How to Grow Sprouts Indoors

How Long Does it Take To Grow Sprouts Indoors?

It usually takes between 3-10 to grow sprouts from seed to where they are edible. This will depend on both your method and the type of seed you choose to sprout.

The first thing you’ll need to do is get some sprout seeds. Not the kind you find at the big stores for growing plants outside. Often they’re treated with chemicals that we don’t want to eat, and many are irradiated specifically to keep them from sprouting. Instead, find seeds specifically marketed for sprouting. These are tested to be free of any germs. You can see a list of sites that sell sprouting seeds below. Decide what kind of sprouts you want to eat. Here are a few you could test out:

• Alfalfa is mild and slightly crunchy. You often see these in grocery stores (if you can actually find them).
• Broccoli sprouts are kind of spicy but don’t taste anything like broccoli.
• Green pea sprouts are a bit like snow peas.
• Mung bean sprouts are another type you can sometimes find in stores.
• They’re crunchy and have juicy thick white stems. Red clover sprouts are nice and crunchy.
• Sunflower sprouts are nutty and very popular.

You can pretty much sprout anything except kidney beans and quinoa which can cause an uproar in your digestive system.

Where to Find Sprout Seeds Online

Here are four different places you can find spouts online:

1. Amazon

   Amazon is an easy place to find almost anything, including the seeds and materials you need to grow sprouts. You can find individually packaged seeds or sampler packs so that you can ultimately find the taste you like best.

2. True Leaf Market

   True Leaf Market offers a large selection of organic and non-GMN sprouting seeds that you can use to grow your own delicious sprouts.

3. Johnny Seeds

   You can find at least 15 types of sprouting seeds on the Johnny Seeds website. They all come untreated and have tested negative for E. coli 0157 and Salmonella.

4. Sprout House

   Sprout House has a nice selection of non-GMO sprouting seeds. Each comes with a full description so you will exactly what you are going to get.

To grow sprouts at home, all you need is a Mason canning jar and a porous lid. You could use a piece of cheesecloth fastened with a rubber band, but special sprout jar tops (sprout lids) are easy to find.

For that matter, you can go the whole hog and get a bespoke sprouting center.

The most important thing to remember is to keep everything very clean! The moist environment that sprouts like is also a great place for bacteria to grow (which is why you don’t see many sprouts in stores). As long as you keep everything clean, you’ll have no problems at all.

Here are three different sprouting systems that you can try out.

Now for the secret, arcane business of sprouting! Here’s all you need to do:

1. Step 1

   Put seeds in the jar, about one-third to half full. Fill with water, stir it around, put the top on and stick it somewhere in the kitchen (out of direct sunlight) overnight.

2. Step 2

   Drain the sprouts. Rinse with more freshwater, swirl them around, drain out as much water as possible, put on the (porous) top, and put the jar, preferably at a 45-degree angle for best draining, out of the way. In the evening, repeat Step 2 again, with the draining, rinsing, and storing.

3. Step 3

   Repeat Step 2 anywhere from three days to a week depending on the type of seed.

4. Step 4

   When the sprouts look ready put them in the window to get some sun for a few hours. Rinse one final time, pour them out, and eat them! If you want to save some, put them on a paper towel to dry off as much as possible. Then you can put them in the fridge for up to a week.