Children have gotten a green project at hand this winter. It’s all about growing microgreens and vegetables at home and learning ways in which they can be used in cooking. Probir Gandhi, an 8-year-old Delhi-based student, loves this new gardening hobby. He was desperate to get outdoors after months of being homebound due to the pandemic, and do something fun and engaging.
That’s when his mother found him DIY (do it yourself) microgreens kit as well as grow kits from Bombay Greens, a company born during the lockdown, encouraging children (and adults) to grow their own microgreens and vegetables. This endeavour has kept Gandhi happily occupied through the eight months. His favourite thing to grow are Brussels sprouts, chamomile tea plants and butterfly peas.
“I made roasted Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes with the fresh produce from my garden. I drizzled it with olive oil, thyme, garlic salt, red wine vinegar and some chopped basil, and voilà! You had a simple yet tasty dinner ready to be served,” says Gandhi. The pandemic may have jolted a large number of us but it gave Tanvi and Ankur Agarwal, the co-founders of the company, a fresh new business idea, one that has grown promisingly in the last few months with 5000 kits sold and many more in the process of being prepared. “It was a need-based idea,” says Tanvi.
“With the sudden imposition of the lockdown, there was fear about getting anything home. Even essentials like fruits and vegetables were being looked at with suspension. It’s then that we realised the importance of self-reliance and started Bombay Greens.” What they didn’t realise at the time was the impact it would have on kids. 14-year-old Pari Johari from Mumbai has started eating better. She purchased the edible flowers kit, the gourmet salad mix, trio of tomatoes and is waiting patiently for all of it to grow so she can make a salad out of it.
“Since I got these, I’ve been wanting to learn more about the plant cycles,” she says, adding, “The kits contain everything you need along with instructions.” Every kit comes with three types of seeds, three grow pots, cocopeat discs, fertilizer, name tags and an extensive instruction manual. The microgreens take just a week to grow and to be harvested. The best part is that they have four times the nutritional value than mature greens. These young plants can be eaten with the stem and leaves. Great as salad toppings or sandwiches fillings, they’re an interesting way of incorporating greens.
Tips to grow microgreens at home
● Find a sunny spot. South or east-facing window is the best place
● Your grow pot or tray needs to have ample drainage holes
● Coco Coir is the best medium to grow microgreens as it is sterile from pests or fungi
● As microgreens require little space, you can densely pack the seeds in your growing medium
● Mist the plants and never overwater them as the seeds are very delicate.
● Never throw your coco coir once you are done harvesting. Remove it from the pot and let it dry in the sun for a day or two