- Growing sunflower microgreens can be difficult,
especially without high quality seeds.
By the end of this video you will know
exactly what to look for in sunflower microgreens seeds,
how they should perform and also where to buy them.
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Man when I think about my microgreens business journey
and I think about the struggles I've incurred,
I think sunflower microgreens are probably
my biggest pain point throughout the whole process,
whether they would get moldy or the yields were off
or there was just massive inconsistencies
in the seed quality, sunflower microgreens
have definitely given me a run for my money.
Because of this battle, I've learned how to keep
high-quality sunflower microgreens growing consistently,
and I'm excited to share with you right now
some of my tips on microgreens seeds, which are
basically just as important as the growing process.
First and foremost, the seed variety that you want
for growing microgreens is called Black oil sunflower seeds,
so when you're buying seeds you're typically
going to be buying the black oil sunflower seed variety.
Make sure also that these seeds are specifically rated
for microgreens, but more on that later.
It can be really hard to get your hands
on good sunflower seeds for microgreens,
and even the best seed companies
will have bad seed lots sometimes.
I've noticed that the sunflower seeds are typically
more inconsistent than the other microgreens varieties.
So seeds come in seed lots, which are essentially
big batches of seeds that the farmer grows.
Even seeds within the same seed lot can vary
from seed to seed, but in general, seeds from the same lot
will perform relatively similarly.
With this being said, what you want to do ideally
is find a seed lot that you specifically like
and then purchase enough of those seeds to last you
between three and six months.
In that time that you're using those seeds,
you want to be also testing other seed lots
to figure out the seed lot that you're
going to purchase next for the next
three to six months after that.
This will ensure that you always have high quality seeds
that are going to perform as you expect them to.
Test seeds from many different suppliers
to figure out where seeds work best for you.
Not every batch from a given supplier will be the same
because you're buying multiple seed lots
throughout the year.
Nevertheless, each seed supplier does have their own
specific supply chains and connections with
different farmers, so you will see that the seeds
are kind of consistent from supplier to supplier.
Now, you won't always have the opportunity
to test the seed lot before buying it in bulk,
for instance like if the seed company
often sells out quickly of their seed lot.
So this is why you do want to find a seed supplier
that you do prefer to work with
and like their seeds in general.
I'll list off a bunch of different seed suppliers
that I know of before we jump into other details
about sunflower microgreens seeds.
The most popular company that I know of
is called True Leaf Market.
They are probably the biggest supplier of microgreens seeds
and their seeds are typically very good, but I will say
that the sunflower seeds in general are just
very inconsistent so try them out, see if you like them,
see how they perform for you.
Johnny's Seeds is another very popular seed company,
but less popular for microgreens
because of their higher prices.
Kitazawa is also another seed company.
Sproutman, Sproutpeople and Sprouthouse are also
other seed companies, but they cater
more towards sprouting versus microgreens.
For those of you who live up in Canada,
I know that Mumms Seeds is a solid seed company.
I've heard good things about them, and then there's
another one that I know of called Sprout Master.
I know of these seed companies because they service
North America, which is where I'm located,
so I can't really help that much with seed companies
from other continents and countries,
because I just don't know.
But, join my microgreens support group on Facebook,
and you can ask them there, based on your location,
because there's growers in there from all over the world
and chances are, somebody will know
a supplier near your location.
With this being said, also comment below and let me know
your favorite seed suppliers and where you're located.
That way we can all kind of learn and figure out
what the seed suppliers are in the different areas.
In order to tell if a microgreens seed is good,
I look for a few different qualities.
Before I even consider purchasing seeds
I make sure that they're definitely rated
for sprouting and microgreens.
What this means is that they've been
triple tested for pathogens, they have
high germination rates, and they're typically
also organic and non GMO.
At first glance of the sunflower microgreens seeds,
I want to see that they're physically big in size.
I find that the bigger the seeds, the bigger the greens
and obviously we want big, fat, crunchy delicious sunflowers
that provide high yields as well.
When growing the sunflower microgreens,
it's important to have a good growing procedure.
Without this, you won't know if it's the seeds
that are giving you problems, or if it's the way
that you're growing the greens, so be sure to watch
my video on how to grow sunflower microgreens.
In germination, you want to see that most, if not all
of your sunflower seeds have in fact germinated
and are off to a good start.
You ideally don't want to see any mold forming
or spreading across the tray, but if you see
a little bit in there, it's okay.
The sunflower plants should be nice and strong
at this point, yellow in color and happily
pushing up on the trays above during germination.
After these trays go under lights, the plants
should still be growing very well, and the seeds
should also be relatively easy to swipe off with your hands.
If the seed hulls aren't easily coming off
of the microgreens or the greens just aren't really
growing that strong, the seeds may be low in vigor
or energy, and they might not be that high of quality.
They should be ready for harvest after about
a week under lights when their true leaves
are starting to emerge through the cotyledon leaves.
A nice nutty flavor is preferred and they shouldn't
really taste that bitter.
You should also be getting decent yields,
that are probably over 20 ounces.
Sunflowers can be tricky to grow and the seeds
are often inconsistent on the market, but I hope
these past four videos helped because once you dial them in,
They are a very rewarding crop to grow.
I'll do my best to help you
get your hands on high quality seeds.
If I get high quality seeds and they're performing
really good, I'll add them to my website
and you can be using the same exact seeds
that I use to grow microgreens.
Now you know what to look for
in a sunflower microgreens seed and also where to buy them,
but if you're still having trouble sourcing seeds
or just want to improve your seed game, be sure
to join my microgreens support group on Facebook.
That way you can ask other growers around the globe
where they're getting their seeds.
If you want to learn my exact procedure
for growing high quality sunflower microgreens,
click the video below or click the other video
where I give a virtual farm tour
of my whole space here in New York.
If you like this video give it a like,
subscribe to my YouTube channel
and be sure to share this video with your friends
and other microgreens farmers, so we can
improve our seed quality.
Thanks again and I'll see you next time.