Year-Round Indoor Salad Gardening: How to Grow Nutrient-Dense, Soil-Sprouted Greens in Less Than 10 days

by Peter Burke

The Low-Tech, No-Grow-Lights Approach to Abundant Harvest

Year-Round Indoor Salad Gardening offers good news: with nothing more than a cupboard and a windowsill, you can grow all the fresh salad greens you need for the winter months (or throughout the entire year) with no lights, no pumps, and no greenhouse.

Longtime gardener Peter Burke was tired of the growing season ending with the first frost, but due to his busy work schedule and family life, didn’t have the time or interest in high-input grow lights or greenhouses. Most techniques for growing what are commonly referred to as “microgreens” left him feeling overwhelmed and uninterested. There had to be a simpler way to grow greens for his family indoors. After some research and diligent experimenting, Burke discovered he was right—there was a way! And it was even easier than he ever could have hoped, and the greens more nutrient packed. He didn’t even need a south-facing window, and he already had most of the needed supplies just sitting in his pantry. The result: healthy, homegrown salad greens at a fraction of the cost of buying them at the market. The secret: start them in the dark.

Growing “Soil Sprouts”—Burke’s own descriptive term for sprouted seeds grown in soil as opposed to in jars—employs a method that encourages a long stem without expansive roots, and provides delicious salad greens in just seven to ten days, way earlier than any other method, with much less work. Indeed, of all the ways to grow immature greens, this is the easiest and most productive technique. Forget about grow lights and heat lamps!  This book is a revolutionary and inviting guide for both first-time and experienced gardeners in rural or urban environments. All you need is a windowsill or two. In fact, Burke has grown up to six pounds of greens per day using just the windowsills in his kitchen! Year-Round Indoor Salad Gardening offers detailed step-by-step instructions to mastering this method (hint: it’s impossible not to succeed, it’s so easy!), tools and accessories to have on hand, seeds and greens varieties, soil and compost, trays and planters, shelving, harvest and storage, recipes, scaling up to serve local markets, and much more.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Food, Cookbooks, How To, Health, Reference

322 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 21, 2015

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let’s get the negatives out of the way first. Most of this book reads like an eccentric old gardener is explaining his method to you alone in a room from which you cannot escape. He is benign and takes your captivity for interest, pausing and rethinking the rationale for what he’s said nearly constantly. Of course, capitalism mercilessly dictates this necessity: a good editor would cull the constant asides and bring the book to the size of a plump pamphlet but then there’d be no profit margin and so less marketing and therefore a slimmer audience.

Which would be a shame, because this book is a great tool for no-BS winter crop production, suitable for amateurs and with recipes and a handy checklist smack in the center.

Lured by the fool’s gold of lovely spring greens in the winter I requested and received one of those plastic grow tables for Christmas. Seeing the seeds barely grew to the size of about half an inch in spite of positioning in the sunniest window in the house, I tried to find an alternative. I think I found the author’s article in Mother Earth news and, captivated, I immediately ordered the book and, after ordering seeds, had plenty of sprouts by the end of a week. And it was fun too—not too much work, but enough to feel like gardening. If only I could convince absolutely anyone else to like them.

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read 95% of this book already and we are already growing soil sprouts. I wanted so much last year to grow micro greens but that required grow lights (and the requisite additional electrical costs) and special trays and shelves and...it just didn't happen. I've been growing regular sprout for years, but I wanted something a notch above them. This may just answer that desire, dare I say, NEED. Written by someone who's been doing it for years and simply passes on what he's learned along the way after much trial and error. It is straight forward and down-to-earth in writing style and layout. Lots of helpful photos. Highly recommend for those wanting a low cost, simple and easy way to grow green food right inside their own home. Bonus: my kids are learning right along with me.

[Shannon Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, this book is just plain COOL. The idea it presents — growing nutrient-dense micro-greens in a windowsill year-round — is radical, simple, inexpensive, and doable. Burke brings the revolution for nutrient-dense, sustainable and affordable cuisine to a whole new level, presenting a food production method that will work in the farm kitchen, the ‘burbs, or in a high rise…whether you live in downtown LA, on a Montana ranch, or in a suburb in Portland, Maine. Oh. And, as far as farming goes, this is as close to instant gratification as you can get. You can start eating these micro-greens within a week of buying this book.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the best book on microgreens I've read, even if the author refuses to call them that. Comprehensive and easy to follow.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is a fast read, but an inspirational one. I live in a desert, so although I always want to grow my own food, it isn't very practical in most cases. A partial solution might be the ideas presented in this book. I have seeds on order and am really gung-ho to try this, like yesterday!

