Pale, stretched, floppy stems are almost always one of three things: too many days in the dark, not enough light after, or a warm room.
Radish needs two days covered. Not four. Every extra day in the dark is a day the stem spends hunting for light, and it will not shorten back up once you uncover it.
Sunflower and pea take three days because they are pushing a hull. Brassicas take two.
Once uncovered, radish wants strong light immediately. A dim room for the first twenty-four hours undoes the whole schedule. Lights on, close, and for at least twelve hours.
Colour is the tell. Rambo radish should go magenta within a day of uncovering. If it stays white, the light is too far away.
Above 24°C, everything stretches. Microgreens grow best between 18 and 21°C, which is conveniently what most houses run in winter.
Weight the tray during blackout for sunflower and pea — about 2–3 kg, enough to make the seedlings push. Do not weight brassicas or anything mucilaginous. It crushes them and traps water against the pad.
Cold Lake sits in zone 2b. The last frost lands somewhere between May 20 and June 5. Count backward from there and the indoor calendar writes itself.
A living tray is not a bouquet. It is a plant that is still working. Here is what it needs on a kitchen counter in a Cold Lake winter.
