No Space? No Light? No Gardening Experience? No Problem

What if I told you there was something you could start growing right away, no matter where you live? That you could grow this thing with almost no space at all? Let's say you just have a kitchen counter, no yard or patio. The setup to grow this plant is the size of a dinner plate, so if you've got room for a dinner plate, you've got room for this.

What if I told you you could grow this thing even if your home has no windows? You don't even need artificial light.

In addition to zero light, growing this plant requires very little time and absolutely no gardening experience or skills. You could have killed every other plant you've ever tried to grow in your life, and you could still grow this one thing.

Are you intrigued?

But wait, there's one more thing I need to tell you. This thing is full of nutrition and brings that little something extra to your meals.

Have I sold you on sprouts yet?

Sprouts are so easy to grow but so good for you. And the only way to enjoy them at the peak of their flavor, nutritional value, and freshness is to grow your own. So here's the short step by step of how to grow your own sprouts.

Gather Your Materials

Here's what you'll need:

• a draining tray
• a non-draining tray (like a jar or bowl)
• seeds
• water

Can you handle that? The first couple times I grew sprouts, I used a strainer for my draining tray and a plate for my non-draining tray—and guess what? It worked! So there are no excuses not to get started, okay? I mean, you should be so in once you see that this is all you need.

Soak Your Seeds Overnight

The next step is to soak a couple tablespoons of seeds in water for about 12 hours or overnight. I like to set my sprouts up right before I go to bed. I put one to two tablespoons of the seeds in the non-draining tray (the one without the holes) and cover them with a couple inches of water.

That's it.

You can either set a timer for 12 hours or go to bed. Congratulations! You just gardened.

Drain the Seeds

After 12 hours, we move into the draining part. Pour your seeds into the draining tray, rinse them off with some water, and then set them aside over the non-draining tray to catch any water. Use your hand to spread the seeds out over the draining tray; this prevents some of the challenges that people have with sprouts getting moldy or gross. The seeds are so tiny that they tend to pile up, so just take a minute to spread them out and give each one equal opportunity to drain.

Let the seeds drip dry for several hours. Meanwhile, you're living your best life: you're going to work, you're car pooling your kids, you're cooking dinning... And you're gardening all this time because the seeds are draining and getting ready to sprout for you.

Rinse, Drain, Repeat

Continue rinsing your seeds every 12 hours or so and letting them drain. The routine I like to use is rinsing the seeds before breakfast and then again at the end of the day as I'm cleaning up the kitchen. All you have to do is rinse the seeds inside the draining tray, spread them out, and let them drip dry.

Are you following? Could it be easier? Literally rinse, spread, and repeat—as easy as shampooing your hair.

Keep this routine up for a few days. Not for a long time, you guys. Seven days max until your sprouts are ready.

Over the coming days, you're going to see the coolest thing happening inside your tray: The seeds are going to be opening up. All that water is getting absorbed into the seeds until they can't help but burst open and produce their first little leaves (the cotyledon).

There's one thing you can do the day before you harvest your sprouts. You'll notice they're staying a light color, probably light green with a yellowish tinge. That's because they haven't been exposed to light so they haven't photosynthesized yet. You can leave them as is, or you can introduce a little bit of light to green them up. Place your sprouts under a window or grow light for a couple hours. You'll notice all those tiny leaves will begin to turn a darker green. Again, this is optional.

Harvest Your Sprouts

You don't even need scissors to harvest your sprouts as soon as they're ready. All you have to do is reach your hand into the tray, scoop up some sprouts, and eat them. Complicated, I know.

I put sprouts on everything—salads, omelettes, sandwiches, tacos, bagels. So delicious!

Run your trays through the dishwasher or give them a good cleaning with some vinegar to make sure there's nothing left of the previous sprouting process. Then you're ready to start all over again!

The sprouting trays I use stack on top of each other, so I can have three to four trays growing at once. This is how you have sprouts to enjoy each and every day of the week, every week of the month, every month of the year.

Reasons to Grow Your Own Sprouts

This is something we all can do, no matter where we live, no matter our resources or gardening experience.

If I haven't already convinced you, let me tell you a few highlights of why it's great to grow your own sprouts.

Sprouts Are Incredibly Nutrient-Dense

Homegrown sprouts are packed with essential nutrients. The sprouting process basically unlocks those nutrients from the seeds and makes them available to us—everything from vitamins and minerals to enzymes that our bodies love. This includes vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and minerals like iron, potassium, and magnesium, depending on which type of sprout you're growing.

Sprouts Make Every Meal Feel Gourmet

You know those meh meals that could really use a little something extra? Sprouts immediately add excitement to your plate.

Sprouts Are High in Fiber and Low in Calories

If you know anything about taking care of your body, foods that are high in fiber but low in calories are basically the perfect combination. Getting more fiber into your diet is critical for gut health. It makes you feel full but it also saves room for other things you love to eat.

Sprouts Help Us Avoid Chronic Disease and Cancer

Sprouts are chock-full of antioxidants that combat oxidative stress in the body. Oxidative stress is linked to all the stuff we want to avoid like chronic diseases and cancers.

Sprouts Build Your Immune System

Sprouts have a really high vitamin C content, which can boost our immune function. If you feel a cold coming on, eat some sprouts to give your body the nutrients it needs. Your body's going to be able to use vitamin C from your sprouts so much better than it could from some little pill or tablet you bought at Target.

Sprouts Are So Fresh

The last reason to grow your own sprouts is to enjoy them fresh and free of contaminants. You might have heard about the possibility of sprouts having E. coli or mildew, and that's true for store-bought sprouts. Those things are packaged in a way that keeps them a little too moist and invites contaminants.

When you grow your own sprouts right on your kitchen counter, you're in charge. You know what's happened to those seeds from the very first second you soaked them to the minute you eat them. If you follow my method of letting the seeds air dry, then you can avoid fungal issues, contaminants, and chemicals you don't want to eat.

So are you in? Are you going to grow your own sprouts?

Time to Grow Your Own Sprouts

All right, are you in? No space, no light, no experience, no green thumb? This is the plant for you.

Growing your own sprouts is no small thing. These leaves might be tiny, your harvests might be small, but they can add up to big change on your dinner plate, in your body, and even for the entire planet. When we grow our own, we change the world for the better, and you can get started right away, no matter how small.

Thank you so much for making the garden ordinary right where you live.