It was a delightful exercise, and even though I’ve since realised I prefer linseed seeds over linseed sprouts (they’re rather bitter!) I’m well and truly into the idea of farming seeds in my kitchen.

All you need to do to get the ball rolling is to open your pantry and start digging around. You’ll soon realize that you’ve got a bunch of babies ready to sow. Here are some seedy ideas:

• Linseed
• Mustard
• Fennel
• Fava beans or any dried beans
• Coriander
• Sunflower
• Buckwheat

Once you’ve decided what seeds you want to grow, grab a shallow tray like a seedling tray from a nursery, or you could even try an old baking dish (drainage isn’t so important with microgreens as they like the moisture and their lifespan is very short.

Fill your tray with potting mix/seed raising mix/compost to around 5cm, then add your seeds. Sprinkle them liberally over the surface – its gotta be fairly thickly covered.

Then add another shallow layer of potting mix etc. over the top – around 1cm in depth. Press down gently, water generously, and place the tray in a sunny spot in your kitchen/living room/bathroom.

The trick with growing tiny forests in your house is moisture and light. Keep your greens well watered – a mister is a great option – and ensure they’re getting lots of sun.

Hot tip: Soaking your selected seeds in water overnight before planting will kickstart the germination process

Eat them when you feel like it – some people say to wait until they have four leaves, but I say do what you want.

And since you’re asking, I also say this: Play! As I mentioned in the introduction – I grew my linseed seeds on a folded up piece of paper towel. I’ll grow some buckwheat soon, and will use potting mix, but the paper towel thing worked wonders for me and it was super easy. Don’t get fixated on following instructions – experiment and play and work out your own way of growing things. That’s the fun bit. So’s the eating… Thats good too. Yum!

–