48-Hour Microgreens to Maintain Winter Health

Reader Contribution by Joel Johnson
Published on January 8, 2020
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When I moved to Tacoma, Washington, someone explained to me that here, the precipitation percentage is not a matter of probability, but rather an estimate of density. That is, if there’s any chance of rain, it’s going to rain—the only distinction between a 20% chance and a 90% chance is how hard that rain will be.

I bring this up, because January is here, the rain is driving, and I’m at least a month out from starting even the earliest spring seeds in my cold frame. At this moment, I’m actually grateful for the relief. I work as the Trades and Agriculture Interpreter at Fort Nisqually Living History Museum, and the rainy month of January provides a welcome opportunity to take apart garden shears for cleaning, oiling, and sharpening, to sketch out garden designs, organize saved seeds, and prepare for spring planting.

But even as gardeners enjoy the slower pace of winter, the short days leave us with an itch for that first opportunity to once again place our hands in the dirt and sprout seeds. Thankfully, there’s a perfect workaround for impatient planters eager to put seed stockpiles to use without waiting for soil temperatures to warm.

Window-grown microgreens can bridge the gap between seasons, give purpose to spare and nearly spent seeds, and improve physical health all at the same time.

While I’ve grown microgreens before, I’m far from an expert, in terms of nutrition or practice—but thankfully Frank Catalano, owner of Window Garden, is. In 2009, Frank was diagnosed with prostate cancer. After having his prostate removed, the cancer came back and doctors suggested a traditional path of radiation. Unwilling to accept the potentially harmful effects of the process without first exploring every option, Frank and his wife Lisa dove into the available medical research to try to understand the “why” behind the unhealthy cellular growth.

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