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Can I grow Microgreens out of birdseed?

Riona Abhainn

pollinator

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Location: Clackamas Oregon, USA zone 8b

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posted 1 year ago

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I grew my first "crop" of microgreens in a jar in the window and it was so cool! My MIL sent me some seeds to start with, but those will only last maybe 2 more batches so I'm looking for a way to get seeds in bulk for growing microgreens on the regular for us.

Would birdseed be a good source? Is there anything in birdseed that we _can't eat as a microgreen?

I do Celtic, fantasy, folk and shanty singing at Renaissance faires, fantasy festivals, pirate campouts, and other events in OR and WA, USA.
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Nancy Reading

steward and tree herder

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posted 1 year ago

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My mum always has a crop of cress growing on her windowsill. They are so nutritious to add to sandwiches year round. I'm not sure whether all bird seeds are from species that grow edible plants, but the idea isn't impossible. From microveggy I found this list:

Sunflower
White Millet
Red Millet
Canary Seed
Peanuts
Safflower
Nyjer
Corn
Milo

Of these only nyjer is not mentioned in pfaf as edible as leaves (although canary seed is basically grass!). They were talking about growing out the mature plants for feeding birds direct, which is a slightly different topic.

I think if I didn't know how the seeds were treated and what species they were, I would be fairly cautious about eating the sprouts personally. It's possible that different bird mixes have different seed content.

Other sources maybe commercial seed sources of leafy greens and brassica (you'll get more for your $) or (IMO) best is to grow out some of your microgreens to harvest your own seed for future greens if you have space (and the birds don't beat you to it!)

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Burra Maluca

out to pasture

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Location: Portugal

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posted 1 year ago

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I grew out a handful in my garden years and years ago when I lived in Wales.

That amazing looking plant that I'd never seen before turned out to be the highly toxic datura. Not the sort of thing I would like to eat in my microgreens!

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Riona Abhainn

pollinator

Posts: 946

Location: Clackamas Oregon, USA zone 8b

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Well then, to the feed store with me. I don't want to use something dangerous. I think I have enough mustard seed for one more batch after what I'm currently growing, but after that we need it for seasoning and I will find some bulk seed that will be relevent. And use birdseed for birds. Thanks all.

I do Celtic, fantasy, folk and shanty singing at Renaissance faires, fantasy festivals, pirate campouts, and other events in OR and WA, USA.
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J Garlits

gardener

Posts: 514

Location: Wabash, Indiana, Zone 6a

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Broccoli microgreens have been in the news a lot lately because of a compound found in spades in the early stages of growth: sulforaphane.

It is one of the healthiest things you can eat.

One pound of seeds costs around $20. You put two tablespoons of seeds to soak in a Mason jar for twelve hours and then rinse and drain them through a wire screen a couple times per day for five or six days. It fills one tightly packed jar, which you'd pay around $3 for at the grocery store.

How many jars will you get from a pound of seeds?

23.

That many containers of microgreens at the store would cost you $70, but you only pay $20 for the seeds. And you don't have those pesky plastic trays to deal with from the store.

You saved over $50, and boosted your health in the process!

j

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Anne Miller

steward

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Location: USDA Zone 8a

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posted 1 year ago

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Birdseed comes in a lot of varieties, though those are mostly are milo and millet.

Buying birdseed is a lot cheaper than buying microgreen seeds.

Though microgreen seeds are a different variety of radish, cress, mustard, red cabbage, broccoli, kale, pea and sunflowers.

It might be that folks like the flavor of the microgreen seeds.

I usually do sprouts in winter and I like the different flavors for different purposes.

Here is a thread on the health benefits of millet:

https://permies.com/t/29378/Millet-birdseed

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Joe Hallmark

pollinator

Posts: 335

Location: Central Texas

posted 1 year ago

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Radish seed is $1-2 a pound from my ag seed store I can’t remember

Bart Simons

Posts: 1

posted 7 months ago

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I use Niger (bird) seeds to make microgreens – it’s quite unusual but Niger has a lot of advantages, it’s high in phosphor, Kalium, Iron and very rich in vitamin K – in Africa and India the oil of Niger seeds is also used to treat Rheumatic pains by using the oil as a lotion – I consume the microgreens of Niger in my smoothies but also in salads - I have a muscle disease, one way or the other I have the feeling that a lot of discomfort of my muscle disease is relieved by using the microgreens as a food source – I use and have used in the past years a lot of different microgreens and sprouts but only when I start to use the Niger Microgreens the discomfort of my muscle pains was relieved, though there aren’t any studies which proofs my claim, I kept on using it – beside Niger bird seeds, I also use Milk Thistle (bird) seeds, Buckwheat (bird) seeds and sunflower (bird) seeds – they’re a lot cheaper as the seeds designated for microgreens or sprouting – bird seeds usually sell for around 5€/kg while seeds for sprouting or microgreens going from 20€/kg upwards

Anne Miller

steward

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Location: USDA Zone 8a

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posted 7 months ago

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Bart, welcome to the forum.

It sounds like niger seeds are popular with finches and has a pretty yellow flower:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guizotia_abyssinica

I wonder how Riona turned out with the microgreens.

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

Rad Anthony

Posts: 95

Location: PA

posted 1 month ago

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Yes! Wow I thought nobody did that. When I was low on funds I use to buy sunflower seeds real cheap and sprout em. Make sure you buy the ones without any chemicals. They put chemicals on the animal feeds sometimes.

Unless you have a store that sells them loose where you buy and then they weight it. Like a feed store. Deep food plot ones are good too.

And cheap. If you have a small area for a meadow you could plant the meadow and harvest the micro greens like that too.

Kim Wills

Posts: 90

Location: Southern Tier NY; and NJ

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Like others said, I'd be very wary of any chemicals they might put in birdseed, such as to prevent mold or moisture or insects.
I hope it's ok to post a specific place to buy from (I have no affiliation with them, I just love them), it's a small company that only sells organic seeds, specifically for sprouting or microgreens (though the seeds can all grow into full sized plants, of course!). They also have lots of instructional videos and info even if you don't buy from them. https://sproutpeople.org/
They sell by pounds or half-pounds, or in sample sets of multiple small bags to try. They have blends, too; all different price ranges depending on the seed. Even if a blend says it's for dogs or birds, they're all human-quality.

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Riona Abhainn

pollinator

Posts: 946

Location: Clackamas Oregon, USA zone 8b

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Hi J and Ann and other friends. I've learnt a lot since I posted this question. I finished up with my MIL's seeds she gave me and then sort of got lazy about microgreens. But now I'm using broccoli seeds, got a nice sizable bag of them online and about to eat our first batch. I found that they get bigger faster than other seedsprouts do, probably why they're the most popular. I intend to have microgreens for us frequently, this first broccoli batch is going in our salad tomorrow night with the last clump of chickweed from the volunteers in my pots which grew over the winter and into early spring here.

I do Celtic, fantasy, folk and shanty singing at Renaissance faires, fantasy festivals, pirate campouts, and other events in OR and WA, USA.
RionaTheSinger on youtube

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