Sprouts

[Peach]

 
  Maybe this is a silly question but where do you get the seeds from to grow spouts- the ones you grow in a jar on the window sill ???
Also second question where do you get trailer loads of cow manure from???

[Peach]

[undercarriage plan]

I bought mine in Tesco, but shhhhhh..... :)

[mat]

The HDRA (sorry garden organic now!) catalogue (sorry, Americanised spelling...catalog...) sells a wide range:

http://www.organiccatalog.com/catalog/

If you click on the link for "seeds" there is a sprouting subsection.  I have been thinking of doing some myself (mum used to do loads when I was a kid)  They also sells jars, etc, but at £8.95 per jar, I think I will use my own old jars and make muslin lids (or sew my own linen bags...)

Some of the other catalogues sell some of the seeds, but you often need to look them up individually, e.g. Dobies sell Alfalfa

Hope this helps (and no, I don't think it is a silly question, but I did initially read it as "where to Sprout seeds come from?" being how do Brussels Sprouts produce seeds!)

mat

[Robert_Brenchley]

You can get all sorts of seeds at wholefood shops and sprout them.

[supersprout]

Hi Peach, lots of useful tips for sprouting at http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/yabbse/index.php/topic,14174.msg136956/topicseen.html#msg136956
You might also enjoy www.sproutpeople.com

For cow manure and spoilt straw, go to the Yellow Pages and call around your local dairy farms. You'll be surprised how many will invite you to collect for free. If you ask for a trailerful, you'll probably get an offer of delivery to cover fuel and labour - I got my last lot for a tenner. Or if you are prepared to take delivery of a pile e.g. from a stable (not a cow stable though  ;)) many will deliver for free when they have a clearout, as they would have to pay to take it to the Council tip. Our plot gets regular piles of stable clearings, which are very woody and have to be left for a year, but the cabbages didn't complain when I put some in early.
Good luck from sprout  ;D

[KT]

Hi peach.

I really enjoy sprouting all sorts of seeds and pulses :).
At the moment,I've got some mustard seeds and aduki beans growing and am going to sprout some basil after I harvested this batch.

Did you know that you could sprout just about all pulses and so many kinds of veg seeds.Apart from the known ones such as cress and alfalfa, even chickpeas,lentils,salad rocket,broccoli and sesame seeds etc etc... the list is endless.

You could buy "sprouting seeds" manufactured for this purpose but  also the health food shop&supermarket pulses are suitable. Good luck!

[Rose.mary]

That was a bit tough Wardy. It's not like you to be hard on a new post. I hope you are not ill.

Rosemary

[Paulines7]

I bought mine in Tesco, but shhhhhh..... :)

I didn't know Tescos were selling cow manure now!! ;D  Mind you, nothing would surprise me because they sell just about anything these days.   ;)

[supersprout]

They also sells jars, etc, but at £8.95 per jar, I think I will use my own old jars and make muslin lids (or sew my own linen bags...)
mat

Lakeland are selling rather nice sprouting jars for £4.95, so they're getting cheaper!  :P Snap mat, I use perforated drawer lining for lids. Perhaps spare bits of enviromesh would do the job too  ::)

[John_H]

An empty jam jar covered with a lid made from old net curtain and an elastic band works quite well.

I can recommend alfalfa and peanut butter sandwhiches by the way, they're mmmmmmmm!

[MattyJC]

The magazine "Grow your own" has a 2 page article on sprouting seeds, plus a few websites/contacts for seeds and supplies. They also as Dominique mentioned have an offer on sprouting seeds and funnily enough some sprout seeds on the cover!

[mat]

The magazine "Grow your own" has a 2 page article on sprouting seeds, plus a few websites/contacts for seeds and supplies. They also as Dominique mentioned have an offer on sprouting seeds and funnily enough some sprout seeds on the cover!

umm, unfortunately they had the wrong kind of sprouts... I had the Brussells kind of sprouts on my edition... I don't eat that kind  :(

[Rox]

Hi peach.

I really enjoy sprouting all sorts of seeds and pulses :).
At the moment,I've got some mustard seeds and aduki beans growing and am going to sprout some basil after I harvested this batch.

Did you know that you could sprout just about all pulses and so many kinds of veg seeds.Apart from the known ones such as cress and alfalfa, even chickpeas,lentils,salad rocket,broccoli and sesame seeds etc etc... the list is endless.

You could buy "sprouting seeds" manufactured for this purpose but  also the health food shop&supermarket pulses are suitable. Good luck!

Just to clarify - if the sprouting seeds are just normal garden seeds, could I use beetroot and onion seeds that I bought to sow in the garden but don't have any space to put them in this year? Does anyone know whether for these particular sprouts you can use the jam jar method or do you have to grow them vertically in a tray? thanks a million in advance for any help/advice!  :)

[jennym]

Not sure whether onion would be much good, they are really tiny - but beetroot are ok. And any of the Brassicaceae family. I have sprouted mung beans from the supermarket successfully in a large tupperware box, just covered with water, change water twice daily. Also, beetroot leaves are very tasty indeed for those that have last years beetroot still in situ - the roots will be tough soon if not already, but the new leaves are delicious when they come through, I always leave a few roots to overwinter for this purpose.

[KT]

if the sprouting seeds are just normal garden seeds, could I use beetroot and onion seeds that I bought to sow in the garden but don't have any space to put them in this year? Does anyone know whether for these particular sprouts you can use the jam jar method or do you have to grow them vertically in a tray?

I've never tried sprouting onions of any kind but have read some gardening diaries of people who have tried SPRING ONIONS.Apparently they're tangy&taste good.Don't know if this applies to onion seeds though.

Normal garden seeds have been treated so I wouldn't sprout them in a jar to eat the whole thing.Mmmm...Maybe you could try the tray method? ??? Not sure.

[Jitterbug]

Hi Peach

Let me have your PM and I will send you some Mung Sprouts and a Mild Aromatic Mix consisting of lentils, mung beans and white radish.  I use a special tray thingy which I purchased from a health shop.

About the onion thing - I have also had a salad with onion sprouts of some kind - maybe spring onions ??  Mmmh  Something to think about.   :-\