How to Grow Kale Microgreens

Kale microgreens

Crop Name:	Kale (BlueScotch, Red Russian)
Sowing density (10x20 tray):	20 to 25g
Bury Seed:	No
Medium:	Coco Coir, Soil or Hydroponic Mat
Presoak:	No
Germination Time:	3 days
Grow Time:	10-12 days
True Leaf Emerges:	Day 9
Total Weight/Blackout Days:	5 days
Weighted Blackout:	3 days
Blackout Dome:	2 days
Antifungal application:	Not Required
Expected Harvest weight:	230g (9x times the weight of seed)
Flavor:	Bitter, Crunchy, Mild
Shelf Life:	10 days
Growing Notes:	Growth can be uneven without weight
Difficulty:	Easy

Things you need to grow Kale Microgreens

25g Kale seeds
10 x 20 Microgreens tray x 2 - without holes
10 x 20 Microgreens tray x 1 - with holes
6 cups of coco coir
Grow lights (or sunlight)

Steps to grow Kale Microgreens

Fill the tray (with holes) to the top with coco coir.
Spread the Kale seeds as evenly as possible.
Mist water once a day or as required depending on your grow room conditions. Just lift the tray and feel the weight.
Stack another 10x20 tray on top for the first 3 Days for a Weighted Blackout. Add a 5 pound weight on top of the tray.
On Day 4, all seeds will be germinated. Keep the 10x20 tray flipped on top like a Blackout Dome to just provide one more day of blackout so the microgreens can stretch looking for light a little bit more.
On day 5, introduce the Kale microgreens to light. From now on, water via the bottom tray.
Harvest on day 10, when seedlings reach 3-4 inches.

Days	What to expect	Do This
Day 1	Few seeds germinated	If some seeds are stuck on the tray, you can put them back in the seedling tray. Water from the top, if required Light mist with hydrogen peroxide spray.
Day 2	Most seeds germinated	Water from the top, if required Light mist with hydrogen peroxide spray
Day 3	Roots coming out of the tray holes	Water from the top, if required Very light mist at the bottom tray for 3 seconds Light mist with hydrogen peroxide spray Any seed stuck on the top tray should not be put back to the seedling tray at this point.
Day 4	Yellow germinated seeds and long white roots underneath	Water from the top, if required Very light mist at the bottom tray for 3 seconds Cover with the top tray by flipping it to avoid any more weight on germinated seedlings.
Day 5	Kales grown tall, sneaking out of the blackout tray	Water from the top, if required Very light mist at the bottom tray for 3 seconds.
Day 6	Kale has stretched during blackout	Start bottom watering from now on Lightly mist some water on top and then brush the top of the microgreens lightly with your hand to get the seed hulls out easily. Keep doing this until harvest day. No blackout dome needed anymore, introduce light.
Day 7	Foliage turns green under the light, most of the seed hulls came off.	Today is harvest day. You can start harvesting now with a sharp knife. Just grab the top, and glide through.
Day 9	True leaves starting to come out	You can harvest from day 9 up to day 12.

Harvesting Kale Microgreens

Kale microgreens start germinating from the first day itself, and are ready for harvest by day 7. Kale is lightweight so you wont get as much of a yield as you would expect from crops like broccoli or sunflower.

A typical Kale harvest is expected to be 9x times the weight of the seed. For example, if you use 25g of Kale seeds, you can expect a harvest of about 225g.