🌱 A Little Green Experiment at de Beerhorst

There is almost always something growing at de Beerhorst. Sometimes it's a row of cucumbers, a pumpkin plant taking over far more space than we planned, or trays of young seedlings waiting for their moment to move outside.

And now we've started experimenting with something much smaller: microgreens.

Nothing commercial. No huge growing racks or hundreds of trays. Just a few little trays at home, some seeds, a bit of growing medium and a curiosity about what we can grow.

And that's really how most things at de Beerhorst start. “Let's give it a try and see what happens.”

🌱 Tiny plants, very quick results

We're used to growing vegetables the traditional way. Put a seed into the soil, look after it, wait patiently... and eventually, hopefully, there is something to harvest. Sometimes that waiting can feel very long!

Microgreens are completely different. These are plants that we harvest while they're still very young. Instead of waiting for a radish, broccoli or pak choi to become a full-sized vegetable, we can enjoy the young plants within days or a couple of weeks. And that's what makes them so interesting.

You sow the seeds, give them some water and light, and then suddenly the tray starts changing. First a few little shoots. Then more. And suddenly there is a miniature green carpet sitting in front of you.

It's surprisingly satisfying to watch.

🥬 We already have many of the seeds

Another thing we like about microgreens is that we don't necessarily need a whole collection of special seeds. Many of the vegetable seeds we already have can be used. Radish, broccoli, cabbage, kale, mustard, pak choi and peas are all interesting ones to experiment with.

Of course, because we're going to eat the young plants, we make sure the seeds we're using are suitable and untreated. But apart from that, it's quite nice to look at a packet of seeds and realise that it can have more than one purpose.

A packet of radish seeds doesn't only have to mean radishes later in the season. It can also mean a tray of spicy little greens next week.

🌱 The same little setup can start our garden plants

And this is where the experiment becomes even more useful for us. We don't only use the trays for microgreens. Sometimes we use the same basic setup to give seeds for our vegetable garden a quick and protected start.

Rather than putting every seed directly outside and then waiting for the weather to cooperate, we can start some of them indoors where we can keep an eye on temperature, moisture and light.

It doesn't need to be complicated. A little growing medium, some water and enough light can make a surprisingly big difference during those first few days of a plant's life.

Once the seedlings have developed enough and the conditions outside are right, they can move on to their real home in the garden.

We particularly like this because the little growing area isn't just producing something that we eat immediately. Some trays give us a harvest in a matter of days, while others are helping us raise the young plants that will eventually become part of the garden.

So in a way, we've created a tiny nursery without really intending to.

🌿 From tiny seed to garden plant

There is something rather special about watching that process. A seed that initially looks completely insignificant starts to change. First comes a tiny root, then a shoot, and before long there is a little plant standing upright and reaching towards the light.

With microgreens, that's almost the end of the journey. With our garden seedlings, it's only the beginning.

The same little tray can therefore represent two very different journeys. One might end up on our plate next week, while another might eventually become a cucumber climbing up a trellis, a cabbage growing in the garden or another vegetable that we won't harvest for months.

We like that connection. It makes the growing process feel continuous rather than divided into separate projects.

✂️ And then comes the best part

Of course, with microgreens, the reward comes very quickly. When they're ready, we take the scissors and harvest them. A little handful might go into a salad, some onto a sandwich, or perhaps we'll add them to an omelette or simply use them to give a meal a bit of fresh green colour and flavour.

And there's always that small moment of satisfaction: “We grew that.” Even if what we've grown is only a handful of tiny leaves.

🌱 We're still learning

We're certainly not experts at this. We're figuring it out as we go. Some varieties seem to germinate quickly, others take a little longer. We're learning how much water is enough, how densely to sow the seeds and how much light the young plants really need.

And, of course, we're also discovering which ones we actually like eating. That's probably the most important experiment of all.

There will undoubtedly be successes, and there will probably be a few trays that don't go quite according to plan. But that's gardening. You experiment, you learn and you try again.

🌱 Small for now — and that's exactly how we like it

For now, microgreens are simply another little experiment at de Beerhorst. We're not trying to turn the house into a microgreen farm. We're just having fun with it.

A few trays, a few different seeds and a little bit of space are enough to keep us interested. If we end up loving them, perhaps we'll grow a few more. If we discover that only one or two varieties are really our favourites, then we'll grow those. And if we eventually decide that we'd rather spend our time growing enormous cucumbers and pumpkins outside...

That's fine too. 😂 There are no production targets here. No requirement to maximise yield. Just the pleasure of growing something ourselves and learning along the way.

🌿 Another little experiment at de Beerhorst

That's really what we enjoy about our garden. Trying things. Growing things. Sometimes getting it right. Sometimes getting it completely wrong. Discovering something new. And occasionally finding something that makes us think:

“Why didn't we try this years ago?”

Microgreens are our latest little experiment. They're small, they're simple and they're wonderfully quick. And the same little growing setup can also help us give our future garden vegetables a head start.

So while the garden outside is waiting for its next season, there's already a little garden happening inside.

A few seeds today. A little green tomorrow. And perhaps a whole vegetable garden a little further down the road.

🌱 That's more than enough for us.