13 Easy Microgreens to Grow In Your Kitchen

February 26, 2019February 20, 2019

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Want to try growing your own tasty and nutritious microgreens indoors? Here are 13 easy varieties to start with…

Microgreens are all the rage these days at upscale restaurants, and their popularity is only enhanced by their high nutritional value. Given their short shelf life, it’s not surprising that they cost a pretty penny – if you can even find them at your local grocery store.

The good news is that it is extremely easy and affordable to grow your own microgreens! Even better, they are delicious, nutritious, and offer a quick and easy harvest year-round. You can add microgreens to salads, sandwiches, stir fries, and more, and each variety has a slightly different flavor, so you may want to try growing a few different kinds – or a mixture – to decide what you like best.

Before you get started with growing your own, you may be wondering exactly what “microgreens” are anyway? In fact, they are not some mysterious or exotic “super green” – they are simply regular greens, herbs, lettuces, and other edible plants that are harvested when they are still basically seedlings – typically only an inch or two tall. They are often ready to harvest just a few days after planting, and they do great in containers indoors, which makes them a great crop to grow inside during the winter months when you can’t grow anything outdoors.

You can find many different types of microgreens seed mixes, or you can simply make your own mix with a variety of lettuce, herbs, and salad greens seeds.

Here are 13 tasty varieties to try growing as microgreens:

Mustard
Kale
Endive
Arugula
Beet greens
Spinach
Tatsoi
Radish greens
Watercress
Mizuna
Peas
Cabbage
Basil
Lettuce (any)

To plant, sow your seeds fairly thickly in your container (or in a garden bed if growing outdoors), as you will want them only about 1/8″ to 1/4″ apart. Cover lightly, and water gently and frequently enough to keep the surface of the soil from drying out. Set your container in a sunny window where it will get at least 4 hours of sunlight per day.

You will want to harvest your microgreens after their first set of “true” leaves have developed – generally about 10-14 days after planting. To harvest, snip off your baby greens just above the soil using a pair of scissors. You can replant another batch in the same container, or have multiple containers going with staggered plantings for a continuous harvest.