Growing Your Own Wheatgrass & Sprouts
In this post from KP’s Kitchen, Kristi shares her knowledge on how to grow your own sprouts and wheatgrass. After spending a week at Hippocrates in Florida, building on her previous knowledge, Kristi is now the pro on how to grow your very own sprout and wheat grass gardens.
Incorporating sprouts and wheatgrass into your daily life is very easy. We include these nutrient rich seeds in our diet through juicing. Whipping up a quick shake in the morning is a great protein source as well and helps you start the day with energy.
Medicinally and nutritionally, sprouts have a long history as a “health food.” Sprouts are 10 to 30 times more nutritious than the best vegetables because they are baby plants in their prime. At this stage of their growth they have the greatest concentration of nutrients than at any other point in their life. Sprouts are highly digestible and release their nutrients easily due to their delicate cell walls and abundance of enzymes. When you apply water to seeds they come to life. By the natural process of transmutation, the vitamin, mineral, enzyme, phytonutrient, and amino acid (protein) content of germinated (sprouted) foods skyrocket! This phenomenon is most pronounced during the first twelve days of growth. This makes sprouts a true “Super food.” They are also biogenic and alive. Biogenic foods are foods that create new life when planted. Sprouts are alive and this life-force energy is capable of transferring their life energy to your body.
My kids and husband have come to love having sprouts and wheat grasses incorporated into their daily juices. For the kiddos, you can chop the sprouts up real small and they won’t even notice they are in their meals.
What to Know Before You Grow
Preparing to grow your sprouts and wheatgrass is fairly easy. You just want to make sure you have all your materials and seeds ready. Below I’ve outlined what you will need to get started.
Storage Rack & Tray Containers
You will need to select a storage rack for holding your plastic tray containers of seeds. Here is an example of my storage rack setup.You can purchase trays from a plant store or Amazon. We purchased our rack from Amazon as well. I have 6 trays on my rack. You can also purchase directly from Hippocrates.
You want to select a location that has plenty of daylight but not direct sun. You want low to moderate humidity – 50% or less is ideal. The temperature should be between 65-75F degrees. If you don’t have an area with daylight, you can purchase a few plants as I have shown in the picture.
Lastly, make sure you have a large tray under your rack to catch water.
Seed Varieties
Wheatgrass: Hard Red Winter Wheat
Sunflower: Black Oil Sunflower or In Shell Black
Pea Shoots: Peas for Shoots or Speckled Pea
Buckwheat Lettuce: Whole Buckwheat
I purchase my seeds directly from Hippocrates. You can purchase in 5lbs, 25lbs or 50lbs.
Storing Seeds
When storing your seeds, make sure they are stored at room temperature in an airtight container such as a jar or bucket. I recommend glass jars to avoid plastic. Mason jars work great.
Preparing the Soil
Select a potting mix to use. I recommend a blend of potting soil and sphagnum peat moss. The ratio is 75% potting soil to 25% Sphagnum Peat Moss. Make sure before mixing the two together to sift/screen. To do this, you can build a simple wooden frame that will fit over a wheelbarrow or large container. Affix at 1/2″ or 1/4″ hardware cloth to this frame. Work the soil or peat moss back and forth over the hardware cloth. This will break down the clumps, remove sticks and stones so it is loose and workable. After you have screened each, mix the soil and peat moss together.
Water
Make sure you use filtered water. You want want to fill up a few spray bottles with filtered water.
Measuring Out Your Seeds for Your Tray Size
Follow this chart to determine how much seeds you need per your selected tray size.
Step By Step Instructions on Growing Your Seeds
Step 1: Soak
Put desired amount of seed in socking pitcher or glass mason jar per the amount needed based on your tray size. Fill with 3 times the amount of water. Note: As you are filling or after you fill, stir to eliminate air bubbles. In the case of sunflower: they will float and will need to be stirred several times in the first hour of soaking to ensure all seed is wet and stays wet.
The seed should soak for 8-12 hours.
Step 2: Drain
Once the 8-12 hour mark has been reached, it is time to drain the seeds. You will need 2 pitchers.
Pour the contents of the soaking pitcher into the draining pitcher and rinse the seed with fresh water and allow water to drain.
Insert the drain pitcher into the sock pitcher. This allows any excess water to drain from the seed and contains it in the pitcher.
For smaller batches, you can use the sprout rinse toppers from Hippocrates to rinse your sprouts right in the glass mason jar.
