Grow Microgreens Home

Discover essential growing tips and techniques for cultivating vibrant microgreens right in your kitchen.

How to Grow Microgreens From Seed

What are Microgreens? Simply put, microgreens are seeds grown like grass in trays on your countertop and harvested en masse at the seedling stage. These young plants are often pretty and contain a TON of flavor!

There is nothing biologically significant about “microgreens seeds”--they are just seeds grown using this particular method. Yes, there are seeds that are not considered “microgreens seeds”, but it is only due to that particular species’ plant structure being inedible, such as tomatoes. Of course, there are exceptions... but they will be noted on the individual seed pages.

All kinds of seeds can be grown as microgreens. Of course, there are popular plant families widely grown as microgreens, such as brassicas (cabbage, mustard, broccoli), but there are a vast number of diverse plant families and species suitable for microgreening. These can include cantaloupe melon seeds, nasturtium flower seeds, Chinese mahogany tree seeds, and more.

Unlike sprouting, microgreening requires a growing medium. This can be soil, a hydroponic grow pad or even terra cotta! A growing medium allows the sprout roots to take hold of something to begin their plant structure development. Without the growing medium, the plant structure won’t be able to develop. Soil is the best medium for beginners, but using hydroponic mediums isn’t a complicated process and can be a great clean way of growing microgreens. Growing mediums are made from several types of fiber, such as jute, coco coir, bamboo, and wood. Each type of mat may be better suited than the other, depending on what type of seeds you plan to grow. The growing medium is placed in the tray just like soil and maintained as such--often, hydroponic mediums require more frequent watering depending on the temperature of your grow space.

Microgreen gardening timing varies according to the seed and the variety you may be growing. Generally, microgreen crops range from one week to a month from seed to harvest. Microgreen seeds are grown to the cotyledon stage or to the true leaf stage, rarely ever beyond that. Cotyledons are the first set of baby leaves, and true leaves are the second set of leaves, which will take on the shape that the full-grown plant will begin producing. Growing on microgreens past the true leaf stage is considered either an herb or a babygreen. Or your microgreens may develop a bitter flavor.

Growing microgreens at home has never been easier! The tips provided are incredibly helpful and practical.

Emily R.

I successfully grew my first batch of microgreens using these tips. Highly recommend for beginners!

John D.

★★★★★

★★★★★