Sprouting at Home

Sprouting is easy! Anybody can do it. Here is what you will need to get started growing sprouts:

• Seeds
• A sprouting vessel 
• Trays
• Potting mix
• A sprouting rack
• A drain pan

Need some inspiration to get started? Try getting off the ground with some delicious crisp sunflower sprouts!

You can do this without building a greenhouse. Believe it or not, the best place for you to grow all your sprouts is right in your own kitchen – for several different reasons.

Temperature

The temperature in your kitchen is perfect! Most people find between 65 and 75 degrees F (17-22 degrees C) to be a comfortable setting in their homes. This just so happens to be the ideal temperature to grow your sprouts. This means you can grow sprouts all year long regardless of where in the world you live because you always grow indoors.

Humidity

The humidity in your kitchen is perfect! The excess moisture in the air will condense on the evaporator coil while the air conditioner is running during the warmer months. This will automatically keep the humidity below 50% which is what sprouts prefer.

Lighting

The light level in your kitchen is perfect! Just leave the lights turned on twelve hours a day and turn them off at night. You want plenty of indirect sunlight and plenty of artificial light to supplement for cloudy days (full spectrum is better than conventional). However, you do not ever want any direct sunlight. If you have direct sunlight hitting any of your sprouts they will get too hot and they will cook. You need at least 1000 foot-candles. This is the same as 1000 lumens one foot away from the sprouts. If you have direct sunlight coming in the window hitting your sprouts just put a sheer curtain up or tint the glass in the window. That will diffuse the intensity of the sunlight just enough so it will not cook your sprouts. 

Ventilation 

A little bit of gentle air flow is desirable. A ceiling fan on “low” somewhere nearby in the room is ideal. You could also use a pedestal fan or a tabletop fan. If you see the blades of grass moving as a result of the action of the fan then it is too high or it is too close. Just move the fan further away or use a lower fan speed setting.

Water Source 

The kitchen is also the best place to grow all your sprouts because you have a water source right in the same room at the kitchen sink. Remember, you will be watering twice a day - so you want to make this easy and convenient. You want to use fresh, filtered water for each soak and rinse.  The ZeroWater pitcher filter is a very cost effective choice. 

Space Requirements

Sprouting really does not require a lot of space. You can grow five pounds of food in the form of sprouts in one square foot of kitchen countertop space. This takes care of all the beans, legumes, and leafy sprouts. Using a tiered rack such as the seven-tiered Hydrosol rack, you can grow all the wheatgrass, sunflower, buckwheat and pea shoot sprouts you need for two people in two square feet of floor space. You can have a nice butcher block cutting board cut to size to fit over your stovetop and use that area for growing sprouts.