Tray - 10x10 Planting OR Cover

Please Note that all of our Tray pages have the same text below this point. We love when folks read our stuff, but we thought we should warn you....

Between 1993 - 2003, Sproutpeople produced over 200 tons of sprouts, plus tens of thousands of trays of both Grass and Greens, using Trays like these. Before I proceed, I have to warn you that our pages refer to these in various ways, due to my unwillingness to settle on one alone. When we were new to sprouting, we were told these were called Flats. If you buy plants at a Greenhouse or Nursery - and you buy them by the Tray - that is still commonly referred to as a Flat of plants. The other word that enters in is Nursery, because a Greenhouse is also known as a Plant Nursery - so sometimes I refer to these Trays as Flats, or Nursery Flats, or Nursery Trays. It's all the same thing; a Tray by any other name is still a Tray @:-)

There is little need for a home grower to grow such large amounts of Sprouts, that Trays would make sense - though we will someday be adding information here on our site - or in a book, which will detail methods of growing sprouts in these, and in buckets - for small wholesale and farmer's market growers.

For now, these Trays are not a good choice for sprouts because their drainage slits/holes are poorly laid out, in most cases. They are just swell for Grass and Greens though.

When growing in Trays, you also need a medium. We have grown Grass and Greens - on soil - in Trays, for many years. Now we have alternatives: Soilless Planting mediums - Baby Blanket, Vermiculite, and others. We also have liquid Kelp Fertilizer, to help you and your crops, when growing without soil. Baby Blanket is a thin organic material that holds moisture quite well. It is perfect for Micro-Greens. Vermiculite is a mineral that is heated to 1,600° and then expands in a worm (verm) like shape, into an extremely light planting medium that has remarkable moisture retention. We think you should try these and our other mediums, to discover what you prefer working with. You should use Kelp Fertilizer too, if you grow soilless - it can make a whole lot of difference.

If you want to stick with soil: You can use any soil you like for most crops. We used sterile bagged composted cow manure for all of our Grass and Greens. It provided the extra nitrogen those plants like. We add even more nitrogen - mixing into our soil about 20% Earthworm Castings - when growing Sunflower Greens. You can use any sterile soil you like. Though expensive soils are fine, we prefer inexpensive 40 pound bags of sterile cow manure. Whatever you choose - be sure it is free of chemicals!

Each 10x20 inch tray will grow 1-3 pounds of Greens or produce enough Grass to yield 10-20 ounces of Juice! Use your math skills if you are using a smaller Tray @:=)

For Sprouting Instructions, click the name of the Seed or Mix you want to grow.

FOR USE WITH THESE SEEDS/CROPS

These seeds are a Perfect match for Trays

Grass and Greens - Every one!

Micro-Greens - If you want big crops; this is the way to go!

You can also Pre-Sprout all of the big seed Greens and all of the Grasses in Trays.

These are Possible in Trays

If you're sprouting big seeds, you can use Trays. You will need to use our 10x10 or 5x5 Trays - and you will have to pay some extra attention to Draining. You can also use our Tray-Sets which include those trays: 2-Crop Tray Set and 8-Crop Tray Set.

Beans - All

Mung Beans - Big and Little Sprouts are Possible.

Grains - The Big Ones Only.

Nuts and Seeds - Almonds, Pumpkins, Peanuts, Sunflower. Any big enough, not to fall through the drainage slits.

These are Impossible to grow with Trays

Until we get Trays with smaller drainage holes/slits, or find the time to tell you how to make them, we just can not advise you to sprout these seeds in these Trays. For now, stick with SproutMaster for Tray growing.

Leafy Sprouts: Alfalfa, Clover and Mixes - When you grow these in a tray they grow vertically, roots down, leaves up! It is very beautiful! We look forward to showing you how - someday!

Brassicas - Broccoli, Radish, Mustard, Cabbage, etc. These are great in Trays as long as you remember to keep them from forming a mass. We look forward to sharing this too, someday.

Exotics - Garlic, Fenugreek, Onion, etc. Like the others - currently impossible.

PseudoGrains - These too will have to wait.

Note

You CAN grow any of the Leafy or Brassica sprouts as Micro-Greens. Just follow the directions on a seed/mix detail page.