Is Microgreens a Sustainable Agricultural Product?
The claim that eating microgreens are a sustainable agricultural product may have some merit. Microgreens, also known as ammonia and pygeum, are an earth friendly plant that may be the next big thing in sustainable agriculture. The plant itself grows well even on land, but it also benefits from being planted in soil outside the home. There is a possibility, though very slim, that planting can become a sustainable agricultural product by ensuring that the microgreens are eaten before they die.
Unlike other plants, microgreens do not have to be planted as a single variety. There are two common types of ammonia, spurge and platyraenia. Microgreens are a cross of the two. This means planting locations can be more varied to provide more habitats for the plants.
A lot of research has been done on these plants. They seem to be more tolerant of disease and have a longer life span than many other plants. They can be used in organic vegetable gardens as well as in flower and fruit garden. This would mean a larger market for this product. However, the benefits of planting are limited because of the slow growing cycle of the plants.
As planting requires tilling of the soil, using pesticides or herbicides would be necessary. This could cause soil erosion. Microgreens will not need to be sprayed often. With their low water usage, they would fit well with a green based soil program.
Planting microgreens does not require extensive preparation of the land. As long as the soil is firm enough, there is no need to use pesticides or herbicides. The plants do need some nutrients to grow well so make sure the soil is rich in these nutrients before planting. Adding compost would also help improve the quality of the soil. In addition to this, there are other natural pest repellents such as worm castings which would keep unwanted pests away from your microgreen planting.
The root systems of the microgreens need to be very wide. For this reason, you would need to plant them in balconies or other small areas for greater biodiversity. In addition, the height of the plant should be limited to avoid overcrowding. This would ensure that the plants get proper air flow when growing. If you have planted the microgreen in large areas, the roots may take up most of the available space resulting in plant death.
The benefits of planting microgreens are that they are a very versatile plant which is suitable for both organic and conventional food production. They can be used to add flavor to fresh and pickled food, they are popular as accompaniments to meat, they can be eaten raw or cooked, and they are becoming more popular as alternatives to lettuce and spinach. These reasons make microgreens a very exciting product to research for an organic garden. But are microgreens a sustainable agricultural product? The short answer is yes.
Microgreens can be grown organically. Some hybrids are especially good at resisting disease and insect damage. They can also be used to add flavor to food and create a sustainable agricultural product by avoiding the use of pesticides. There are many other interesting ways in which to use microgreens to enhance the quality of the soil in which they grow. It is likely that as interest in these versatile plants grows, so will demand for their organic products. This is a step in the right direction towards protecting the integrity of our environment.
One of the things that has made finding information about microgreens confusing is that they are often presented as an alternative to lettuce and spinach. Many people confuse organic vegetables with organically grown products such as lettuce and spinach, thinking that it means that they are grown without using pesticides or other chemicals. This is simply not the case. Microgreens are just as worthy of being called organic as traditional produce.
A great place to find out what people are saying about microgreens is to go online. There are plenty of blogs and websites out there discussing organic food in general, but microgreens are a relatively new topic. If you search for organic lettuce, for example, you will find lots of blogs and articles written about lettuce and spinach, but very few about microgreens. So you can see that microgreens are gaining in popularity, just like lettuce and spinach have in recent years.
So are microgreens a sustainable agricultural product? In short, they are a good option if you’re looking for a healthy, organic way to eat vegetables. Because they are organically grown, the producers of microgreens follow all the standards that are required of all organic farmers. The only difference is that instead of growing their vegetables in soil and adding fertilizer and pesticides, they grow them in a raised bed and add compost to promote good health for the plants’ roots as well as provide them with the nutrients they need.