Sprouting your own Sprouts

Step 2 The Sprouting Vessel

The sprouts need air. If you seal them in they'll die and spoil.
If they get too much air the ones on the top will dry out and not be as good, depending on your climate.
Condensation on the top can lead to mold problems. You'll figure this all out pretty quickly by yourself.

The basic sprout bucket is any container with a cloth or paper towel rubberbanded over it.
Here's what I use at the moment, it's a yogurt tub with some triangular vents stabbed in the top.
Some people like special sprouting trays with drains in the bottom. Maybe that's the key to sprouting adzuki (red) beans. I've never gotten those to not spoil.

If you've got fruit flies or trilobytes or whatever, use a cover that keeps them out, like the basic rubberband-napkin cover system.

Comments

[vrkelley]

Reporting back. after trying this for 9MO! Great success! Thank you!

Back in Dec, I bought a pouch of mung seeds from theHindi store. The sprouts take a week and they do not look like the bean sprouts that you buy in the store (or the picture). What is the brand of mung pictured? I'd like to grow some that look like the bean sprouts they use in chow mein???

What worked well: Our grocery and health food stores have a section of canisters for sprouting. Expensive by the lb but a little lasts a long time. Their alfalpha and mixes taste and work better.

[Kaldea]

If you want the ones like in the picture I bought these and they looked the same http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20530103

[vrkelley]

I plan on trying to grow this in an office...no window just lots of flo-lights. What size cup is this...and will the smell tip off my hungry co-workers?

[Tatisimo]

I don't think this will attract many coworkers. My schoolmates of a long time ago called me a grass eater after I got them to taste my sprouts : D Now, this is can be good thing. I for one, can safely leave a huge batch of gazpacho on the fridge for 3 days, certain that no one will ever touch it, while my ham is always gone within 12 hours. These freeloaders sure got me eating healthy!