Super delicious and ready in just over a week, arugula microgreens are easy to grow at home. Growing your own food can be a satisfying and tasty experience. These tiny greens taste way more fresh and flavorful than any green you’ll find at the grocery store. Also, it’s just fun to grow something from seed, and it makes you feel good to have something green growing that you took care of.
Arugula microgreens are super nutritious. They are loaded with vitamin C, beta carotene and other antioxidants that help fight free radicals and reduce inflammation. They also contain compounds that support liver detoxification and may help protect against certain cancers. Arugula is also known to protect heart health and eye health. Anyway, arugula microgreens are healthy, you were probably aware of that.
Supplies Needed to Grow Arugula Microgreens
- Organic Arugula seeds
- Coconut coir mixed with earthworm castings. See my detailed post on using Coconut coir for growing microgreens.
- A shallow tray with drainage holes. You can buy a 5 x 5 or 10 x 10 inch growing tray, or reuse a berry container with a lid, or a greens cloche with a lid (be sure to poke or drill small holes in the bottom for drainage)
- Spray bottle for misting
- Grow light and heat mat or a sunny windowsill
Prepare the Soil
Again, I have a detailed post for using Coconut coir for microgreens here. Start by hydrating your Coconut coir until it is soft and fluffy, think moist chocolate cake, not soupy. Mix in about 20% earthworm castings by volume. This gives the greens a little extra nitrogen and micronutrients, which they love. Fill your tray or berry container with the mix and smooth it out, pressing gently so the surface is even.
Sow the Seeds
Arugula seeds are mucilaginous, which means they form a gel-like sack when they absorb water. So there is no need to soak arugula seeds before sowing.
Sprinkle the seeds generously over the surface. Microgreens are grown thickly, so don’t worry about spacing. Gently press the seeds into the coir to ensure good contact, but don’t bury. Arugula seeds are surface sown. Give them a misting of water.
Blackout Phase
Arugula seeds germinate in the dark so block out any light. If you’re using a growing tray, use a second tray to cover. If you’re using a greens cloche or berry container cover with the lid and a piece of aluminum foil or a tea towel. Place the container on the heat mat and leave covered for two to three days. During this time the seeds will germinate and begin to push up. You will notice that the seeds become fuzzy. Don’t worry this is not mold, it is the root hairs forming from the seed. There should be no need to water at this time, because Coconut coir is excellent at moisture retention.
Give Them Light
Once the arugula seeds have sprouted and have leaves, it’s time to expose them to light. Remove the cover or lid and place them under a grow light or by a sunny window. They’ll green up fast and grow an inch or two over the next few days.
Watering
Coconut coir is excellent at water retention so not much watering should be needed. But if you notice the coir starting to dry out ( it will turn a light brown color ) you can mist with a spray bottle, or if you don’t have a spray bottle try watering from the side so you don’t damage the tiny little plants. You can also water from the bottom by setting the tray in a shallow dish of water for a few minutes, and the coir will soak up the water.
Harvest Time
Your arugula microgreens are ready are ready to harvest once they are 2-3 inches tall and have open leaves. Simply cut them just above the soil line with kitchen scissors or a serrated knife. Rinse and dry and consume right away. Microgreens don’t store that well, so it’s best to eat immediately, but if you need to store them put them in the fridge in a sealed container lined with a paper towel.
Final Thoughts
Growing arugula microgreens is simple, satisfying and seriously rewarding. The taste is so fresh and delicious. Try it once and you’ll probably want to have a tray growing all the time.
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