Growing Sprouts in Your Garden: Sprouting for Beginners

Sprouts are an excellent source of nutrition, in addition to being tasty. When you think of sprouts, you probably imagine alfalfa sprouts, like the ones used on sandwiches, or bean sprouts for stir-fry. However, just about any kind of uncooked seed or bean can be sprouted. You can even sprout nuts! Some sprouts can be eaten right away. Others will require cooking to be palatable.

Sprouting at home is fairly simple. All you need to produce delicious sprouts is warmth, moisture, and sometimes indirect light. Not all sprouts even need the light. For instance mung beans (the source of the familiar bean sprout) can be grown in the dark. You also don't need to devote much space to sprouts. For many of them, a jar will suffice. What is required to grow most sprouts is a few minutes of daily maintenance. If your sprouts are neglected, they could become bitter tasting or rot. However, since most types of sprouts grow quickly, you'll see a reward soon enough.

To get started sprouting, choose a type of seed. Radish, mung bean, alfalfa and barley are very common first sprouts. Bakers who'd like to include more nutrition in their breads often incorporate sprouted seeds as well, such as lentils or soy beans. Whichever type of seed or bean you use, soak it overnight in distilled water, until the seeds have swollen up. Then, discard your water. You can use seeds that have been specially packaged for sprouting, or use food grade seeds from other sources. However, the latter have a higher rate of failure, and are less likely to work for beginners. Never choose seeds that are intended for planting, since they may be coated in fungicides or pesticides.

Once you have soaked your seeds, you can prepare your container. A glass jar is a common sprouting vessel, because it's cheap and convenient. It's harder to get air to circulate in this kind of vessel, and it drains less well than others, as well as being harder to remove the sprouts if they grow too large. All these things can be overcome if you're careful, however, and a jar makes an easy first sprouter. Other sprouting vessels include specialized cups and flats which provide better air circulation and need less maintenance. If you're using a jar, cover it with a mesh screen, cheese cloth, or specialty sprouter lid.

Place your soaked seeds in the bottom of the jar, and rinse them in the morning and evening. Rinsing is vital to prevent a buildup of substances that can make your sprouts bitter and unpalatable. To make sure that the jar drains properly, prop slightly on its side, so that water can exit through the porous lid. Within a day or so, you'll see little green sprouts coming out of your seeds, and in a few more days, they'll be ready to eat.

Different seeds are sprouted for different periods of time. Most beans and nuts are sprouted for only a little while, and eaten before the sprout is longer than the seed. Alfalfa, radish, mung beans, and other sprouts are allowed to grow until they're an inch or more long. Be sure not to let them grow too long, however. They can begin to rot, spoiling the batch of sprouts. To harvest your sprouts, take them out of the jar, rinse them, and drain them in a colander. Don't let them dry out. Most sprouts will be edible for several days, and can be stored in the refrigerator. If you need more sprouts, just grow a new batch.