5 steps to grow nutritious baby greens at home

Baby leaves are the plants that are harvested at an early stage, it typically takes around two to three weeks time to germinate. As the name suggests, baby greens are tiny leaves of different herbs and vegetables. Baby leaves are definitely something you should include in your daily bowl of salad. These greens are big in nutrition although they are tiny in size.

You must have often seen these small, tender, and juicy leaves in fancy restaurants. But now you can grow the baby leaves at home. Baby leaves are well suited for indoor and container gardening due to their small size. These bite-sized leaves are more nutritious than it’s counterparts. Here’s an overview of how you can grow baby leaves on your own.

How baby greens are different than microgreens?

Microgreens are the younger stage of the plant as compared to baby greens. Microgreens are consumed when the first true leaves appear. Whereas, baby greens are the next stage of plant growth. The average days for the growth of baby leaves take between 25 to 40 days depending on the type of baby greens. Baby leaves are less nutritional as compared to microgreens but still, they produce required nutrients and are consumed as a ready-to-eat salad.

Best baby greens to grow

Baby greens are like most of the leafy vegetables that we consume. It’s just that they are available in small sizes and easy to harvest.

The list of best baby greens include:

Spinach
Lettuce
Kale
Endive
Arugula
Watercress
Bok choy

Are baby leaves nutritious?

Baby leaves are freshly grown salad vegetables that are tender and tasty. But the question arises whether baby leaves are nutritious or not. Various studies have shown that the early harvested leaves are more nutritious than it’s counterparts. However, baby leaves are an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin K, magnesium, potassium, and calcium. In short, baby leaves are not just tasty but nutritious too.

How to grow baby greens at home

It is easy to grow a small patch of plants and when it comes to baby greens it takes little to no effort to grow.

1.Prepare the soil

In order to grow baby greens, you need to rake the soil, remove the rocks and weeds from the soil. After removing these things, prepare a smooth, level soil surface. If you are doing container gardening you can buy potting mix as well as soil. Growhub.ae provides quality soil and potting mix.

Sowing the seeds

Sowing these tiny seeds in a row can be a little frustrating. Instead, take seeds and sprinkle them over the soil. The seeds should be placed apart from each other by an inch. Moisten the soil while sprinkling seeds so that the seeds stick in a place. The seeds of baby greens need to be covered with compost or a fine layer of soil. Burying the seeds too deeply prevents them from germinating.

Watering the greens

Use a watering can to water the seeds, as a blast of water from a pipe or hose can easily wash the seeds and the soil away. Gently water the seeds until the seeds germinate. Also, keep the soil moist until the seeds germinate.

Growing the seeds

Cover the seeds with a cloth until you see them germinating. Once it germinates, keep the tiny leaves in sun for 5 to 6 hrs. If you are doing container gardening, it is advisable for you to keep the container in sunlight. You can also make use of grow lights, fluorescent lights, or white lights to grow the baby greens.

Harvesting the greens

It takes about 3 to 4 weeks to grow the baby greens. When the greens grow about 4 to 5 inches tall, use scissors to trim them. Make sure you cut the greens 1 inch above the soil line so they remain intact for regrowth. You can spray the greens with diluted organic fertilizer so they can regrow and you can harvest them again.

We know you are excited to grow your baby greens garden at home. That’s why we are here to help you with all the gardening essentials so you can have tasty and nutritious baby leaves.
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