What Are Microgreens?

Microgreens are little vegetables that are grown in a tray using soil, hydroponic solution, or water as the growing medium. These plants are 1 to 3 inches tall. Microgreens are now being widely grown because of several benefits. Growing these tiny plants is very easy because you will need a shallow plastic container or a 2-inch deep tray. Follow the guideline to grow microgreens in your tiny garden.

Most of the seeds germinate within 2 days, and after that, you have to wait for 8 to 12 days (based on the types of microgreens) to harvest them. Microgreens are rich in nutrients, vitamins, and minerals (Millard, 2014). They contain a higher amount of Vitamin A, B, C, E, K, carotenoids, antioxidants, and so on. Some common microgreens that are being widely grown are – lettuce, broccoli, basil, radish, amaranth, cabbage, kale, sunflower, pea, and so on.

Why Should You Grow Microgreens?

There are several reasons why people should start growing microgreens. Let us examine the most common reasons –

1. Microgreens are highly nutritious: This is the primary reason why people across the entire world are growing them. They have concentrated nutrient content, and according to studies, these little vegetables contain zinc, iron, potassium, magnesium, and copper (Zhenlei et al., 2016; Weber, 2017). In addition, you will find other beneficial compounds like antioxidants. Researches have proven that these plants contain 40 times more nutrients compared to mature vegetables.
2. Microgreens can be grown commercially: Microgreens are very expensive in the market, and this is why many people grow them for commercial purpose. Growing microgreens and selling them in the market can bring you a decent amount of money. It has been estimated that selling microgreens in the market can bring around $20 to $30 per pound, and you can easily produce about two pounds per ft².
3. Microgreens are very easy to grow: Growing these little vegetables is extremely easy, and anyone can grow them within a little space. It may take 12 days to harvest microgreens. In addition, growing these nutritious baby-plants doesn’t cost much. You will need a plastic container, soil/water, and seeds to grow them. Once germinated, wait for 2 weeks to taste their flavor. You can follow the guideline to grow microgreens.

Complete Guideline to Grow Microgreens in Your Garden

Figure 1: A complete guideline to grow microgreens

Before starting the guideline to grow microgreens in the garden, let me help you to create the list of necessary equipment, which is needed –

1. A plastic container/2-inch deep tray
2. Soil/Water/Hydroponic solution as the growing medium
3. Seeds

Yes. To grow microgreens, having previous experience is not required. In fact, anyone can grow them. You will need only these three items to grow microgreens. Now, follow this simple guideline to grow microgreens –

1. Make the container ready for growing microgreens.
2. Add soil/water/hydroponic solution in the container.
3. Some seeds need to be pre-soaked while others don’t need. So, pre-soak the seeds if it is required.
4. Place them in the growing medium. If you place them in soil, don’t forget to keep the soil damp.
5. Healthy seeds may take around 1 to 2 days to germinate.
6. Once they germinate, wait for 1 to 2 weeks and then harvest them.