Wondering How to Grow Microgreens at Home? Check out the Step-by-Step Guide on How to Grow Microgreens from Seed and Introduce Your Family to a Super-Healthy and Delicious Diet (2021)

As you might know, microgreens are green vegetables that are harvested when they are still premature and form just the leaves and stems. These are used for various purposes, and with these plants, because you do not take out the root, you do not have to worry about the cleanliness of the seeds. Moreover, microgreens are produced from various vegetables and herbs and their sizes range from 1-3 inches and they take 1-3 weeks to grow properly.

Comparatively, sprouts are very different from microgreens. For instance, these are seeds that have just sprouted and no leaves have yet developed. Also, you eat the whole plant with these, including the roots, and, unlike microgreens, these are grown without any soil in the jar. Sprouts include just lentils and they are grown in a very humid environment and just take 3-7 days to grow. Lastly, unlike with the microgreens, because you eat the roots too, sprouts require you to have a very clean jar, as well as seeds and other items.

As you might know, microgreens can be very beneficial, and some of their most important benefits are as follows:

The very first step to growing your microgreens is to choose the right ones. Even though you might think that you just need to get the ones that you like the taste of or those which are nutritious or those that can be grown throughout the year, this is not so. For instance, you will also need to carefully examine the temperatures of the month ahead, the humidity levels, the cloud coverage, wind, etc., and determine the suitable time of year that they should be grown. Normally, the plants requiring low temperatures, low light, and dry air are good for winters while the opposite ones would be well-suited for summers.

However, you will also need to check if high temperatures mean 30-40°C or do the plant requires over 40°C. Also, even though you might think that the summer plants can be grown indoors in winter, most of those require direct sunlight after germination, making it near impossible to grow in winters. Some great microgreens for the Indian environment include mustard, kale, endive, arugula, beet greens, spinach, tatsoi, radish greens, watercress, mizuna, peas, cabbage, basil and lettuce.

As we have mentioned before, having clean seeds is not important but getting the right ones with good quality is. So, firstly, make sure that the seeds are untreated or it will be impossible to grow microgreens because, even though the larger plants aren't affected by insecticides, the smaller ones are. Also, you should check the germination rate and get the ones with the highest rate. You should also plan the harvesting date and make sure that this matches with the one on the packet and check the cultivar name to be able to decide the particular types of microgreens that you want. You can use seeds available in your kitchen or you could buy packets from good quality nurseries.

Now, before moving on to collecting the required items for growing microgreens, determine the location. Here, again, check the requirements of the plant and decide accordingly. Normally, for the summer ones, we would suggest that you plant them on a window sill, if indoor, as it will be able to receive more sunlight. We would also suggest that you choose a place that your house members don't go to a lot. This way, you can make sure that the plant is kept at a constant temperature and isn't mistakenly interfered with too much as well.

If you are using seeds from a nursery, the seed packet may have details on the recommended soil, temperature, humidity, etc. It may also describe any special requirements of that particular plant or the exact time it takes to grow the plant. Other than that, the harvesting method may also be given. Alternatively, you can look up online resources to see any special considerations for your chosen plant.

Starting with the actual growing process for the plant, the very first step should be to gather the required items. The very first one of these would be a tray or container (only if you are planting indoors; not required for growing in garden beds). For the size, it depends on if you want to grow these in larger quantities or small ones. Also, check the space required for a particular quantity of seeds and then decide if you need a tray or a closed container and its size.

Next, you will need the seeds and a spray bottle to spray any solutions or water, etc. That brings us to the next item – a seaweed solution to ensure good growth of the plant. You will also be needing a paper towel to line the tray and a pen or plant label that will help you to mark the date and the variety of various plants that you grow. Lastly, you will require a seed raising mix growing medium to grow the plant in.

You will first need to decide if you want to grow your microgreens in a garden bed or a container. The first method is for planting in a garden bed while the second one is for growing in a tray or a container. Follow these steps if you are planting in a garden bed:

In case you are planning to grow these in a container and the instructions aren't given on the packet, this method would be safe for most of the microgreens:

Once you have successfully planted the microgreens, you will also need to make sure that you care for them a lot. Here, you might assume that these do not require much maintenance but some maintaining is still required. Firstly, you will need to check the temperature and humidity at different times on various days and make sure that they are kept right. Also, you will need to lift the tray and mist your seeds a few times every day. You may even add some organic fertiliser every once in a while and make sure that pests are kept at bay.

Moreover, make sure that the microgreens get a little bit of sunlight and at the right time. So, keeping them in dark by putting a dome over the tray for 3-4 days after they have sprouted will help grow healthy and strong microgreens. Once this phase is over, it is time to let them out in the sunlight and let them grow further than just sprouts. Make sure that there is natural air circulation or insert a fan yourself. Continue this till the harvesting period and check for mould every other day, making sure that the plants are in good health.

Now that the maintenance period is also over, it is time to harvest. For this, once you examine the plants, you will see seed leaves that don't look like actual leaves but are quite close; this will be around 2 weeks to 18 days after the microgreens have been planted.

For the actual harvesting, start by snipping the microgreens just above the soil level. Here, first try with a couple and check if they have developed enough, and then continue with the rest. Also, when snipping, remember not to pull out the roots at all or they will not turn out well.

Once this is done, you can take out the rest of the soil if you want and replant the microgreens. Also, you will not be able to harvest these again because the plants have not been able to develop properly and they have no way to regrow. A good thing would be that you don't necessarily need to take out the roots and can let them stay within. In fact, these may even be better and will keep the soil healthy too.

When growing microgreens, we would suggest you keep some additional tips in mind:

To conclude, here are some ways you can effectively add microgreens to your diet and make the most of them: