Growing windowsill leaves and shoots for eating

[MrsCordial]

DH and I get through a lot of bagged salad - I know, I deserve to be drummed off the board. I have all sorts of salad things on the go in the veg patch but they won't be ready for a while, so I'd like to grow some shoots and microgreens in tthe kitchen. My q is this:

Do I need to acquire special seeds, or can I start off anything I have and just eat the shoots? I'm thinking of Kelvedon Wonder peas, spinach, herbs (coriander, parsley, basil), lettuces of all sorts, kale, salsola and anything else I'd eat as a leaf.

I buy the large packs of mushrooms that come in A4-size plastic boxes - could I use that as my growing tray?

The aim of this is to use what I have rather than spend a bomb on special things. Will that work? Thanks.

[veggiechicken]

Yes, it'll work If you want really cheap pea shoots a box of "leo" type dried peas from the supermarket will keep you going for months!.

[Bex]

Agree with veggiechicken, don't sow expensive pea seeds just to eat the shoots, I use dried peas from supermarket, cost me 50p.


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[MrsCordial]

Thanks Sorry to be so dim, but when you say dried peas, what exactly do you mean - yellow split pea sort of thing? I have a sack of those, I love them.

[veggiechicken]

Split peas won't grow as they are only half a pea!!
You need this sort of pea

[Two_Sheds]

when you say dried peas ...

the marrowfat type, that you buy in the pulses section of the supermarket, with the kiddly beans


You could also sprout some mung beans, if you like those. I have them every day in sandwiches, salads or stir fries: very very cheap protein

[MrsCordial]

Cool, thanks both. I've never bought that sort of pea so am blundering about in the dark a bit, but will have fun experimenting

[Two_Sheds]

Don't try sprouting any seeds that are meant for growing into plants, in case they've got fungicide on them. Use "eating quality" seeds

[veggiechicken]

Here are some Leo peas that I grew on - just to see what the peas were like

[MrsCordial]

Thanks TS. Am I more likely to get those from the food aisle of a supermarket than a garden centre? How would I go about growing herb shoots from that point of view?

[veggiechicken]

Yes- supermarket/health food/ethnic shops.
Buy coriander seeds meant for cooking in big bags too - not the weeny little spice jar ones.

[MrsCordial]

Ethnic shops are a bit thin on the ground in north Herefordshire I'll start with the pea shoots and see what else I can find.

[veggiechicken]

The big supermarkets sell coriander seed in bags if you go to the Indian aisle - much better value than the ones in the herbs and spices aisle!!

[Two_Sheds]

Am I more likely to get those from the food aisle of a supermarket than a garden centre?

They'll be 100 times cheaper, that's for sure

The big supermarkets sell coriander seed in bags

... or in the dried herbs & spices section.
You can get mustard seeds too, for sprouting or micro-greens (although I haven't tried those myself)

[MrsCordial]

This is all brilliant - thank you so much. Just to be clear on one thing: if I have loads of leaf-type plant seeds knocking about that I'm unlikely to use in the veg patch, is there any reason why I shouldn't use them for microgreens? I have a load of seeds that feel out of a pack that are a mix of basil, parsley and coriander. I have more of all of those already than one person could ever use or give away, so I'd like to use them for microgreens. There wouldn't be an issue with fungicides for leaf-type plants, would there? I get the point for plants that go on to produce a fruit that you use, I see that they are best avoided unless the seeds are specifically food-grade.