Edible Mobile Microgreens Grown on a Bike

(Pour une version française, cliquez ici.)

Project Description

This spring I cycled 2,000 kilometers with The Otesha Project. A group of nineteen environmental activists cycled from school to school, performing plays about ecological living to over 2,000 Ontario students. Our group, called "The Ferocious Farm Tour," also visited organic and small-scale farms along the journey to learn about the Canadian food landscape.

En route, in the middle of planting season, I was overcome by a strong urge to garden. With a little planning and a lot of determination, I managed to grow a lush garden of edible microgreens directly on my bicycle, and rode with it for more than 1,000 kilometers. Wheatgrass sprouted from the fender, pea shoots grew up from a water bottle reclaimed from a recycling bin, and a spinning garden of rye turned around the inner part of the wheel.

Environmental Benefits

My bicycle soon became the showcase bike when we visited schools to talk about environmental living. I used it as an example of the accessibility of gardening; proving that if a person could successfully grow food on plastic without soil while moving, then surely anyone can start their own backyard garden, balcony garden or container garden at home.

The apex of local foods (100 inches tops 100 miles!), the greens were slowly snacked upon throughout the tour by students and fellow cyclists. For many of the students, this was their first time seeing sprouts – a staple for bioregional agriculture in our northerly climate!

This project may be a small contribution to organic food production and carbon sequestration, but certainly a powerful source of smiles, chlorophyll-rich snacks, and education.

Expenses

Bicycle gardening costs between $1 and $4 per bike, depending on the size of the gardens added, and the amount of resources that need to be specifically purchased versus resources that can simply be found at home. In total, I spent about $14 buying seeds, a little soil, cheesecloth, and safety pins, to put mobile microgreens on 6 bicycles, with leftover materials to spare. We received some gifts of seeds and soil from farms we were visiting, bringing a little diversity to our bicycle gardens while on the road.

Time Spent

Making a bicycle garden takes about 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the complexity of the garden. Container gardens need to be watered every day or two. Hydroponic gardens require very frequent watering, two or three times a day in damp, shady areas, or about ten times a day in direct sunlight. When I hydrate myself, I water my bike, so it doesn't take much time.

Tools and Materials

Tools:

• Scissors

Materials:

For container gardens:

• Reclaimed plastic container (ideally one that fits easily in your water bottle holder)
• Soil
• Seeds (such as alfalfa, wheat, buckwheat, sunflower, peas)
• Potentially need materials like string or elastic bands to help attach the container to the bike
• Water

For hydroponic gardens:

• A porous fabric that holds water well. Cheesecloth is ideal, or a fabric with a similar consistency. Reclaimed fabrics can be used.
• Grains (wheat, rye, barley, spelt, kamut)
• Safety pins
• Water

Step-by-Step Instructions

There are two main ways to garden on a bike: with soil or without.

Option 1: Gardening with soil

Step 1: Reclaim a used container that can easily be attached to your bike. Water bottles from recycling bins are perfect, as they easily fit in water bottle holders.

Step 2: Poke a few holes in the bottom of the container. If using a plastic water bottle, cut off the spout at the top so it is easier to add soil.

Step 3: Add soil, pressing it down gently, until the container is almost full, though leave a head space of one or two centimeters at the top of the container so that soil and seeds don't fall out while biking.

Step 4: Wet the soil until water runs from the bottom of the container.

Step 5: Bury seeds just below the surface. Various seeds can produce edible microgreens: wheat, alfalfa, broccoli, radish, beet, sunflower, peas, buckwheat. Planting the seeds densely can increase the chances of success and reduce soil loss on bumpy roads. Water it every day or two, and wait patiently.

Step 6: Bike, feast, be green.

Option 2: Gardening without soil

Gardening without soil allows us to grow in funky places, like directly on fenders and frames. I've been fiddling with different methods, and here is the technique that has thus far worked the best, using cheesecloth (or similar porous cloths) as a growing medium.

Step 1: Begin with love and intention toward the garden, as it requires tending several times a day.

Step 2: Sprout your grains in advance. Grasses, like wheat, rye and barley, are the most effective, since the single blade can easily penetrate the cheesecloth; whereas two-leaf plants like sunflower and clover tend to be suppressed. Grasses also send out a quicker and heartier root network, and grow to more impressive heights. To sprout your grains, soak them in water for eight hours, then drain them. Rinse the grains twice a day for one or two days, allowing them to grow their initial roots. Half a cup of grain should be more than enough for the bicycle and any leftover sprouted grains can simply be eaten cooked or raw.

Step 3: Once the grains are ready, thoroughly moisten some cheesecloth. Wrap the cheesecloth firmly around the bicycle two or three times, around the fender, frame, handlebars, or even the hub. Ensure that the brake and gear cables are not inhibited, nor any other moving components of the bicycle.

Step 4: Add a layer of sprouted seeds, and wrap the cheesecloth once or twice over the seeds. Close it using safety pins.

Step 5: Keep the seeds and cheesecloth constantly damp. In sunny weather, this could mean watering ten times a day. In a cool garage, this might be twice.

Step 6: Ride, harvest, enjoy.

The microgreens can be eaten after seven to ten days of growing. Sweet chlorophyll-rich grasses like wheat and barley can be chewed like bubble gum, and the leftover fibres can be spit into a compost bin. When growing pea shoots, alfalfa, broccoli, buckwheat greens, and sunflower sprouts in container gardens, the entire plant can be eaten once it forms two green leaves.