It's a cool, crisp morning breeze after an early March shower. ​The sweet fragrance of blossoms lingering in the air. A profusion of white and brilliant yellow hues radiates an otherwise grey backdrop. 

This is spring inside our home. From marigold, zinnias, cold-force daffodils and hyacinth, to paperwhites, it's always spring — any blooming time! Boxfarm is more than just for microgreens. In upcoming posts we’ll show you how to grow soil-free flowers and micro herbs year-round from the comfort of home. Here's a quick tip for growing paperwhites from late fall to spring.

Growing Basics
Use 2-3 large paperwhite bulbs and place them on top of the perforated grow rack. Fill the grow box with large loose pebbles or stones to support the bulb before they take root. Add enough water so it touches just the bottom of the bulbs. Refill with water about once per week. In about 7-9 days the bulbs will start to sprout shoots and in 3-4 weeks they'll bloom!
​

Kale is one of the most versatile microgreens and often serves as a base for microgreens salad mix. By itself, kale has notes ranging from mild, earthy to spinach flavor.

We’re growing our new Just Kale blend – a mix of Dwarf Siberian and Vates Blue Scotch Curled kale featuring a mildly sweet, nutty and earthy note. Kale is a cold-hardy vegetable that does well year-round indoor in various climate zones. When growing this blend, we prefer a longer growth cycle for a more robust flavor (about 14 days when the first true leaves emerge). A great complement on sandwiches and even tastier simply as a salad on its own!

Growing Basics
Like all Brassica family of microgreens (e.g. broccoli, cabbage or kohlrabi), allow seeds to germinate in boxfarm grow box for 5 days before exposing to light. You may notice fine, white root hairs which are often mistaken for mold (it’s not). This will dissipate once the kale microgreens are exposed to light.

Color Features

• White stem and pale green leaves (Dwarf Siberian)
• White stem with hint of pink and purple, and bright green leaves (Blue Scotch Curled Kale)

​Harvesting

• Harvest on the 9th or 10th day by cutting ½ inch above the roots
• For more robust flavor, harvest on the 14th day (add 16 ounces of nutrient-enriched solution mix for every 4 days beyond the 10th day) 

We often get a lot of questions on how to best harvest microgreens and how long they stay fresh.​ When you're ready to harvest your micro veggies, insert both your right and left index fingers into the grow box and lift the entire grow rack out of the grow box with the greens fully in-tack. If you peel a small section of the grow mat back you'll see an abundance of white, healthy root mass growing through the perforated grow rack. With a clean pair of kitchen scissors, simply cut microgreens about 1/4 to 1/2 inch above the grow mat.  Prepare your microgreens as a snack, salad blend, or as a topping. 

Unused portions of microgreens can be washed and then use a salad spinner to remove excess water or blot all moisture out with a paper towel.  Moist microgreens will wilt quickly. Store your unused microgreens in a zip lock bag (gently squeeze the air out first) or use an air tight container. They'll keep fresh and flavorful for up to 7 days!