A beautiful little French sprouter, just for Micro-Greens. One of our favorite customers sent us his to try out. We fell in love with it - searched for, and found a supplier so we could offer them to you. Perfect for mini crops of gourmet
Micro-Greens at home or even at the "office".
The Miniature Garden is totally unique! It is small and so, more for fun than for serious production. It comes with 4 small bags of seed from the manufacturer (It isn't much seed. Just consider it a bonus.), and reinforced felt pads.
The pads don't hold up well over time, but you can grow several crops on the same pads if you follow our cleaning instructions. We do sell replacement pads.
We also sell an inexpensive compostable planting medium called Baby Blanket - which you can buy, cut to size or in bulk
(which is much less expensive, of course).
If you want to grow bigger crops of Micro-Greens you should look at the Hemp Bag and - if you want serious production - our selection of Trays -
which can also be used with Baby Blanket or other Mediums.
The Miniature Garden measures 5 inches x 4 1/2 inches.
It has 4 trays which have water retaining pads in them. The pads are 3 3/4 x 4 1/2 inches. The trays slide into the main structure, for storage, and out for growing.
Capacity: 1/4 teaspoon - 2 teaspoons of dry seed per tray.
See the Seed's Detailed Instruction Page for specifics.
Eat More Sprouts + Grow More Often!
For Sprouting Instructions, click the name of the Seed or Mix you want to grow.
FOR USE WITH THESE SEEDS/CROPS
Seeds to Sprout
in the Miniature Garden
This Sprouting Device is made for just one thing!
The Perfect match for the Miniature Garden:
Micro-Greens - Any very small seed can be grown into a plant (when it buries it's roots in something (a medium) and we harvest the crop by cutting it just above
the medium; we call it a plant). Here are a few of the seeds that you can use to grow Micro-Greens on the Miniature Garden:
Note: Some of these very small seeds form gel sacks around themselves when they come into contact with water. You NEVER Soak these seeds when growing them alone.
They are called Mucilaginous:
Cress, Arugula, Flax, Chia, Basil, Rape (Canola), Mizuna.....
The same goes for our fabulous Micro-Mix: Bruno's Indoor Garden.
Other small Non-Mucilaginous seeds which can be used on the Miniature Garden and which can be Soaked and even
Pre-Sprouted, include but are not limited to:
Alfalfa, Clover, Mustard, Radish, Cabbage,
Broccoli, Cauliflower, Turnip, Kohlrabi, Kale, Collards, Garlic,
Leek, Onion.......
Impossible?:
Everything except small seeds that produce edible plants. Well - - you could grow Grass or Greens, so you could grow big seeds, but - they will have such massive
root systems that they might outgrow the shallow Growing Trays. If you want to try big seeds - be sure to use Baby Blanket. The big root systems of bigger plants would likely make the
Miniature Garden Pads impossible to clean.
Miniature Garden Sprouting Instructions
Specific Sprouting Instructions are found on the page devoted to the Seed or Mix you are interested in.
Below are the specifics of the Miniature Garden.
Not all seeds require this step. See the seed information page to see if you need to do this for the seed you are growing.
You'll have to use something else to do this, the Miniature Garden is just for growing.
You'll have to use something else to do this, the Miniature Garden is just for growing. Don't Soak unless directed to on your Seed's Detailed Info Page.
There is no Rinsing with this process but there is Watering. It is important to keep the medium moist so that your Micro-Greens
can grow well and happily. These are very small and tender plants, so water from the side - not down onto or through the plants. It is easy to water from the edge of the Tray. You might also consider adding a Spray Bottle,
and possibly some Liquid Kelp Fertilizer to your sprouting supplies.
Sprouting
Between Waterings is when your Micro-Greens really grow. We like a room-temperature (70° is always optimal) spot with plenty of light.
If you over-water the Pads you can tip the Tray to let excess water run off.
Seed Specific Sprouting Instructions
If you have a particular seed type in mind, read on to discover further details of that seed type as pertains to the Miniature Garden.
Refer to the seed's main information page for detailed instructions.
Maximum Capacity = 2 Teaspoons of dry seed per Tray
PLEASE read your seed's Detailed Instruction Page for more information. Please!
The growing method is virtually identical for all:
Micro-Greens
The seed information page will have specifics.
As mentioned above you can use virtually any small seed. Here are links to the main Type pages for the seeds that are easily grown with the Miniature Garden:
Here is the method:
•Soak and/or Pre-Sprout if necessary - do not Soak
straight Mucilaginous seeds!
See the seed's information page for specifics!
•Set the Miniature Garden in the spot where you want to grow.
•Wet the Pad or Baby Blanket thoroughly.
•Spread seeds on Pad - don't crowd them, they want some room to breathe.
•You may "cover" the lower 3 Trays during the 1st couple days to help retain moisture, by sliding them into the Base. Be sure to slide them out when the Micro-Greens begin to grow or
you'll never get them out. Covering is optional but we suggest that you experiment with covering to see what works best for you - in your climate and with the particular seeds you are growing. The most important factor is........
•Keep the Pads moist (not so soaked that the seeds drown, just thoroughly moist).
You'll have a great crop of Micro-Greens in a week or two (perhaps a bit longer depending on your climate and what you are growing).
Cut them off with a scissors and enjoy the ultimate gourmet vegetable. Cleaning the Miniature Garden is easier if you let the remaining plant material dry out completely.
Miniature Garden Assembly
Place a Felt Pad or Baby Blanket (or similar water retaining medium) in the Tray(s) in which you will be
growing.
Slide the Tray(s) into the Base.
When growing; the Tray(s) are usually slid out so that they are just hanging on to the Base. You may leave the top Tray in, but the lower Trays need to be out so you can maintain your crop and harvest it when done.
Notes
Cleaning: Between crops: Scrub the plastic trays and base well with soap and water. Rinse well!
Sterilize: Scrub and soak the plastic trays and base in bleach water. We do this every 3 - 4 crops because a clean sprouter produces better sprouts and sterile is the way a sprouter should be at the
start of any crop.
The Pads: Pull out any roots that will come out easily. Those that remain need to dry, so let the pads dry for a day or 2 or 3 - until the plant material is dry and flaky. With many Micro-Greens this
extremely dry plant material will virtually disappear as it dries, but what doesn't you should try to pull gently from the Pads. Do not scrub the pads - they can't take it! If you are using Baby Blanket Pads,
just compost them.
About the Pads: As stated above, the Felt Pads that come with this sprouter won't last long. If you handle them gently and follow our cleaning instructions (above) they
will last longer, but in any case - it isn't long enough. You can however substitute with any material that holds water. We love our soilless planting medium, Baby Blanket - it is inexpensive and compostable, so you'll never have to clean a pad again!
When you buy Miniature Garden replacement Felt Pads, they come with 4 packs of seed (from the manufacturer) - the same seeds that came originally with your Miniature Garden -
so it is actually a pretty good deal when you consider how much those seeds cost when purchased alone. We do not guarantee those seeds, but historically they work well. The way we see it; they are just a bonus.
Manufacturers instructions are included with the Miniature Garden but as is so often the case - they are silly! This manufacturer is particularly silly however, so we suggest that you follow our directions and throw the manufacturers version
away. If you do follow theirs you should regard it as an experiment.
