Growing micro greens is the process of growing a plant through part of its seedling stage and then harvesting before the plant reaches full maturity. Harvesting a plant at a young stage of growth like this gives you nutrient packed greens to add to you and your family’s meals! Many micro greens can be harvested just 1-2 weeks after sowing the seeds. With a quick turn around like this you can easily stock your fridge with fresh micro greens at all times. Here are six of the easiest micro greens that anyone can grow now!
Growing micro greens is easy but if you’ve never done it before it can be a little confusing at the beginning. I have a beginner’s guide to growing micro greens here you can check out to get a simple understanding of the basics. After you know the basics on how to set up your planting area you’ll want to decide on what to grow first.
Radish Micro Greens
Radishes are by far the easiest of all the micro greens to grow and they taste great! They don’t have as much heat to them as an adult radish does, but they do have a hint of the heat. They also require very little attention and have a quick growth time, making them a go to for beginners. You can get a harvest as soon as 5-7 days with radishes. Just make sure to harvest before the first true leaves show on the plant
Broccoli Micro Greens
Broccoli is very similar to the radish micro greens, they are easy to grow and don’t require much attention. Broccoli seeds are a little bit bigger than most seeds for micro greens. This makes them easier to see when sowing. You’ll want to harvest broccoli the same as the radishes, before the first true leaves show. The taste of broccoli micro greens are similar to the flavor of a cabbage and are full of nutrients including vitamins C and A. They are also very high in protein and calcium.
Cabbage Micro Greens
Cabbage is a great micro green to start with but it requires a little it more patients than broccoli or radishes. They don’t reach the harvest stage until 12-14 days but the abundance of nutrients in cabbage micro greens makes it worth the wait! Cabbage seeds are very small seeds and this could make it more difficult to make sure you don’t over crowd your seed tray when sowing. And you could also plant different varieties like red cabbage, giving your food dishes a splash of color and flavor! Cabbage micro greens are packed with vitamin C and also a great source of vitamin K.
Arugula Micro Greens
Arugula micro greens are super tasty and a great burger topping! They have a lot of flavor and a little bit of heat to them too. When sowing the seeds for arugula be sure not to overcrowd them. They need a little more space than other plants, or they’ll have a harder time successfully growing. But once they get going they grow pretty fast! You can expect a harvest within 7 – 10 days. You’ll want to harvest arugula micro greens after the first true leaves develop. Arugula micro greens are high in protein and also a good source of many vitamins including: A, B, C and E.
Basil Micro Greens
Basil is one of my favorite micro greens to grow but they take a little bit more time and care than others. After you sow the seeds, black out the light from the seeds for 2 – 3 days. This gives more time for the roots to develop. But, once you start giving them light, be generous with it. It also helps to keep the temperature slightly above room temperature. Basil grows steady, but not fast. You’ll have to wait around 2 weeks until you harvest. But you can always let them grow a little bit longer into the seedling stage. After about 20 – 25 days you can harvest the full basil leaves.
Turnip Micro Greens
Turnip micro greens are super easy to grow and grow fast! They don’t require much light but I would let the roots develop for a few days before exposing them to any light. And when you start adding light, they prefer indirect light and at lower levels. You can harvest them anywhere from 7 – 10 days, before the true leaves show. They have a sharp flavor resembling spinach or kale making them a great base for a salad. They are also high in iron and vitamins C, E and K.
What’s Next?
With these six easy to grow micro greens you could have a full stock of a whole variety of flavorful, delicious and healthy produce! But once you’ve gotten to try growing some of these beginners micro greens maybe you’ll want to spread your wings a bit. You could start trying some other plants that take a bit more care or time than these options. But pretty soon you’ll be able to grow any micro green you can imagine and there are a lot of options out there! You can also try growing micro greens in different substrates like coconut coir or start a hydroponics system. Get creative with it!
