Grow Your Own Microgreens

Our goal for this workshop is to make urban farming more accessible to a wider range of people, and to give them hands-on experience. In our previous research project, we realized that a lot of people see urban farming as an unattainable concept that requires high technology and a lot of time. In order to change this prejudice, we wanted to find some simple and feasible activities that would allow students with busy academic lives to really experience urban farming during their precious time away from school.

Growing microgreens is easy and doesn’t take long. Choosing it for the workshop will prevent participants from being discouraged by failed attempts to grow the plant. At the same time, thanks to microgreens short maturation period, participants can harvest the results more quickly.

For the workshop, we first introduced what microgreens are. They are defined both by size and the length of the growing cycle. Microgreens are young vegetable greens that are approximately 1-3 inches tall, maturing in 2 to 3 weeks.

Microgreens have an aromatic flavor and concentrated nutrient content. They are rich in vitamins (e.g., vitamin C), minerals (e.g., copper and zinc), and phytochemicals, including carotenoids and phenolic compounds, which act as antioxidants in human body.

Mung bean microgreens prefer dark environments, so we don’t need to place them under sunshine. Instead, it’s better to grow them in an opaque milk carton or cover the container with a mat. To avoid microgreens from having mold or going bad, we have to drain the excess water after watering them.

In order to keep the workshop sustainable, we recycled delivery food boxes and milk cartons, converting waste packaging materials into containers for growing microgreens.

How to grow your own mung beans:

STEP 1: Soak a moderate amount of soybeans or mung beans in lukewarm water for 5-8 hours (prepared before workshop) 

STEP 2: Take a container (such as a plastic box, milk carton, or mineral water bottle), and make some small holes at the bottom, allowing water to flow out of the holes while preventing the beans from falling out.

STEP 3: Place a layer of thick tissue paper at the bottom of the container, and then spread a layer of pre-soaked soybeans or mung beans on top of the tissue paper.

STEP 4: Place the box filled with beans under running tap water for about 30 seconds to allow the beans to absorb an adequate amount of water. Then, wait patiently for all the water in the box to drain out through the small holes at the bottom of the box.

STEP 5: Cover the beans with a layer of thick tissue paper or a piece of cloth 

STEP 6: Water the beans 2-3 times a day (the same as STEP 4) 

STEP 7: Wait for 5-7 days to harvest and enjoy a nice dish with microgreens grown on your own! 

Before the event, we considered sprouts and microgreens as the same concept, but through pre-event research and hands-on growing experience, we discovered that the two concepts are actually different. What we harvested after one week of growing is only sprouts, and it still takes 1-2 weeks for the sprouts to grow into microgreens. Sprouts have no obvious leaves and stems while microgreens develop tender leaves and sprouts in the growing process. Microgreens are primarily harvested for their tender leaves and stems, which are often used for garnishing, seasoning, or as ingredients in dishes. They have a delicate texture and rich flavor. Differently, sprouts are commonly used for stir-fries, soups, and salads. They tend to have a crispy texture and refreshing taste.

This event successfully attracted both NYU Shanghai faculty and students to actively engage in hands-on practice of growing microgreens, and it’s great to see all of them enjoying the growing process and actively asking insightful questions out of curiosity and interest. Some of the participants have heard of how to grow mung bean sprouts before but never get the opportunity to experience the entire process firsthand. Surprisingly, they discovered through the event that growing microgreens in their own kitchen was much easier than they had previously expected. Inspired by the event, many of the participants express their desire of trying to grow more mung bean sprouts or other kinds of microgreens on their own in the future. 

The process of growing mung bean sprout proved to be both simple and environmentally friendly. Moreover, the freshly harvested sprouts have a tasty flavor, combining the essence of beans with the crispness of sprouts, surpassing the taste of store-bought alternatives. Furthermore, eating and cooking self-grown food makes people feel safer and more satisfied, adding highlights to the overall experience.

Written by: Jessie Xia and Sherry Qiu