How to Grow Fodder in Sheds

Soak the seeds in water for 24 hours. All of the seeds must be totally submerged for this length of time.

Put the foam rubber in the tray. Make a weak nutrient solution by mixing it at half the strength called for on the package. Pour enough of this solution in the tray to get the foam rubber wet on the bottom, but not so much that it is completely soaked.

Cover the foam rubber with a thin layer of seeds. The entire surface of the foam rubber should be well-covered so that when the seeds sprout they will grow together in a mat.

Set the tray in the shed. At this stage the seeds need to be kept warm -- about 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit -- and dark. If the shed is not dark you can cover the tray loosely with a piece of dark plastic until the seeds sprout.

Water the seeds as needed with more of the weak nutrient solution. They should be slightly damp but not too wet, since if they are overly wet they will rot. Check them daily and when they are ½ inch tall, put them in bright light. This can either be sunlight that comes in through a shed door or a window, or you can hang a fluorescent light about 4 inches above the plants.

Add plain water to the sprouts beginning on the sixth day, and stop using nutrient solution for watering them. This prevents the nutrient solution from building up too many salts and possibly killing the plants.

Harvest the fodder when the plants are about 7 or 8 inches tall, which should be after about a week to 10 days. All you need to do to harvest them is to peel the mat of greens off of the piece of foam rubber and feed it to your animals. They will eagerly consume everything, seeds and greens. Repeat this process as often as desired to get plenty of fodder for your animals on a regular basis.