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I’ve grown lots of sprouts, and even had a stand at the farmer’s market selling them one year. They can be simple, but there are a few things to watch out for:

1. Make sure your equipment is CLEAN!
Not just normal dishes-clean, I mean sterile. Hot water and bleach!

2. Look and smell before you eat.
The right environment for sprouts is the same as what’s needed to grow mold. Look closely at the sprouts, do they have lots of hairs when that variety shout only have a single taproot? Is it the color it should be? Smell them, do they smell like they should? After you grow a few batches, you’ll know what they should look like.

3. Don’t overcomplicate.
Rinse them with clean water twice a day, keep them covered but with access to air, but otherwise let them do their thing. I grew dozens of pounds of sprouts in giant foodsafe storage bins. You don’t need specialized equipment. All they need is air, moisture, and time. Anything that will provide that will work.

4. Know what sprouts can be eaten, and what can’t.
General rule: if you can eat both the seed and the plant, you can eat the sprout. Don’t try it with nighshades, do try it with legumes and cruciferous veggies. I have no idea about squash. Sunflower and pea sprouts are a little different, because you’re supposed to plant them in the dirt and then cut off the top to eat.

And, if you’re looking at this as a prepping thing:
5. Choose something that provides lots of seeds per plant without cutting into your food supply, and is easy to harvest the seeds from.
I probably wouldn’t grow alphalpha for sprouts, because it would be hard for me to harvest enough seed to be worthwhile. On the other hand, I once grew a radish that produced so many seed pods that each plant looked like a porcupine and was big enough to take over the garden. If I wanted sprouts, I’d look for a plant like that.

I don't think this is JT's beloved cake. But it's luscious and creamy.

Creamy Lemon-Lime Cake

BATTER elec/mixer/moisten on low pkg Pillsbury® Key Lime Cake
Mix, 1 1/4 c water, 2 tb Canola Oil, 3 lge eggs; then beat 2 min on med.

BAKE in sprayed oblong 350 deg 25-30 min (pick test). Cool 10 min.
Poke holes inch apart almost to bottom w/ wooden spoon handle.
Pour Lemon Cream over slowly; spread rest over top. Chill an hour.

FINAL Pipe top w/ dollops of Lime Cream. Garnish w/ lemon zest; lemon curls.

LEMON CREAM Stir 14 oz can sweet/cond/milk, 1/3 cup h/cream, 1/4 c l/juice.

LIME CREAM ICING Beat 16 oz tub Pillsbury® Creamy Key Lime
Frosting into 2/3 c sweetened/stiff-beaten whipped cream.

Pipe mounds on top w/ ziplok.

Thanks very much for this good advice.

Can you tell us your favorite sprouting system? We’ve tried several, and always go back to the mason jars (small household). The tiered system that drips water down through the trays seems especially prone to mold in our experience.

I’d like to get them to grow straight up, or at least end up that way, like the little boxes you buy in the store; but nothing I’ve tried will do that...

Thank you again,
JT

I forgot to add this under #4, it goes along with knowing your sprouts. Some plants release a growth inhibitor when they sprout. It gives them an edge over the competition, but in a sprouting tray, that competition is your other sprouts. For those, rinse 4 times a day for the first 3 days, and rinse until the water runs clear. After about 3 days you can go back to twice a day, but the water still has to run clear.

Kale is the only one I can remember that does this, but I’m sure there are others.