Types of greens

Greens can be grown in trays on soil or soil-less mediums (i.e. baby blanket, vermiculite or sawdust - baby blanket is a thin organic medium that retains moisture and allows roots to develop, vermiculite is a water retentive medium made by heat treating mica). The methods are all different. The only way to know which one suits your needs and environment best is to try them all.

The best-known greens are sunflower, radish, pea, corn and buckwheat greens. Any seed that will sprout can be grown into greens: lettuce, kale, onion, basil, fenugreek, anis… the list is endless.

Here is a variety of common greens that can be grown and marketed easily. They contain vitamins A, B, C, E and K, calcium, chlorophyll, iron, lecithin, magnesium, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, potassium, amino acids and trace elements.

	(click on the picture to enlarge) Pea Shoots: Grown from any pea variety, they produce shoots in 10 to 14 days. Excellent in stir-fries with garlic and soy sauce.
	Corn Shoots: The shoots are intensely sweet. When light is withheld, they stay bright yellow. Great to garnish any dish.
	Daikon Radish Greens: Easy to grow, they produce tasty and spicy greens in 7 days. Gourmet addition to salads and soups.
	Sunflower Greens: Greens grown from sunflower seeds are delicious. Grown under plastic they will easily shed their husks. Try them, you will taste tender nutty greens that you will want to grow year-round.
	Buckwheat Greens: These greens, also called Buckwheat Lettuce, produce very tender thin shoots and leaves. Stems are a decorative red.