Serving up sprouts and microgreens grown in your kitchen garden
Green leafy sprouts and microgreens are easy to grow indoors and can be used as a nutritious substitute for lettuce or as a delicious addition to salads, smoothies, sandwiches or wraps. You can even grow your own lentils, bean mixes, or kamut wheat as sprouts and add them to your favourite soup or stew recipes. First, what is the difference between sprouting seeds and microgreens?
Sprouts are normally grown for three to six days depending on the type of seed. Alfalfa sprouting seeds, for example, sprout in four to five days. Other examples of sprouting seeds include alfalfa, red clover, broccoli, radish, and mung beans.
Sprouts can be grown in fresh water in a wide-mouthed jar with a screen or a bit of netting over the mouth of the jar. Secure the screen or netting with a rubber band. Soak the seeds, rinse them twice a day and make sure they are well-drained between rinses. Once your sprouts are ready to eat, the whole baby plant including roots, stem and leaves can be eaten. Well-drained sprouts can be refrigerated for up to two weeks.
Green leafy sprouts and microgreens are easy to grow indoors. (Ruth Bonneville / Free Press files)
Another option is to grow sprouts in a hydroponic sprout grower, which consists of a plastic dish, dome and colander. Instead of sitting in water, the sprouting seeds or beans sit above water, however, rinsing is an important step, and the water must be replaced regularly.
Microgreens are larger than sprouts but smaller than baby salad greens. Microgreens are grown in a small amount of fresh medium such as soil or soilless mix. A depth of 4 centimetres (1 ½ inches) is adequate. Microgreen trays or shallow, lightweight containers with good drainage are recommended. Microgreens take longer to grow – 10 to 14 days.
Microgreens such as peas, beets, chives, mustard, sunflower, wheatgrass, etc., are harvested above their roots so only the stem and leaves are consumed.
What about light and temperature for optimum growing conditions indoors? In most cases, sprouts and microgreens grow well in a space that receives indirect sunlight. Avoid direct sunlight. Indoor temperatures should provide enough warmth. Follow package directions.
Local garden centres carry microgreen trays with drainage holes as well as a broad assortment of sprouting seeds.
Repotting a 10-year-old indoor plant and treating a whitefly infestation
Susan Bouchat is a Winnipeg gardener who maintains an extensive collection of houseplants. One of her many favourites is a 10-year-old hibiscus tree which spends each winter indoors in front of a sunny window and on her deck in summer. Bouchat’s hibiscus had outgrown its container and needed repotting. She also discovered a whitefly infestation on the undersides of leaves on her plant.
Houseplants benefit from repotting when their roots have filled the pot and begin growing out the bottom. Root pruning promotes healthy growth in older plants that have become pot-bound. Trimming off about one-fourth of the roots stimulates smaller feeding roots and promotes healthy growth in older plants that have become pot-bound.
Repotted hibiscus tree. (Susan Bouchat photo)
Repotting a large plant can be a messy job. Balmy weather in late November when the temperature rose to 6 C, made it possible to repot the hibiscus tree outdoors. With help from her husband, Denis, the hefty plant was moved onto the sunny deck which adjoins their house. “Thankfully, it was a remarkably warm day,” says Bouchat.
Bouchat also discovered a heavy whitefly infestation on the undersides of leaves on her hibiscus. Whiteflies injure plants by sucking plant sap. They excrete honeydew which results in a sticky residue on the surface of leaves. If the infestation is left untreated, black sooty mold starts to grow on the foliage and an otherwise healthy plant can become distorted and weakened. Bouchat removed the infested leaves and pruned back the stems by one third.
The hibiscus tree was then carried back indoors and carefully and awkwardly transported into the shower for a thorough washing. The “old gal”, as Bouchat affectionately calls her plant, will receive tender loving care over the winter months and be ready to return outdoors for the summer months.
Troubleshooting: If your houseplant is wilting within a day or two of watering or if the pot is draining as soon as you start watering, it might need to be repotted. Spring is an ideal time to repot many types of plants. But if your plant is showing yellowing leaves or a general lack of vigor, the problem might be due to excessive moisture in the root zone. If you are seeing signs of a pest infestation, try washing your plant with warm, soapy water. This can help to remove mealybugs which cause yellowing leaves and stunted growth as well as scale insects which can result in leaf drop or spider mites which leave yellowish splotches on leaves. Use 1 to 2 teaspoons of mild dishwashing liquid per gallon of fresh water.
