Easy Guide to Grow Microgreens from Home

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Growing microgreens is one of the most simple ways to get the valuable nutrients found in vegetables into your body. They are oh-so light and delicate, and carry every nutrient found in their mature plant counterparts. Today, I’m giving you a step by step guide to getting all the nutrition plants offer, with less bitterness and fibrous material to get through!

If you read my post on sprouts, you already have a base understanding of micro greens. If you haven’t read that, go back and give that a quick read. Then, come back and decide if microgreens or sprouts are right for you!

The main difference between the two is that that you eat a sprout at a much younger stage in the germination process than you do a microgreen.

Why Choose Microgreens Over Sprouts

Microgreens are very hands off. With both microgreens and sprouts, you will soak the seeds in water over night. At that point, you pour the microgreen seeds over a growing medium, (I’ll get to that later) cover it with something that blocks the light for the first 2-3 days, then expose to light and set in a tray with water. Let them grow pretty much as long as you want. Ours always get eaten at least within three weeks, so I can’t testify beyond that. Microgreens are very hands off, although the process is longer. With sprouts, you have to be vigilant to rinse them two times a day, but it is a short period that is over in 4-7 days depending on the seed.

With microgreens, you only eat the sprout and seed leaf, not the root. They add a beautiful burst of bright green to anything you put them on!

Health Benefits of Growing Your Own Microgreens

It is ALWAYS the best choice nutritionally to grow your own food. Assuming you’re not using fluoridated water and toxic fertilizers, homegrown microgreens are the best microgreens.

Using organic seeds and clean water will yield the most nutritious greens. In conventionally grown food, there are always sneaky sprays or processes used to make food look pretty and last a long time in the grocery store. Keeping that in mind always makes me eager to grow my own food!!

Health Benefits of Eating Microgreens

Microgreens contain up to 40% more phytochemicals (polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids) than the full grown plant. They are loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and health-supporting compounds like sulforaphane— a major anti cancer found specifically in broccoli seeds. (Source)

While you probably wouldn’t be able to keep up with growing enough to eat a salad of microgreens every day, adding them into your diet in little increments is such a boost to your body’s health. (Kind of the same approach we take to eating organs!)

Tools Needed to Grow Microgreens:

Jar
Strainer Lid or some kind of strainer for the first soak — both necessary if you aren’t going to use a growing tray.
Growing Medium — this can be an organic potting soil, but I find a soilless medium is much easier, let messy, retains moisture better, and the nutrients in soil aren’t needed for these young plants.
Microgreen Seeds
Optional: Growing Tray —this is similar to mine. I bought mine in Okinawa from the Home Depot-style store there!

How To Grow Microgreens:

