Don't throw away empty cheese boxes as you can grow superfood at home in days

A gardener has urged cheese lovers to keep the wooden boxes that their cheese come in as they make the perfect container to grow microgreens in.

Microgreens are young vegetable seedlings, harvested when they're a few inches tall, often with their first true leaves. They are known for their vibrant colors, concentrated flavors, and high content, potentially containing more nutrients than mature greens.

Garden expert Simon Akeroyd, who has written over 30 books about and has over 1.7million follower across TikTok and Instagram, has urged people to save their cheese boxes in order to grow your own microgreen in just a few days.

"Grow delicious microgreens in 10 days on your windowsill," he explained at the start of the while showing a wooden box that previously held a round of camembert.

"Next time you're at the supermarket, grab some cheese boxes (such as camembert)," he wrote in the video. You can also pick other cheeses, such as brie, that also comes in a wooden box.

The wooden cheese boxes are used partially because of the tradition of making certain cheeses, such as camembert and Mont d'Or, but they also help with moisture regulation, as well as the preservation of specific aromas and textures.

As Simon got home from the store, he removed the wrapped cheeses from their boxes, explaining: "Cheese boxes are porous and so require no drainage holes, making them ideal for growing a range of microgreens in."

Simon is then seen filling the empty box with soil, being careful not to compactly press it down, before adding the seeds.

"I'm growing curly scarlet kale, red beetroot, broccoli, and sunflower microgreens," he said while showing the seed packages. "Sow seeds densely over the surface."

"Stack them on top of each other to encourage germination," he said, showing how he filled the top box with rocks in order to keep it stable and prevent the empty box from falling down.

Keep the soil moist by misting daily and place the tray in a sunny spot or under grow lights.

"After three days, unstack the germinated microgreens. Leave for a further seven days to grow into microgreens," Simon explained, showing how much his microgreens grew in just seven days. You should also continue misting your seedlings at this point.

"Microgreens on the windowsill will be ready in 10 days," he explained. "Simply harvest whenever you want to add flavour to your food. Add microgreens to sandwiches, salads, smoothies, soups, etc."

"Growing microgreens in cheese boxes is also a great excuse to buy more cheese," he said.

are often confused with . However the biggest difference is that sprouts do not have leaves.

Sprouts also have a much shorter growing cycle of two to seven days, whereas microgreens are usually harvested seven to 21 days after germination, once the plant's first true leaves have emerged.