How to Grow Pea Microgreens on Various Trays - Quick and Easy Guide
(Disclaimer: this is not intended to be business or health advice, read the end of the blog for more info.)
As you've probably noticed, there's a wide variety of tray styles and sizes available for growing microgreens. Your choice of trays will impact the amount of seed, growing medium, and sometimes the methods you use. While much of this information is available in our YouTube videos, as well as our Free Seeding Guide and Tray-Specific Seeding Guide, we understand the value of having a comprehensive resource where you can find everything in one place. This is why we're launching a new blog series on 'How to Grow Different Microgreens in Various Tray Sizes.' In this particular blog, we'll be focusing on the cultivation of Pea Microgreens.
Pea Microgreens: Choosing Seed
There are a TON of Pea Microgreen Seed Varieties available, and while we have yet to try all of them out, we have tested quite a few and have figured out our personal favorites, as well as ones we dislike. Lets first start with the ones we tend to have problems with, and our experience with them.
Pea Microgreen Seeds we have problems with:
- Snow Peas
- Lincoln Peas
The reason why these two varieties are on our problematic list is because they have given us the most trouble, in fact, these two varieties are the only two Pea seeds that we have never been able to make it past germination, even with adjusting the soaking times. They seem to be finicky for us.
Pea Microgreen Seeds that are in-between:
- Green Peas
The reason why this variety is on our in-between list is because sometimes they grow and germinate AMAZINGLY, and then other times we end up with a tray of mold, ungerminated seeds and that pungently foul smell of rotting pea seeds that you’re lucky if you haven’t experienced it yet.
Pea Microgreen Seeds that we LOVE:
- Dwarf Grey Sugar Snap Peas
- Speckled Peas
- Tendril Peas
- Yellow Peas
- Sugar Snap Peas
These are our top four favorite Pea Microgreens to grow, and here’s why.
- Dwarf Grey Sugar Snap Peas have much more tender stems than other varieties. Nice and leafy. They can get quite tall naturally, making for abundant harvests. And they get minimal tendrils.
- Speckled Peas these are a beautiful in-between pea variety for those looking for the pretty tendril that peas get, as well as leaves. They grow abundantly.
- Tendril Peas, the name says it all! This pea variety gets some of the best tendrils. However, you have to be careful not to let them grow for too long or they get really tangled up.
- Yellow Peas are another favorite for the lush growth and pretty leaves.
- Sugar Snap Peas have lush growth, with a gentle tendril
Keep in mind that everything listed above is from our experiences with each variety, and it could completely differ for you and you’re grow-space, as well as the methods you use to grow them. Peas can sometimes be tricky, however, they are also one of the easiest and most aggressive Microgreens to grow. Making them perfect for beginners! Want to know where to find seeds, click here. Let’s now move into How to grow Pea Microgreens.
How to grow Pea Microgreens on Deep Sprouting Tray:
External Size: 12.25"x9.5"x4.25" with lid
Seed Amount: ~180grams Dry Seed
Soaking: 8 to 12hours
Medium: Directly on mesh tray
Average Harvest Weight: ~352grams
When growing Pea Microgreens in our Deep Sprouting Tray or Large Sprouting Trays, we typically use approximately 180 grams of dry Pea Seeds per tray. These seeds are soaked for 8 to 12 hours, depending on the seed variety. For example, the Dwarf Grey Sugar Snap Peas thrive with an 8-hour soak, and we've found that our Sprouting Jar Kit works exceptionally well for this purpose.
We start by filling the bottom green tray with 2 cups of water before planting the pre-soaked seeds directly onto the white mesh tray and placing it on top of the green tray. The water in the green tray helps maintain seed moisture, and it's advisable to refresh this water every 2-3 days.
Before covering the seeds with the inverted humidity dome, we give them a quick mist with either water or a Prophylactic Spray. Going forward, we mist the seeds 1 to 2 times per day, paying extra attention to the edges, which tend to dry out first.
Around Day 5, we flip the dome into a humidity dome and position it near a light source. As long as the bottom tray has water, additional misting should not be necessary. After about 2 days or when the microgreens are pushing the dome up themselves, we remove the dome. Now, all you need to do is ensure you maintain the water level in the bottom reservoir and refresh the water until it's time to harvest!