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll update my review after I actually try this method.
I've read this twice in the last year: once last spring but decided not to try it in the midst of growing my outdoor garden, and now again this fall so I could remember how to do it and ACTUALLY do it this winter. I'm really excited to give it a try. The method makes a lot of sense, seems cost effective, doesn't require any fancy equipment, and is low risk. I've been saving trays from some microwave meals to use as growing trays and plan to use the worm castings from my worm bin mixed with some coconut coir.
One of the most helpful things I appreciated in the book was the information about what types of seeds are edible and a timeline for growing.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is actually a pretty amazing system for growing sprouted greens year round. The author has made his process pretty foolproof, and you don't really need a sunny window or a greenhouse or anything like that to make his system work. And greens sprouted in soil are easier to grow than greens sprouted in water that have to be tended daily. As long as you are willing to eat salads that consist mainly of sprouts, this is a great way to do it. You can't deny that they are a powerhouse of nutrition!

[Sandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good instructions. You can watch the author demonstrate on video too. The "push up" day is the most fun-when the seeds push up the paper covering. Learned to soak the newsprint so it is very wet or it will dry out and make sure it is against the layer of seeds. Use a lot of seeds so they are touching each other.

[A. Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an easy read by a very enthusiastic gardener. I have ordered my first soil sprouting seeds and am ready to start growing my own fresh greens indoors this winter. I really like the full color photos of each stage of the process and the different types of greens and salads. The author also demonstrates how to start a small sprouting business of your own.

[Dundee Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking for a way to have a fresh salad from your own house year-round? Well look no further! This book will show how to have a variety of greens at your disposal year-round regardless of your climate! Simple supplies such as water, newspaper, some small containers , seeds and a few minutes a day will lead to a life full of greens!!

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

great step by step tips and honest comments about this process. very inspired to try it especially with his motto of you can't mess it up....

[Jeffrey Pedro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book if you’re interested in learning to harvest a salad daily through indoor gardening of soil sprouts. The techniques listed here are easy to follow along and provide a means for growth/harvest over a seven to ten day period. Minimal equipment is required to get started (no grow lights, heat mats, nor hydroponics) which makes this sustainable with a low carbon footprint. By implementing the strategies provided by the author, you can plant and harvest daily to have an unlimited supply of nutritious soil sprouts in any home or apartment for either yourself or family. Four of the seven to ten days of growing actually involves placing the trays of planted seeds in total darkness. It’s a fascinating concept that is explained scientifically within the book.

The author also provides some jaw-dropping statistics that demonstrate how effective this growing medium is in terms of feeding large populations with minimal effort and space. It’s an effective means to help communities work toward feeding homeless and poor populations. It is also highly recommended for harvesting during the winter when crops can be difficult to grow and obtain. Will update this review with my thoughts after testing it all out.

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 2 out of 5]

Holy repetition, Batman.

This was a 150+ page book that really should have stayed a blog post. It was like that 1,000 word essay that a sophomore has to turn into 10,000 words by midnight. How many times can a person write soil sprout in one paragraph?

I think that this would have been more beneficial and new for me if I had read it when it first published, but what he calls soil sprouts I call...mini-microgreens. A rose by any other name, I guess. Since it's been 9 years since publication, the idea of germinating in the dark for 4 days isn't a new one.

Regardless.

The writing is bad. He takes forever to get to the point and doesn't explain his process very well, or overexplains to the point it no longer makes sense.

Anywho. The knowledge is sound. The methodology is great (minus where all these seeds are coming from—where are they coming from, Peter??). The formatting is slick unless you realize it's just repackaged information from the text filled out to bulk up the book into book form, and the writing is all over the place and lacks both a point and clarity.

[Gleave_girl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opens up lots of possibilities to indoor sprouting. Clearly, the author prefers a specific method of growing sprouts, with soil. He gives other methods consideration, but makes them sound worse and difficult than they are. For example, sprouting in mason jars. The author makes it sound like it's far too much maintenance to rinse the sprouts 1-2x per day, and they'll inevitably go moldy if you miss even one rinse (which has not been my personal experience), yet he advocates trays and trays with soil as much more convenient! Yet, you have to basically have a separate dark cupboard for the first few days of sprouts, and then subsequent room for all these trays.
All in all, lots of good information that readers can take and tailor to their own interests and needs.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is part evangelical and part how-to. Both parts are fun to read. The how-to part is pretty clear, complete, and detailed. I've followed the instructions and had a 5/6 success rate, and the 1/6 failure could probably be attributed to not following the step where the author recommends being precise and careful (most steps are not labelled as such), an indication that his evangelism is infused with realism.

