There are times when you might want to produce food quickly. Maybe you have just moved into a place and want to start producing straight away or perhaps you have just come across the idea of growing your own food and want some quick results. It could be that you want to grow some stuff with the kids and putting some quick runs on the board is important in keeping them interested. Or maybe you’re just hungry.... now!
Whatever your reasons it can be important for you to get some results as soon as you can when you are working on producing your own food. Fortunately there are plants and techniques out there to help you produce you home grown vegetables quickly and easily. We’ll show you how.
Soaks
In terms of speed, these little buggers are about as speedy a feed as you can wish for, the idea being that you take a nut or seed and soak them for a few hours so that they swell and start to germinate. The process is a quick one and you can eat some, such as pumpkin, in as little as 4 hours. Nuts and sunflower seeds are usually soaked overnight.
Sprouts
Sprouting seeds is still a very quick process that can produce a harvest of fresh vegetables in less than a week. It can accomplish this miracle with little more than water, seeds and a sprouter of some description. A glass jar or fabric bag can be used to sprout seeds or if you want to get more techo you can build a set up that allows you to sprout continuously on a 7 day rotation. There are also a whole stack of commercial sprouters out there if you don’t want to bother throwing together your own.
The process is simple; place the seeds you wish to sprout in your sprouter of choice, soak them for a few hours, drain and then rinse twice a day, morning and night until they reach the desired state of maturity. Then eat them cooked or raw, they are full of vitamins and minerals; a quick easy nutritious feed! They will generally be ready in a few days to a week.
Microgreens
Microgreens is sort of the next process along from sprouting. It requires some seeds and soil in a tray, access to light and of course, water. In general terms you get some seed raising mix, press it into a container, sow seed quite thickly on top, cover with more mix and press down. Water and watch! When the microgreens get their first lot of true leaves, harvest them with a pair of scissors and eat! They will mostly be ready in 10 days to a week. More details are available here and here.
The Veggie Patch
Classically you can grow ‘em in pots, raised beds or the ground but if you want a feed fast you need to know which veggies to plant that will come into production the soonest. If you are looking for something to harvest within a month there is not much but the ever faithful radish or cress but some of the leafy greens like corn salad, bok choi and mibuna come close.
If you can leave things for two months before you need to harvest you get a much better range including dwarf beans, beetroot, cucumber (just!), kale, some lettuces and more leafy Japanese greens, spinach, turnips and even zucchini. Three months and the sky is the limit.
Obviously your choices will also be guided by the things you like to eat, so to make things easier I have put a list of veggies and their number of days to production together for you to download here. These times are nominal only and the actual number of days from sowing to harvest will vary with the time of year, soil type and fertility, water availability and where in the world you live etc. So please, no rude emails if the numbers I have provided are a little out. The list is designed to give you information on which crops to plant to get the quickest return, all else being equal.
So there you have it! There are a number of options if you are after a fresh feed, fast! All of them are worth a go when you get the chance.
