lettuce and kale, before experimenting with other types. One good success will get you hooked.
Cut-and-come-again lettuce is the perfect cool-season crop for fall and winter gardens.
Windowsill greens, such as small lettuces and micro-greens, are fast-growing and gratifying. Growing them indoors is a piece of cake, as long as you have good sunlight, quality soil, the right watering regime, and some gardening know-how. Start with the right greens, master some of the cultural basics, and you’ll be eating fresh salad through even the coldest winter months.
Growing Windowsill Greens
Planter troughs or window boxes can be purchased in a variety of sizes and are best for growing windowsill greens. Adequate pot and soil drainage is a must for success. Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Mix is a great mix choice. It provides superior moisture retention, excellent drainage, and is specially formulated with a controlled release fertilizer that feeds plants for up to six months. Just be sure to fill the pot to a depth that allows at least 2” of headspace at the top for watering and planting.
Planters should be placed in as sunny a location as possible. Supplemental light can be provided with the use of broad-spectrum grow lights, but natural light is best. When watering, provide just enough water to wet the soil—allowing the mix to dry slightly between. Once plants are actively growing, the need for water will increase. Just be sure to avoid wet soil, which can rot roots and encourage soil-borne pests and pathogens, such as shore flies and fungus gnats. (Click here to learn how to rid pots of fungus gnats.)
Salanova Red Incised Leaf grows well in pots and is pretty in salads.
Seeds can be directly sown on the soil’s surface or seedlings planted. The seeds of many greens require light to germinate, so surface-sow seed for best results. This means gently sowing the seeds along the soil’s surface and keeping them lightly moist. Once they have germinated, thin seedlings to around 2 to 3 inches apart. This is a little closer than outdoor-grown greens, but denser plantings yield more greens indoors.
Finally, be sure you choose the right crops for indoor growing. Here is a sampling of the types of salad greens you might consider:
Micro Lettuce
Mixed Salanova baby lettuces (55 days from seed) are a great, fast choice for indoor growers. They form dense, small heads that are sweet and crunchy. The mix offers a variety of purple- and green-leaved selections. Baby Leaf Mix is another great choice. Rather than heads, this mix offers cut-and-come-again looseleaf lettuces that produce edible greens in just 28-35 days from seed.
‘Red Russian’ is a lovely kale that can be harvested young and grown indoors. (Photo care of Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
Baby Kale
Looseleaf kales germinate fast, grow quickly, and can be clipped back regularly for home salads. There are several varieties to choose from—‘Red Russian’ and ‘Toscano’ being two of the best. Both are mild and produce edible leaves in just a few short weeks.
Baby Chard
Just about any chard can be grown inside. All are tender and can be harvested young. Most growers opt for colorful varieties because they are high in antioxidants and look pretty in salads. Bright Lights Mix and ‘Ruby Red’ are two festive chards that always taste great when young.
Mizuna
One of the fastest greens for growing is mizuna. Popular in Japanese cooking, its tasty leaves have a mild, spicy flavor and look feathery and pretty in salads. Purple mizuna is a popular choice that will begin to produce edible leaves in just 21 days.
Mustard Greens
The easy-to-grow micro mustard green ‘Green Wave’ is so easy and delicious that you will wonder why you didn’t start growing your own greens sooner. It produces harvestable microgreens just two weeks after germination. Grow plants a little longer to harvest larger leaves.
These are just a few of many salad greens for indoor growing. Gardeners new to indoor growing may want to try one or two greens, like lettuce and kale, before experimenting with other types. One good success will get you hooked.