Yan and Eve Cong release a butterfly in their milkweed garden. (Colleen Zacharias)
Drone photography gives you a whole new perspective of Yan Cong’s butterfly garden. In August I had a chance to visit Yan Cong’s butterfly garden for a story in my column. Richard Denesiuk, a hobby drone pilot, captured the beauty of Cong’s south Winnipeg garden in this unique aerial video which he took in early September. Forget winter for a few moments and enjoy this immersive experience.
Colour your world
• On Dec. 1, the Pantone Color Institute announced the colour of the year for 2023 — Viva Magenta. The Pantone Color Institute describes the hybrid colour Viva Magenta as a “nuanced crimson red tone that presents a balance between warm and cool” and calls it an “unconventional shade for an unconventional time.”
Each year, Pantone’s announcement of the colour of the year influences fashion and lifestyle trends. Viva Magenta’s influence will be seen in indoor as well as outdoor design elements from toss cushions to planters and plant palettes.
Magenta is an unconventional yet riveting colour in the garden. But where is magenta on the gardener’s colour wheel? Magenta exists halfway between red and blue. A secondary colour, magenta is formed by mixing two primary colours. While reds, oranges, and yellows are warm colours that appear to advance or come forward, cool colours such as greens, blues, and purples appear to recede. Colour can be used to manipulate space which is why it can be such a useful tool in the garden.
Do you need to be brave to use magenta in the garden? Magenta is a jewel-tone colour that combines well with cream, green, silver-grey, and blue-grey. A new flower introduction for 2023 that seems to perfectly capture the allure and mystique of Viva Magenta is Solarscape Magenta Bliss, an interspecific Impatiens that has large flowers. I trialed Solarscape Magenta Bliss in my garden last summer and was impressed with its performance and bold colour that doesn’t fade in sunny areas of the garden. Next summer, I plan to pair Solarscape Magenta Bliss with Chocolate Covered Cherry Coleus and a splash of cream-coloured flowers.
Pantone has announced that its Color of the Year for 2023 is Viva Magenta. Photo shown is Impatiens Solarscape Magenta Bliss. (Ball Horticultural photo)
• Orange is the new red. Are you ready for orange poinsettias? Poinsettias with orange bracts are being hailed as a breeding breakthrough. (The colourful modified leaf structures on poinsettias are bracts whereas the actual flowers are the small clusters of pea-shaped buds found in the centre). Poinsettia breeding is focused on uniform and attractive shape, strong stems, and optimal branching but distinctive colour is especially important. Poinsettias in classic shades of red are still the most popular choice but there are also yellow, cream, white, pink, maroon, marbled and speckled varieties. One variety, known as Tapestry, features bright red bracts with variegated green and creamy yellow leaves.
Now, poinsettias with orange bracts give consumers even more choices. Orange Glow poinsettia, a cross between a euphorbia and a traditional poinsettia, is a true orange. The dark green foliage provides a beautiful accent. Orange is a hot colour that makes a statement in the outdoor garden but typically it’s use is sparing. Indoors, an orange poinsettia could also be a statement piece that might capture renewed interest in this most traditional of holiday plants. After all, how many of your guests notice your red-coloured poinsettia? I can picture an orange poinsettia glowing in a candlelit room and might combine it with a red poinsettia and a yellow Kalanchoe plant. Are you ready to try an orange poinsettia?
Gift-giving ideas for the gardeners on your list
• Alumigreen plant tags are made of sturdy 12-gauge aluminium. Designed by Leanne Dowd, a Neepawa-area gardener, and sold by Prairie Smoke Growers, Alumigreen plant tags are made locally at a Hutterite colony. Each plant tag features a 20-cm spike for deep soil penetration and a large face plate that sits at a 90-degree angle for easy viewing from above. “This is the last plant tag you will ever have to buy,” says Dowd who uses the tags extensively in her Neepawa garden. Use embossing tape or a permanent metal paint marker to apply the plant name to the stake. It’s $25 for a box of 10 labels. Visit Prairie Smoke Growers or phone 204-721-0572.
