Microgreens Update: Mould Invades the Mung Beans

I don't like the look of my mung bean trays at all.

A couple of sprouts here and there, but mostly they seem to have surrendered to mould.  This is disappointing, but also a positive learning experience.  I posted on the Growing and Selling Microgreens on Facebook this morning to get some advice.

One kind soul suggested covering them up with soil and letting them grow some more.  They'll still be edible, they said.  I'm suspicious about this, but might try it anyway.  Other suggestions for future success include:

Baking dirt to sterilise it.  This is a curious suggestion, but makes sense.  I wonder what that might smell like.  Gardening Know How advises this, as does microgreengarden.com, hobbyfarms.com and various other, easily google-able sites that seem like they know what they're talking about.  I'm concerned about using that much extra energy though.  It doesn't feel right somehow.

Getting some 'high quality' potting mix, rather than using my own compost.  Makes sense again, but it's an extra expense I'd rather avoid.

Elsewhere online, the excellent YouTube Channel of Urban Farmer Curtis Stone uses his own mixture of water, white vinegar and "food grade hydrogen peroxide" to sterilise his trays and also to contain the growth of mould as soon as you  mould as it develops.  This is much more up my street, though I'm not wild about the thought of using hydrogen peroxide on something I'm going to end up eating.  Having said that, I don't really know what hydrogen peroxide is.  And I'm certainly a big fan of vinegar.  In fact I've been meaning to post about vinegar for quite some time now.  Vinegar receives nothing like the respect it deserves.

Meanwhile, the pea shoots are looking considerably healthier:

And the radish have been in the soil for less than 3 days, but are already showing some signs of life:

The journey continues.


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