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Sunflower microgreens growing in a glass dish by a window.

Sunflower Microgreens (Complete Guide without Soil)

Juliette | Flourishing Kitchen
Let’s dive into the world of growing sunflower microgreens (a complete guide without soil) in 10-14 days.
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Prep Time :14 days
Total Time :14 days
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Raw Vegan
Servings :1 batch

Equipment

  • Glass jar with a lid for soaking seeds
  • 6x8-inch Growing tray or dish plus lid
  • Growing mat cut to size
  • Spray bottle
  • weight, such as a tin can

Ingredients
  

  • 24 g Black sunflower seeds

Instructions
 

  • Soak sunflower seeds. Add sunflower seeds to a jar and top with plenty of water. Allow them to soak for 8-12 hours or overnight. This is the only time the seeds should sit in water.
  • Rinse and drain. Rinse and drain the seeds well using a strainer every 8-12 hours (twice daily) until first signs of germination when you can see tiny little shoots appear.
  • Add seeds to a growing tray. Wet the growing mat and squeeze excess water out. Place inside a tray or dish then spread the seeds out evenly over the top.
  • Cover. Cover the tray with an inverted lid then add something heavy on top to weigh them down for the first few days. I like to use a tin. For larger trays use more than one tin or maybe a brick.
  • Keep seeds moist. Mist the sunflower seeds lightly with water twice each day (morning and evening) to keep them moist, being careful not to over wet.
  • Expose to sunlight. Once the sprouts have grown to about an inch tall, remove the lid. Place the tray somewhere bright so they can grow tall and start to green.
  • Water twice daily. Check the greens daily, morning and evening, and water lightly. See notes below.
  • Harvest when ready. You can harvest the sunflower microgreens from a few inches tall, typically after 10-14 days. By this time they may be 6-8 inches tall. Using a pair of scissors, snip from above the mat. Rinse and lightly dry on paper towel before use.

Notes

Watering

As the roots begin to grow through the mat, I like to water them by adding a small amount of water to the bottom of the tray. If you leave them for a minute or two, the roots will soak up what they need. Be sure to drain out all the remaining water by tippping it at one end. 

Storing

Store sunflower microgreens in a suitable container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Growing

For standard 10x20-inch growing trays I use 60g of black sunflower seeds. Check your seed supplier or use an online seed growing calculator for exact details to match the size of your container.
Tried this recipe?Please let me know in the comments below