You don’t need a garden, expensive equipment, or even much space. A sunny windowsill, a shallow tray, and a packet of seeds are often all it takes.
Microgreens are young vegetable seedlings harvested just after their first leaves appear. Despite their small size, they are packed with flavour and nutrients, making them popular with chefs and home cooks alike.
What Exactly Are Microgreens?
Microgreens are harvested when plants are very young, usually between 7 and 14 days after planting. At this stage they have developed their seed leaves (called cotyledons) and sometimes their first true leaves.
Common microgreens include:
Radish
Pea shoots
Broccoli
Mustard
Sunflower
Rocket
Red cabbage
Beetroot
They add colour, texture and a burst of flavour to salads, sandwiches, soups and even cooked dishes.
What You Need to Get Started
The good news is that growing microgreens requires very little equipment. Most beginners start with:
A shallow tray or container
Good quality compost or growing medium
Microgreen seeds
A spray bottle or watering can
A bright windowsill or small grow light
Shallow trays work best because microgreens don’t need deep soil. Many people even reuse takeaway containers or old food trays to get started.
Planting Your First Microgreens
Growing microgreens is remarkably simple.
Fill your tray with 2–3 cm of compost or growing medium.
Scatter the seeds evenly across the surface. Don’t worry about spacing them perfectly.
Lightly press the seeds down so they make contact with the soil.
Mist with water using a spray bottle.
Place the tray in a bright location but out of intense direct sunlight.
Keep the soil slightly moist but not soggy. Most seeds germinate within two to three days.
Watching Them Grow
Within a week, you should see a thick carpet of tiny green shoots. This is when the magic really happens. As the plants stretch toward the light, they quickly develop flavour and colour.
Rotate your tray occasionally so the plants grow evenly, and continue misting lightly each day.
Harvesting Your Microgreens
Microgreens are usually ready to harvest when they are 5–10 cm tall.
To harvest them:
Use clean scissors
Cut just above the soil line
Rinse gently before eating
The flavour is often far more intense than mature vegetables. Radish microgreens, for example, deliver a surprisingly peppery punch.
Why Grow Microgreens?
People start growing microgreens for several reasons:
They are fast to grow
They require very little space
They are nutrient-dense
They add fresh flavour to meals year-round
Many home growers even turn microgreens into a small side business supplying local cafés or restaurants.
A Simple Way to Start Gardening
If you’ve always wanted to grow something but felt intimidated by gardening, microgreens are a perfect place to begin. Within two weeks you can go from a handful of seeds to a harvest ready for your plate.
And once you start, it’s surprisingly addictive. One tray quickly turns into two… then three… and before long your kitchen windowsill becomes a tiny indoor farm.
Fresh food, minimal effort, and a little bit of daily green growth to brighten your home, not a bad return from a handful of seeds.









