Instruction Page

THE DAILY GARDENER KIT INTRUCTIONS

CONTENTS: The Daily Gardener Soil Mix in 1 gallon bags.  Aluminum planting trays either 3” x  6” (small tray) or the 4” x  8” (large tray) depending on the kit size.  Packages of seeds.  Package of Vermont Compost and Dried Kelp fertilizers.  Newsprint paper covers.  Instruction sheet.

1.MOISTEN SOIL MIX:  Pour 3 Cups of water into each bag of The Daily Gardener Soil Mix and reseal the bag.  Set aside until the seeds are ready to plant.  If you received several bags of soil mix, go ahead and moisten all of them now even though you will not be using them for a few weeks.

2.SOAK SEEDS:  Wash and then soak the seeds for 6 hours. *See specific amounts on back.

3.FILL TRAYS WITH SOIL MIX:  Measure 1 Tablespoon of Vermont Compost and ½ Teaspoon of Dried Kelp powder and pour into the bottom of a tray.  Fill the tray with Soil mix to within ¼” to ½” of the top of the tray.  Level off the soil but do not pack the soil down, we want the soil loose and friable.  The soil mix should feel moist but not soggy.  The space at the top of the tray allows space for watering.  

4.SOAK THE PAPER COVERS:  Fold the newsprint paper covers and soak in a pan of warm water.  You need 2 sheets for each tray folded to fit the tray.  Let the paper soak while you are planting the seeds.  It takes a little while for the folded papers to get completely wet. 

5.PLANT THE SOAKED SEEDS:  Pour the water off the soaking seeds.  I use a small strainer to pour the seeds into and give the seeds another rinse.  *See specific seed amount to plant on back .

6.COVER TRAYS:  Place the soaked paper over the seeds, pushing the edges down around the tray to make a paper ‘cup’ so that it is easy to keep the paper moist just by pouring water into the tray.  Place the second sheet over the first one in the same way, pushing down the edges all the way around the tray.

7. FOUR DAYS OF DARK, WARM, MOIST:  Place the tray(s) in a warm, preferably dark place.  I use the top shelf of the cupboard over the refrigerator.  Plan to leave the tray there for 4 days.  Over the next  4 days check the tray(s) cover, keep it moist by pouring a little water in the paper ‘cup’ that is formed by the paper.  The soil should not need to be watered if the soil mix was moist enough when the seeds were planted.  If you find you are watering the soil mix during these 4 days try adding more water to the bags of soil mix before planting, or watering the soil before the tray is covered with paper. 

8. GREEN THE SOIL SPROUTS:  After 4 or 5 days remove the covers (the sprouts will push up the paper) and place the tray into the light.  The light source does not need to be direct sunlight; an easterly or northern facing window will work just fine.  Even the light from a light fixture will green the sprouts.  The sprouts will green and fill out in a few days.  The trays will need water everyday for these few days.  When you see the rapid growth the shoots make it will be no surprise that they require plenty of water.

9.HARVEST:  Harvest the greens with scissors or a sharp knife.  Cut the stems just above the soil line.  Rinse and store in the refrigerator in a plastic bag or a covered container.

10.COMPOST SOIL: Empty the soil from the tray into a compost pile.  The easiest way to get the soil out of the pan is to pinch a corner of the soil and pull out the mat of soil and seed.  The soil will come up out of the tray like a big soil ‘cake’.  I always wonder at the mass of roots that wraps around the inside of these trays. If you don’t have a compost pile, any gardener would be more than glad to take these for their garden.  It is possible to reuse the soil from the tray; let the soil dry out completely, shake out the roots and discard them, the soil mix left is ready to reuse.

11.THANK YOU:  Thank you for purchasing The Daily Garden Kit.  I would like to hear from you and will post any picture you send in my picture gallery, e-mail TDGarden@aol.com.  If you have questions, first check on the website thedailygardener.com look in Kit Instructions and review the day by day pictures for each variety of sprout.  Try the FAQ for common questions. 

12. BUY REFILLS:  This is the time to consider how many more trays of greens you would like to be harvesting!  The beauty of The Daily Gardener method is planting what you need to harvest day by day.  I plant a large (4x8) tray of sunflower and one small (3x6) tray each of radish, buckwheat, snow pea and wheatgrass, everyday.  It takes about 15 minutes and I get a fresh, organic salad of delicious greens from my garden.  Whether you live in an apartment or a country home you can grow your own greens for fun and save money on groceries too!

*Specific amount to plant for each seed:

3 x 6 Trays

Seed                            Amount            Seed planting pattern (approximate)

SUNFLOWER            1 TBSP            50 to 60 Seeds (5 to 6 rows of 10) *

RADISH                      1 TBSP            Randomly spread over tray

BUCKWHEAT           1 TBSP            Randomly spread over tray

PEA                             1 TBSP            50 to 60 Seeds 5 to 6 rows of 10

WHEATGRASS          1 TBSP            Randomly spread over tray

4 x 8 Trays

Seed                            Amount            Seed planting pattern (approximate)

SUNFLOWER            2 TBSP            120 to 160 Seeds (8 rows of 15 to 9 rows of 17) *

RADISH                      2 TBSP            Randomly spread over tray

BUCKWHEAT           2 TBSP            Randomly spread over tray

PEA                             2 TBSP            120 to 160 Seeds (8 rows of 15 to 9 rows of 17)

WHEATGRASS          2 TBSP            Randomly spread over tray