If you want to have your own selection of sprouts, for health or gourmet eating reasons, rather than relying on whatever is popular enough to stock at your local market, let me assure you: you can follow the directions in this book and be successful.

[CraftyBirdies · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has everything I need to get started growing microgreens, sprouts, greens, etc. (Everyone calls them a little something different). The book jumps around a little bit in that he talks about this trays and soil then later gives instructions on what to do with them instead of putting them all together. However, I made my own sheet of notes so it's okay. I found it much more detailed than other microgreen books in that it gives measurements of the amount of dirt, seeds in teaspoons, etc. So I think this is my favorite so far because it does give everything needed to start and how to start without spending a lot of money!

[(a)lyss(a) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an intensive book!

Burke lays out many options for growing salads indoors.

Burke talks about the process of growing plants, choosing seeds, making soil, and the process to germinate the seeds. There's also information on harvesting, cleaning, and recipes for salads made from the greens. There are a lot of interesting suggestions and instructions I haven't heard before but am interested to try. There are also helpful pictures and instructions. Burke also explains why growing plants with soil is different than microgreens and other techniques.

Overall an interesting find.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book seems to tell you everything you need to know about growing “soil sprouts” (as other reviewers have noted, the author separates these from microgreens, but most people would probably consider them the same). I picked it up from the library based on the title alone and didn’t realize that it doesn’t cover “regular” salad greens like lettuces, so it didn’t work for me, but it’s a perfect resource if you’re trying to grow microgreens—it does get repetitive, but you’ll know exactly what you need to do at every step of the process.

[Arminzerella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very excited to try sprouting my own salad greens after reading this. It breaks down the process into simple steps that seem very do-able, and doesn't require TOO much time or management (great for people with busy schedules). Could use a better resources section - where does one get large quantities of seed for sprouting? There are 2 quick-reference guides (1 page each) in the middle that provide all the steps in one place.

[Trace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative book (and inspiring too) about growing soil sprouts! Super easy and no expensive items required- I can't wait to try this.

I only wish that the author would have put together a planting schedule - he mentions he plants and rotates every day but I would have loved to have seen this information organized into a schedule.

But all-in - all - a great how-to book on growing soil sprouts!!

[Maureen Connell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soil grown sprouts

Lays out a plan to grow a daily healthy salad for one person, or more people. An easy system to follow. When I first started reading, I wondered about the used soil and if it could be reclaimed. Yes, that question was answered too. A compost bucket is easily incorporated into the system. A methodical approach to providing yourself and family with real, clean food.

[Susan Kendrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I checked this book out thinking it was going to tell me how to grow salad green indoors during the winter, but that is not what it’s about. It’s about growing sprouts from seeds in soil.
While I was surprised, it was still an interesting book. The author is very passionate about how great sprouts are for salads and how his method of growing them is virtually fool-proof. Maybe I’ll give it a try!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great step-by-step instructions and color photos to demonstrate everything! I haven't tried this, so I can't say anything about how well the method works. Of course, I have a black thumb, so even if I tried, everything will probably die. I want to try again, though, with how high groceries are, hence the book. Maybe one of these days I can keep a plant alive. I was raised on a farm. Seriously, you would think I could keep a catcus alive.

[Katherine Dunne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read most of this, so I'm counting it as read. It is very repetitive and you really just need the quick start guide. I feel like sustainability wasn't well addressed--he advises using peat seed starting mix and aluminum containers which he recycles after several uses. I might try this method at some point but it seems fairly messy and time-consuming.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up at the library on a whim from a display on gardening. Wow, the author has done a thorough job of developing and explaining an easy way to grow salad greens inside, with very little expense or time. I can't wait to try this, as I eat salads nearly every day for lunch and hate buying produce from the store in winter.

[Dennis Hitzeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of an ever-growing list of indoor growing books on the market, focused on Burke's particular method for growing. If you don't know where to start and need guidance, I recommend this as a starting point, but be aware your mileage may vary.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listen this is a great book and lays out a super accessible way to grow some fresh veggies yourself, but I'm being petty and only giving it 4 stars because jesus does this author ramble. I'd like to speak to the editor pls

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have everything ordered, now I just need to put some shelves across my windows and get planting. This is easy to follow (thus far), and I love love love the concept so much I have given the book to my sister and dearest friend already!

[Margaret Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too complicated a process for me. Easy to follow instructions.

[Hong · Rating 3 out of 5]

- I often find the same information in multiple places. This book can be shortened by at least 50%.
- I haven't tried out the recipe yet. The information may turn out to be very useful.