Dubuque man grows microgreens in his basement

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Before he began growing microgreens during the summer of 2022, Dan Brimmer knew next to nothing about the plants.

But after he tried one bite, he instantly was hooked.

“I couldn’t believe how great they tasted,” he told the Dubuque Telegraph Herald. “The sunflower’s nutty. The speckled pea tastes just like you’re biting into a peapod. The radish has a real spicy flavor.”

Brimmer raises speckled pea microgreens, rambo radish microgreens, sunflower microgreens and broccoli microgreens at his Dubuque home and sells them at both Dubuque Farmers Market and Dubuque Winter Farmers Market.

“I’ve always wanted to be a farmer, but I can’t afford the farm,” Brimmer said with a laugh. “I heard about microgreens a few years back and decided to give it a go.”

Brimmer’s plants grow from the same type of seeds that would become a fully grown sunflower or broccoli plant, but they simply are harvested sooner.

“You can grow sprouts, microgreens or full-grown plants,” he said. “Sprouts are harvested before they produce leaves, and microgreens are harvested after they produce leaves but before they reach full maturity.”

The growing process takes place in Brimmer’s basement, which always is kept between 68 and 80 degrees. It begins when seeds are germinated in plastic trays of dirt for several days, with trays stacked on top of one another and a brick placed on the top tray to help press the roots down into the dirt.

After germination, trays of broccoli and sunflower seeds are put in what Brimmer calls “blackout” for one to two days. Another tray is placed on top of them so they are not exposed to any light during the...