How to grow Pea Microgreens on 7x14 OTG Microgreen Tray Kit:
Tray Style: 7x14 OTG Microgreen Tray Kit
External Size: 14.4in x7.25in x 4.2in (with lid)
Seed Amount: ~130grams Dry Seed
Soaking: 8 to 12hours
Medium: Directly on mesh tray
Average Harvest Weight: ~280grams
When growing Pea Microgreens with our 7x14 OTG Microgreen Tray Kit, we typically use around 130 grams of dry Pea Seeds per tray. These seeds are soaked for 8 to 12 hours, varying depending on the seed type. We start by filling the bottom white tray with 3 cups of water, filling it just up to the inner knobs. Next, we plant the pre-soaked seeds directly onto the white mesh tray and place it on top of the water-filled tray. This water reservoir helps maintain seed moisture, and it's a good practice to refresh this water every 2-3 days.
Before covering the seeds with the inverted humidity dome, we give them a quick mist with either water or a Prophylactic Spray. To provide weight and pressure, we employ jars from our Sprout Jar Kit, filling each jar halfway with water and placing one on each side of the inverted humidity dome. Going forward, we mist the seeds 1 to 2 times daily, paying extra attention to the edges, which tend to dry out first.
Around Day 4, we flip the lid into a humidity dome and position it near a light source. As long as the bottom tray has water, additional misting should not be necessary. After 24 hours, remove the dome. Now, all that's left is to ensure you maintain the water level in the bottom reservoir and refresh the water as needed until it's time to harvest!
How to grow Pea Microgreens on 1020 Tray:
Tray Style: Standard 1020 Tray
External Size: 21" x 10¾" x 1¼"
Seed Amount: ~200-260grams Dry Seed
Soaking: 8 to 12hours
Medium: Directly on mesh tray or coco coir
Average Harvest Weight: ~300 to 700grams
When growing Pea Microgreens in a standard 1" 1020 tray, or 2" deep trays, we typically use 200 to 260 grams of dry Pea Seeds per tray. We soak the seeds for 8 to 12 hours, depending on the seed variety. After pre-soaking, we plant the seeds directly onto a mesh tray, though cococoir or soil can also be used. Once the tray is seeded, we lightly mist the seeds with either water or a Prophylactic Spray and cover them with another tray without holes. Additionally, we place 7 to 15 pounds of weight on top. Going forward, we mist the seeds 1 to 2 times daily, paying special attention to the edges as they tend to dry out first.
Around Day 3, we remove the weight, mist the seeds, and flip the top tray in “blackout” (to create a dome) for 24 hours in darkness. After this period, we remove the top tray and expose the microgreens to light for the first time. All that remains is to ensure the bottom reservoir has an adequate water supply until it's time to harvest.
When using these trays, you have a few cultivation methods to choose from. In the videos below, you can explore two popular options: using no medium or cococoir as a growing medium, as well as deciding between traditional watering or the 'Kratky' watering method.
Video 1 (how to grow peas on Coco Coir)
Video 2 (Kratky + No medium)
Conclusion:
We trust that this blog has provided you with valuable insights into growing Pea Microgreens, whether for your home or business. It's important to keep in mind that you might need to make adjustments to the steps, methods, or seed quantities based on your specific growing environment, seed brand, or seed variety. Our own experience in zone 8a, where we encounter varying weather conditions, such as heat and humidity, can impact our growth. In locations with extreme cold or heat, germination and growth rates may differ from our own, potentially being slower or faster. Furthermore, grow-space temperatures are a key factor influencing your watering needs. In colder temperatures, plants tend to require less water, while in hot conditions, they may demand more.If you'd like to learn more about some of the microgreen lingo used within this blog, such as "blackout" and "weight", be sure to download our Free PDF: Microgreen Troubleshooting, FAQ & Lingo where we discuss this and so much more!
*All infomation within this blog is not meant to serve as guidance for health, environmental concerns, or business decisions, instead its a resoucre to help give you a baseline of where to start when growing.