Tray Set - 1/2 Crop

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 Micro-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 and our favorite, Coconut Coir. 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 excellent for Micro-Greens. Coconut Coiris is made from the outer shell of cocunts.  It is a medium that has remarkable moisture retention, and provides nutients as plants grow.  We mix in Earthworm Castings -  25% (by volume), to create an ideal medium for growing. We think you should try these 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 25% Earthworm Castings - when growing Sunflower Greens. You can use any sterile soil you like. Though expensive soils are fine, we prefer inexpensive. 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: 1/2-Crop Tray Set, 1-Crop Tray Set, 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 - or our simply marvelous Stainless Steel Sprouter 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! You will find instructions on our Leafy Sprout pages.

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.

Nursery Tray Sets - Assembly

Our 1/2 Crop Tray Set is singular.  Its footprint is only 10x10 inches! Now we can grow So Much More in our not-big kitchen!  Use the 10x10 Drip Tray as a base to catch any water that escapes your 10x10 Growing Tray - and top your Growing Tray with another 10x10 Cover.  

All of our other sets contain one 10x20 inch Drip Tray which is the Container for the tray(s) in which you plant. It keeps water +/or mud from messing up your home.

Single Crop Tray Set Planting is done in the Heavy Duty Tray with circular drainage holes. The Lighter weight Tray with drainage slits, is a 10x20 inch Cover Tray - to cover your planted tray.

Two Crop Tray Set Planting is done in two of the 10 Inch Square Trays. The other two are your Covering Trays.

Crop-a-Day/8 Crop Tray Set Planting is done in eight of the 5 Inch Square Trays. The other eight are your Covering Trays.

If you are growing indoors, you must use a solid Drip Tray as the base - it is just like keeping a plate under a houseplant. If you are growing outside you can safely skip the Drip Tray, though you should use one, if you are growing on Baby Blanket.

Notes

Cleaning: Scrub well between crops with soap and water. Rinse well!

Sterilize: Soak and scrub with a disinfectant as often as required. If your crop fails, it can be due to not having a sterile tray. Soap and water usually do the trick, but if not - use any disinfectant you are comfortable with. In our day, we used bleach water, but we dislike the toxicity of bleach, so we seldom use it, unless absolutely necessary. It is always true that; A clean sprouter produces the best crops.