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How to grow microgreens at home: a step-by-step guide

Microgreens are young vegetable and herb seedlings cut just above the soil once their first leaves open. They need no garden, only a shallow tray, a bright window or small lamp and a week or two. This guide covers everything from choosing seed to telling mold apart from healthy root hairs.

How to grow microgreens at home: a step-by-step guide
Photo: Teogenesis, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Difficulty
Easy
Time to harvest
8–21 days depending on seed (estimated)
Cost
Low; a tray, mix and seed
Space
A windowsill or one shelf

What are microgreens?

Microgreens sit between sprouts and baby leaves. The difference is mainly how they are grown and which part you eat.

Sprouts

  • Germinated in water or a jar, with no growing medium.
  • Eaten whole: seed, root and shoot.
  • Ready in 2–6 days.
  • Warm, wet conditions carry a higher food-safety risk.

Microgreens

  • Grown in a shallow tray of mix or on a mat, in light.
  • Only the stem and leaves are cut; roots stay behind.
  • Ready in about 8–21 days.
  • Harvested at the seed-leaf or first true-leaf stage.

Baby leaves

  • Grown longer in soil, like a normal crop.
  • Several true leaves before cutting.
  • Ready in 3–5 weeks or more.
  • Larger, softer flavour, used like salad leaves.

Best seeds and timings

Start with fast, reliable seeds such as radish or broccoli. Small, slippery seeds (cress, arugula, basil) form a gel when wet, so do not soak them; large seeds (sunflower, pea) germinate better after soaking. Times below are typical at room temperature (estimated).

Radish microgreens: pink stems and heart-shaped seed leaves after about 10 days.
Radish microgreens: pink stems and heart-shaped seed leaves after about 10 days. Photo: Stacy Spensley, CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Sunflower microgreens: thick, crunchy shoots from soaked seed.
Sunflower microgreens: thick, crunchy shoots from soaked seed. Photo: Pannet, CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
RadishSoak: none · Germination: 1–2 days · Harvest: 8–12 days
BroccoliSoak: none · Germination: 2–3 days · Harvest: 10–14 days
ArugulaSoak: none · Germination: 1–2 days · Harvest: 8–12 days
Sunflower (in shell)Soak: 8–12 h · Germination: 2–3 days · Harvest: 9–12 days
PeaSoak: 8–12 h · Germination: 2–3 days · Harvest: 10–14 days
Garden cressSoak: none · Germination: 1–2 days · Harvest: 8–12 days
BasilSoak: none · Germination: 3–5 days · Harvest: 14–21 days

What you need

  • Shallow tray with drainage holes (a 10 x 20 in tray or any food container 1.5–2 in deep)
  • A second tray without holes to sit underneath for bottom watering
  • Fine seed-starting mix, coco coir or a hemp grow mat
  • Seeds sold for sprouting or microgreens
  • Spray bottle
  • A lid, upturned tray or cardboard for blackout
  • Bright window or a small LED grow light
  • Clean scissors

Soaking large seeds

Rinse sunflower or pea seed, cover with about twice its volume of cool water and leave 8–12 hours. Drain and rinse again before sowing. Do not soak longer than a day: seeds can start to ferment and smell sour. Skip soaking for small and gel-forming seeds; scatter them dry.

Sowing step by step

  1. Wash the trays in hot, soapy water and rinse well.
  2. Fill the holed tray with 1–1.5 in of moist mix and level it gently without packing it hard.
  3. Mist the surface until it is evenly damp but not soggy.
  4. Scatter seed thickly and evenly so seeds nearly touch but do not pile up.
  5. Press the seed lightly into the surface with your palm or a flat board. Do not bury it.
  6. Mist again so every seed is wet.
  7. Cover for blackout (see below) and keep at roughly 65–75 °F.

Blackout, weight and light

For the first 2–4 days keep the tray dark under a lid or a second tray. Many growers set a light weight on top (a few pounds, such as a tray with a book); pressure keeps seeds in contact with the mix and makes stems sturdier. Check daily and mist if the surface dries.

When most seeds have germinated and shoots are pushing the cover up, uncover and give light. A south- or west-facing window works, but an LED grow light 2–6 in above the tray for 12–16 hours a day gives straighter, greener growth.

Trays on lit shelves: steady overhead light keeps microgreens short and even.
Trays on lit shelves: steady overhead light keeps microgreens short and even. Photo: Lufa Farms, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Watering from below

After blackout, stop misting the leaves. Pour water into the solid tray underneath and let the mix soak it up for 10–15 minutes, then empty what is left. Water when the tray feels light, usually once a day (estimated). Wet leaves in a crowded tray invite mold; dry leaves and moist roots are the goal. A small fan on low for a few hours a day also helps.

Harvest and storage

Most microgreens are ready when the seed leaves are fully open and, for some, the first true leaf appears, usually 2–4 in tall. Stop watering 12–24 hours before so the leaves are dry. Cut with clean scissors just above the mix, holding a handful at a time.

Do not wash until you eat them. Store dry in a container lined with paper towel in the refrigerator; most keep about 5–7 days (estimated). Pea and sunflower shoots usually do not regrow well, so compost the used mix and sow a new tray.

Common problems and fixes

White fuzz near the base: mold or root hairs?Root hairs are fine, white and evenly spread along the roots, and they vanish when misted. Mold looks like cobwebs, grows over seeds and stems in patches and often smells musty. Root hairs are harmless; for mold, discard the affected area or tray and improve airflow.
Tall, thin, pale, flopping stemsNot enough light or blackout left too long. Uncover sooner and move the lamp closer or add hours.
Patchy or slow germinationOld seed, uneven moisture or a cold room. Use fresh seed, press it in well and keep the cover on until most seeds sprout.
Seed hulls stuck on leavesCommon with sunflower. Mist and brush gently with your palm; a longer weighted blackout helps the shells fall off.

Safety and hygiene

  • Buy seed labelled for sprouting or microgreens. Garden seed may be treated with fungicide and is not meant for eating.
  • Wash hands, trays and scissors before each crop.
  • Use clean drinking-quality water.
  • Discard any tray that smells bad or shows mold on the leaves.

⚠️ Never eat microgreens grown from seed that is coated, coloured or labelled as treated.

Frequently asked questions

Do microgreens need soil?

No. Coco coir or a hemp or felt mat works too. Soil-like mixes hold moisture longer and are more forgiving for beginners.

Can I grow microgreens without a grow light?

Yes, on a bright windowsill, but stems tend to lean and stretch. Turn the tray daily. In winter a small LED lamp makes a clear difference.

Will microgreens grow back after cutting?

Most will not produce a second useful crop. Some pea shoots regrow a little, but it is usually better to sow a new tray.

How much seed do I need?

Enough to cover the surface in a dense single layer. Large seeds such as sunflower and pea need much more by weight than small seeds like broccoli.

Plants you can grow as microgreens

RadishBroccoliSunflowerPeaBasilLettuceCorianderSpinach

Sources

Last updated: 2 November 2026