Step 3: Rinse
This will be performed two to three times a day, approximately 12 hours apart.
Fill or flood the pitcher or mason jar with water.
Carefully stir seed. Allow see to soak for a minute or two.
Un-sleeve pitchers and allow to drain.
Rinse with fresh water and allow to drain.
Insert the drain pitcher into the sock pitcher. This allows any excess water to drain from the seed and contains it in the pitcher.
Step 4: Plant
The planting usually occurs 24-36 hours from the initial sock day and time. Example: You start soaking seed on a Monday morning; planting would likely need to occur on Tuesday morning or Tuesday evening. More important than time, this is what to look for; the roots will be emerging from the seed but should not be longer than the seed itself. This keeps them from becoming tangled and then damaged during the planting process.
Prepare your planting tray and your cover tray. Put approximately 1/2″ to 3/4″ of soil in each try.
Spread the soil evenly within each tray.
Compact the soil in each tray by placing another empty tray onto the soil and pressing down firmly.
Mist the soil of the tray you will plant your seed on until it is moist, not muddy.
Spread the seed onto the moist, compressed soil and spread evenly.
Water gently, so not to move the seed, bu thoroughly (just until it starts to drip then stop).
Nest your cover tray on top of the freshly planted tray. This keeps the freshly planted seeds in the dark & under pressure, which encourages even rooting and growth.
Place on rack.
Sunflower seeds will need to have a weight added to the tray on top (brick, old book, etc.) this helps the powerful seed to want to grow straight and evenly.
Step 5: Watering & Re-covering
This is to be performed every 12 hours until the sprouts have grown to the desired height of 1.5″ even with the edge of the tray.
Remove weighted cover tray.
Water evenly until soil is moist, not muddy. At this point the root system is not yet established therefore a heavy watering could wash soil through the holes in the tray.
If sprouts have not grown to the desired height, then replace the weighted cover tray.
If sprouts have grown to the desired height, then do not replace the weighted cover tray.
Step 6: Watering During the Greening Process
Now the plants will be exposed to daylight for the duration of the growing cycle. During this time, the greening process will take place.
This procedure is performed approximately every 12 hours until the harvest time.
Water evenly until water drips or runs through the bottom of the tray. The root system is now established and a heavier watering will not wash soil through the holes in the tray.
Step 7 Harvest:
This is performed when the crop is ready. Here are some things to look for:
Wheatgrass: Splitting or jointing phase – when a second blade of grass begins to emerge from the blade of grass. This could occur 9-11 days from the initial soak.
Sunflower: A second pair of leaves begin to emerge from between the first two “water leaves”. Harvest at the first sign of this. This could occur 10-12 days from the initial soak.
Pea Shoots: Cut these 10-12 days from the initial soak. Usage suggestion: use the top couple of inches in salads and use the lower, more fibrous, parts for juicing.
Buckwheat: Most of the hulls will have fallen off and the leaves will be green. Usually 10-12 days. Harvesting using scissors or a sharp knife. Cut as close to the soil mat as possible without cutting into the seeds, soil or yourself.
Step 8: Storage
I suggest storing the cut greens in a green bag with the air removed. Debbie Meyer Green Bags are impregnated with a natural mineral called “oya” that will absorb the ethylene gases that are released after harvest. Placing a paper towel in the bag will extend the shelf life. Place in the refrigerator.
Step 9: Enjoy!
Wheatgrass must be juiced in a juicer that specifies it is capable of doing so (auger design). The following measurements below will help you determine how many trays of wheatgrass to grow each week. The calculations are based on 10ml fluid ounces of juice from each pound of grass.
Size of Tray: 10″x10″: 10oz. / 10″x20″: 20oz. / 17″x17″: 28oz.
Pea Shoots can be juiced in a juicer that is capable of juicing wheatgrass or cut into 1″ pieces and added to salad.
Sunflower greens can be juiced, added to a salad, or simply eaten alone.
Buckwheat Lettuce makes a great addition to any salad.
Suggested for Additional Reading:
Wheatgrass Natures Finest Medicine by Steve Meyerowitz
Sprouts: The Miracle Food by Steve Meyerowitz
The Sprouting Book by Anne Wigmore
The Wheatgrass Book by Anne Wigmore
Living Foods for Optimum Health by Brian Clement
Life Force by Brian Clement
Sprout Garden by Mark M. Braustein
Credits: Kristi attended a week long stay at Hippocrates and the content written above is directly from Hippocrates.