• The Prairie Garden Climate-Aware Gardening published by The Prairie Garden Committee, a Winnipeg-based not-for-profit, is a timely gift for the gardeners on your gift list. Guest editor for this year’s publication — the 84th annual edition — is Dr. Danny Blair, co-director of the Prairie Climate Centre and a professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Winnipeg. This slim volume (191 pages) is filled with information on how you can create a climate-resilient garden written by knowledgeable contributors from across the Prairies. A best-seller, look for The Prairie Garden Climate-Aware Gardening at local bookstores and garden centres.
• The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener 2023 Calendar (by Workman Calendars and Niki Jabbour) features advice for growing your own food 365 days a year. Niki Jabbour is an award-winning Canadian author who gardens in Nova Scotia. With beautiful photography and timely advice for growers in every region and climate, this wall calendar costs about $22 and is available online and at Chapters Indigo.
The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener 2023 Wall Calendar by Niki Jabbour. (Workman Calendars photo)
• Tickets to The Leaf or an annual membership to The Leaf at Assiniboine Park opens the door to a plant-lover’s paradise. It is an early Christmas gift that I have already given to myself. For information on this must-see destination, visit www.assiniboinepark.ca.
The Babs Asper Display House will feature a rotating schedule of floral displays that will change four to five times per year, exploring seasonal and global themes. (Daniel Crump / Winnipeg Free Press)
• DIY Floral Bundle Dye Kits from Masagana Flower Farm & Studio include ready-to-dye silk (6 inches by 24 inches), farm-grown dried flowers, elastics, and instructions. The kits are $45, plus tax and $20 for shipping. Lourdes Still, flower farmer and operator of Masagana Flower Farm & Studio, located near Richer, says that once the flowers are placed in the silk scarf for bundle-dying, the silk is rolled and formed like a cinnamon bun and dropped into hot water. Types of flowers included in the dye kit are cosmos, coreopsis, marigold, and scabiosa.
• Give the taste of summer with the gift of homemade preserves. One Christmas I received a jar of pear and ginger marmalade with candied ginger and lemon slices from Marion Lewis, who I met through an acquaintance of my husband. It was an unexpected gift that marked the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Lewis grows Ure pear which was introduced by the Morden Research Station in 1978. The small, green-yellow fruit ripens in mid-September and is excellent for canning.
Lewis also grows dwarf sour cherries on her St. Norbert riverfront property. In past Christmases, her holiday menu has featured roast duck with sour cherry preserves. For dessert, Lewis likes to combine sour cherry preserves with sugar, vanilla and whipping cream which she serves with homemade ladyfingers.
Homemade jams and jellies, salsas, pickles, relishes, or fermented veggies are thoughtful gifts that everyone on your gift list will enjoy.
• Don’t buy these: In previous years, it has been possible to pre-order ladybugs in December for pick-up in late spring. Ladybugs are beneficial insects that devour aphids. I have never pre-ordered ladybugs in the past but this summer the thought certainly crossed my mind when all nine of my False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthus) plants were infested by hordes of red aphids. Interestingly, the plants were in four different locations of my garden and, fortunately, the aphids did not infest any other plant in my garden.
But pre-ordering ladybugs in December or at any time is not recommended. The horticulture industry has come to recognize that large-scale collection of ladybugs for resale puts wild populations at risk. The best thing any of us can do is to give nature a chance by encouraging plant diversity that attracts beneficial pollinators and insects of all kinds to our gardens.
Your questions, answered
Have a question for a gardening expert? Email us and we’ll seek answers from some of Manitoba’s most knowledgeable gardeners. If you’re asking about a problem with a plant or pest, including a photograph will help our experts diagnose the issue.
— Manitoba Master Gardener Association
“Please admire my plant!”
Winter berries (Becky Slater photo)
Got a fabulous flower blooming in your garden? A handsome houseplant? A ravishing radish or elegant eggplant? An attractive annual or pulchritudinous perennial? We want to see it.
Send your submission to us and we’ll feature your gorgeous growth in future issues of this newsletter. Please include a photograph, the name of the plant, your name and any details our readers might want to know about it. Please submit a photograph only if you took it yourself.
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