🌱 A New Instructional Video on Sunflower Greens 🌱
A New Video:
Growing Sunflower Greens
We've been trying to make this one for ages
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Growing Sunnies is challenging at first, but it won't take you long to master the crop - with the help of our amazingly thorough - and shockingly long instructional video - Growing Sunflower Greens (microgreens).
NEW SUNFLOWER GREENS VIDEO ONLINE
After several attempts over more than a decade, we have finally published a video showing how to grow Sunflower Greens (Microgreens). We show two methods - one crop just covered and the other crop with a weight atop the seeds. It’s a great Instructional video if I (Gil) do say so myself. It really covers everything you need to know to grow great crops of Sunflower Greens - and it should - because it is the longest video we’ve made to date - at over 55 minutes!
We show you every step in detail and though I talk too much (as usual) - this video will teach you how to grow this relatively difficult crop, and will answer a lot of questions along the way. You'll be growing like a pro in no time.
It's a truly remarkable crop. It yields about 5 pounds of Greens for every pound of seed planted - using the Coconut Coir and Earthworm Castings medium used in the video. 1 pound of Sunflower Greens Seed will plant 10 crops in the sSSSprouter.
We currently have lovely all black, Black Oil Sunflower seeds - in shell - which is what you need to grow Sunflower Greens. They are the same seeds we use in the video. FYI - We were growing and selling these years before we heard the word Microgreens. Since these are such big seeds - relative to most Microgreen seeds - and because we're old (school), we've stuck with the word Greens, but modern folk may prefer Sunflower Microgreens. A rose by any other name....
Here are the items used in the Weighted portion of the video..
Sunflower Greens Seed
small Stainless Steel Sprouter
Coconut Coir Growing Medium
Earthworm Castings Fertilizer
Spray Bottle
Liquid Kelp Fertilizer (optional)
You can also use Plastic Nursery Trays to grow in. They too can take weight. We offer several options.
SEEDS RETURNING TO SPROUTPEOPLE
We will have Beets back in stock any day now. We tested several lots several times and decided to go with Detroit Dark Red, which besides growing beautiful leaves as Microgreens (Beets cannot be grown as Sprouts), can also be planted in the garden where it will grow nice big roots of the typical deep maroon Beets are known for. We've grown them for years.
We also found - after many months of searching - Quinoa which sprouts faster than any Quinoa we’ve seen this millennium! Back in the 90’s it seemed like every lot of Quinoa would start germinating before it was even done Soaking - which it only does for 30 minutes. Since it gained fame in the early 2000’s it has become increasingly more difficult to find such vigorous seed - but we finally have. It’s coming in the next couple weeks. You can sign up to be notified when it goes back in-stock, on our Quinoa page.
BIRD CUSTOMERS
It was a because a regular customer (thank you Brenda) asked us - 25 years ago - to make mixes for birds, that we have mixes for birds. Back then we sought help in making our mix recipes from other bird seed sellers, avian veterinarians, and customers. Our Bird Mixes are our most complex blends. They take longer to mix than any of our other mixes. We offer four - Lil’ Bird, Mid Bird, Big Bird, and Dr. Bird - which is an allergen free mix that we made up after enough people asked for one - and offered advice.
Today we are asking for your input. If you have ideas about our Bird Mixes - including changes to our current blends or new mixes - please let us know and we’ll consider it. Please send pictures of your winged children too, so we know who’s asking =:-)
IRA, DJANGO, & GUS
Spring is here! It’s still cool, wet, and windy- but I and Ira are spending more time in the garden. This past weekend We planted Sugar Snap Peas, Spinach, Lettuce, Cilantro, and Pak Choi. Before the new moon we planted Potatoes, Beets, and Carrots. Our Garlic and Onions are growing well and we’re still picking Chard from last year’s crop. Our Asparagus is coming in now too. Making that bed almost killed me 5 years ago - but it was worth the effort for truly fresh Asparagus! Ira loves it too - especially when we butter it.
All 3 boys are thrilled that it hasn’t rained in 5 days and all are spending more time outside as a result. Everyone is well and happy.
Sam and Lori were with me in the garden on Saturday last - with Django and Ira. Sam got Ira to pose for him and took almost 2 dozen great pics of him. I'm only sharing this one and the next. Maybe they'll appear later.
He's so expressive - and oh those eyes!
Gus in one of the kitty condo pads. He's wearing his GPS on his collar - because he gets to go outside during the day - and his tail is sticking out the other door.
Django inside his new toy/bed. Thanks again Paula! DJ loves this thing.
Sam goofing with his kid brother, Ira - who is laying on our volunteer potato bed.
Sam and Ira hanging out by the 3 year old hay bale that Ira (and Chester before him) uses as a bed in the garden.
Ira draped in his favorite blanket.
Ira met Bambi, a lovely little dog who is being fostered and will soon be up for adoption. Of course we're thinking about adopting her - but what we really want is to rescue a Smooth Fox Terrier and an English Bull Terrier. The 3 of them would be like living in a circus full of happy clowns.
Ira laying on his bed that stays in the back seat of our car - on his way to work.
Essentials for those new to the world of Indoor Farming...
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SPROUTS AND MICROGREENS
To us the difference is that with Sprouts we grow with nothing but water and we eat the entire crop (with the possible exception of hulls and roots that grow out the bottom of our Stainless Steel Sprouters) - and they are alive when we eat them. Microgreens are grown on a medium and we harvest them by cutting them just above that medium - at which point they move from alive to not. Raw, great, delicious - just not alive.
While I'm on this subject I need to explain why we have two different names for the same seed - like Broccoli Sprouts and Broccoli Microgreens. This is the same seed. The difference is that each crop has its own page - you go to the Broccoli Sprouts page to learn how to grow the seed into Sprouts and you go to the Broccoli Microgreens page to learn how to grow it into Micros.
This seed will also grow a full sized - which is like 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide - Broccoli plant in a garden - given the proper climate and encouragement.
SEED STORAGE
If you don't yet know how to get the longest life for your seeds - and prevent pests - visit our Seed Storage page. The best way to store seeds is in the freezer, but do not use the refrigerator as its humidity fluctuations can harm seeds. There's a bit more to it - so perhaps just visit the page =;-)
Grow to Live - Live to Grow.
Be well and happy.
Gil + Lori
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Sproutpeople.org is an encyclopedic resource of our creation - for indoor farmers of Sprouts, Microgreens, and Grass. It is so enormous that it gives some the impression that we are a big business. The reality is that we are basically 2 people who eat and breath Sproutpeople - and 2 part-time helpers (one being our son). Our site has been online since 1996. It's the employee that allows us to serve all of you.
Every Seed and Mix we offer has a profoundly detailed page devoted to it. Those pages feature two sets of Growing Instructions (Brief for the experienced and Detailed for the not yet experienced), a Video, Photos of the crop growing day-by-day, Recipes, Crop Specific Notes, Nutrition Info, and quite a bit more. Each of our Supplies also has a detailed page.
Our vast content is organized with Tabs (on computer) and Pull-Down Menus (on mobile devices). Click/Choose, for example Detailed Instructions on the page you go to when you click any of the pictures surrounding this text - and you will be presented Seriously Detailed Instructions. Click around. Growing Photos. Notes. Recipes. Please let us share what we know.
We survive by selling on the internet, but we live to educate anyone who wants to learn about growing sprouts and microgreens. Learning is what the internet was actually built for, so we're really just doing our part.
Please enjoy sproutpeople.org
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