Measure the Seeds
In whatever container you plan to grow your microgreens, sprinkle the seeds over the entire bottom. Unlike planting full grown vegetables, we get to pack these in as tight as we want, so don’t be shy here! The amount of seed needed will vary based on the size of the container you are growing in.
Soak the Seeds
If you measured into something like a strainer that does not hold water, transfer the seeds to a container and cover with plenty of excess water. I set an alarm if I’m using smaller seeds… it’s important that they don’t over-absorb. 6 hours for small seeds alfalfa or broccoli, and 8 hours for bigger seeds like Swiss chard is just right. If you’re sprouting beans, corn, sunflower seeds or other large seeds, soaking overnight and up to 12 hours will be needed.
Drain and Rinse
Prepare Growing Medium
Cut your medium to the size of container you will be using, then soak them. I put my hemp mats (hemp felt) in water and let them sit for 5-10 minutes to absorb plenty. Place in the grow tray you plan to use. It’s not mandatory, but for the most hands-off method, grow in a strainer that has a basin underneath that can hold a little water. If you don’t have that, regular shallow trays with no holes are okay. You’ll just have to manage it more often.
”Sprinkle” Soaked Seeds Over Medium in Container
They don’t actually sprinkle well when they’re wet, but dump them out and use your hand to evenly disperse them over the mat in a thin layer. This is one reason why having a growing medium instead of dirt is helpful.
Cover to Block All Light and Leave Alone for 3 Days
I set an alarm on my phone, or else I will forget about them, or wonder if it’s been three days when its only been a day!
Uncover, Water (if needed) and Place in Direct Sunlight
See all that magical growth that has taken place and marvel! There will be little roots and the start of seed leaves. Check the moisture level. If you are not growing in a strainer, do not over saturate. They only need a little water, so I like to use a spray bottle to mist the germinated seeds. If you have a windowsill with enough depth, that’s a good place to grow them. If not placing in a windowsill, they’ll still do okay— grow lights are not necessary. *Don’t be alarmed— at this phase, you may see root hairs that may make you think they have molded. If it is consistent throughout the seeds, is all white and doesn’t smell bad, keep going. Put them in light and those will dissipate as they mature.
Every Day, Check Moisture
Give it a mist every day if you don’t have a self-watering system. In mine, once the roots are long enough, they self-water and I only have to fill up the bottom tray once a week or so. They don’t need much water, but will shrivel up if you forget about them for few days!
Let Grow At Least Until They Have Their First True Leaves
You can let them grow as long as you want! As long as they have adequate moisture and air flow, they will continue growing and not go bad (as sprouts do). I like mine to get an inch or so above the grow trays.
Cut Above the Growing Medium
Using a sharp knife or kitchen shears, cut the shoot above the soil line. Eat right away and enjoy as an accessory to any meal!

Possible Variations:

Paper Towels: People have said to just use paper towels to grow microgreens. I don’t recommend that for a few reasons. First, organic paper towels are expensive and hard to come by. I for sure don’t want the bleach and whatever other chemicals that are in regular paper towels to leach into my greens! Second, I found organic paper towels, but they were not hardy enough to stand up to the watering, and it made it more difficult to cut the tops away from the stems.

Second Harvest: It is possible to get a second harvest from microgreens, but it doesn’t work with most seeds, and it usually yields poor results. If you want to try it, do so with larger seeds like peas or beans. When you do your first harvest, be sure to cut above the first set of true leaves. After a few days you’ll see sporadic new shoots. For the effort, and even the health of the roots, I prefer to forego additional harvests and start fresh.

Grow In Soil: You do not have to use a solid growing medium. It is possible to grow them in good quality potting mix or coconut coir. It is cleaner and easier to distribute the soaked seeds on mats, but is not necessary. (I grow chia seeds in empty egg shells with potting soil for fresh spring decor! If you have chickens, it’s a delicious treat for them! *Chia seeds gel (hence chia pudding being all the rage) so I actually do not soak them prior to sprouting.)

Mix Seeds: If you do, make sure that you are using a similar seed size. Germination rates differ according to their size and will be at different stages in development. I have made this mistake with sprouts and ended up with a jar of some fully mature sprouts with some seeds that are still rock hard!

Plant Sprouted Seeds: It’s really not complicated! Nothing is special about “microgreen seeds” other than the fact that they have a very high rate of germination compared to other seeds. So sprout whatever seeds you have! I sprouted popcorn kernels for making sprouted corn flour, but let some mature longer, then planted those in my backyard! I’ve got baby plants of corn growing now, and it was so much more simple to just sprout them in a jar than it was to prepare “seed start” trays.

Experiment! With all the phytochemicals stored in a seed… things want to grow! So just start experimenting! I looked in my cupboard, found cumin seed and had cumin microgreens for breakfast! (I imagine them being a little more enjoyable with something like tacos because they taste exactly like the spice, but it was fun to try!) Fennel is in its dark germination phase, but really looking forward to those! Microgreens are a GREAT way to dip your toes into the world of plants and all things gardening. Take the plunge!

Thank you for reading today! As always, leave a comment below and let me know what you plan to grow, and tag me on instagram to show off your growth!