Microgreens - lemon balm

Thanks everybody. I have now had a look at some photos, and it looks like the harvesting has to be quite precise to get them at exactly the right stage - seed leaf, first leaf and very early second leaf so they form a small strand looks to be perfect. I’m going to have a go, and as *Elegran suggested, do succession planting.

PS, I’m assuming that you’d just harvest them when still tiny, perhaps with just the first two true leaves.

Within seconds I’ve just found a pack of 2500 lemon balm seeds on Amazon, for £2.99.
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Reminds me of mustard and cress! I might have a go at growing them as well.

Good in a G + T, or so a friend tells me...

Be careful. Lemon balm is a total thug if allowed to spread by root or seed.

Microgreens are just the tiny seedlings, as others have said. Usually grown in plastic trays. I would be careful of adding it too the garden as it spreads like wildfire. But the fully grown leaves make a lovely syrup and can be rubbed on bites to stop the itch.

This site sells "baby lemon balm" www.finefoodspecialist.co.uk/lemon-balm-micro They seem to just be ordinary lemon balm seedlings harvested young, just as salad mustard and cress are just seedlings of cress and mustard picked young. It looks as though you can grow "micro-greens" of all sorts of vegetables. The growers are on to a good thing - no need to transplant them and care for them until they grow up, and people will pay a fortune for tender little leaves to spice up their salads (see the prices on the web page)

If I were you I would buy some lemon balm seeds and grow a little at a time in a seed tray on the windowsill. If you start a new tray before the first is ready to use, and keep repeating, you could have a constant supply. Budget seeds sell small packets for as little as 25p. Lemon balm is 39p for 120 seeds. budgetseeds.co.uk/product/herb-lemon-balm-seeds/

I’ve already got lemon balm, I love it, but I’m wanting to know specifically about micro lemon balm. It’s not just the new growth from seed, or tips of the ordinary lemon balm as far as I can tell. Following Visgirl’s post, I’ve looked at microgreens sold by the major seed companies, but no joy so far.

Lemon balm has invaded my garden so be wary of it. I don't mind as pollinators love it & I like gardens that are a bit wild & unkempt. It's anti viral & makes nice tea, I didn't know that about the micro greens, have to look out for small shoots. I put it in a Thai green curry too sometimes.

We used to always plant a lemon balm wherever we are. I like to float a few leaves in the bath - smells delicious. DH makes tea with it.

I have bought Microgreen seeds from a independent Garden Center. Last year, they were lovely, to add to food. I didn't buy this year, but I saw them so sure you should be able to track some down.

It grows like a weed in our garden too but I've never thought of using it in cooking, it smells divine. I've also got lemon verbena growing in a pot which I do use, that's also lovely and has a very strong lemon smell and taste.

I have lemon balm popping up all over my garden. I’ve never eaten the little plants. Might try it now.

They had tiny leaves, but each stem had two or three sets of the tiny leaves, so I can’t work it out. It was a delicate sherbet lemon taste, really distinctive and lovely.

I thought they were baby plants that had just developed their first two proper leaves. I suppose the flavour would be concentrated. I am now intrigued and will have to study it more.