How to Grow Microgreens at Home, Step by Step

I planted a fresh tray of microgreens this morning – broccoli, red cabbage, and kale. Broccoli’s probably my favourite out of the three. It’s mild, grows fast, and it always does well, even when the weather’s all over the place like it’s been lately.

I like doing a tray or two of microgreens every week or so. They’re one of those crops you can rely on when not much else is happening. Especially if lettuce is being difficult – which, let’s be honest, it usually is in the tropics. It bolts fast, goes bitter, and the bugs are all over it. Microgreens are a good stand-in. I can pick them fresh, they taste great, and they don’t take up much room. I sometimes add a few leaves of kang kong or sweet potato if I want to bulk it out into more of a salad.

Don't miss: 21 of My Favourite Mild Tasting Microgreens!

I’m using trays from Bootstrap Farmer. They’re solid, not the kind that crack after a few uses, and they’re made in the US, which I prefer over the cheap ones you find everywhere now. I’ve been using these ones for a while, and they’ve held up really well. Another option you can look at is these kits from Biome, which are made in Australia and come with Australian seeds (#ad)!

Before filling them, I give the trays a proper clean. I wash them with warm, soapy water, then spray with 70% isopropyl alcohol and wipe them down with a paper towel. You can skip it, but especially in hot or humid weather, it really helps keep mould and fungus away. Once a tray gets hit with that, the whole crop’s usually a write-off.

For the growing medium, I use plain coco coir from a block. I use it because it’s clean, holds moisture well, and I’ve had fewer problems with diseases or random weed seeds (#ad) popping up compared to using potting mix in trays like this. I crumble it up with my hands so there are no big lumps, then fill the tray right to the top. Once it’s in, I use a pressure sprayer to give it a really good soak. I want the whole thing evenly damp, not just the surface. This is the only time I water from the top. Once the seeds sprout, it’s bottom watering only.

I weigh out about 3.5 to 4 grams of seeds per tray. That gives a nice thick coverage without them getting overcrowded. I sprinkle them evenly across the surface, press them in gently with my fingers, and give them another light spray to settle them in. You don’t want them swimming, just enough to help them stick.

Then I cover the tray with a blackout lid. It’s one of the Bootstrap ones again. It’s tall, so it doesn’t touch the seedlings, and it keeps the light out while trapping humidity in. That darkness actually helps the seedlings stretch a bit, so I end up with longer, straighter stems, which is what I want with microgreens. Plus, seedlings grown in the dark convert their stored starches into simple sugars, so they often taste a bit sweeter than ones exposed to light straight away.

Just don’t leave that lid out in full sun – it’ll warp! I found that out the hard way. Keep it under cover, or somewhere shady.

The seeds usually start sprouting by the next morning, but I leave the lid on for about two to three days until they’re looking ready to face the light. Then the lid comes off and the tray goes into a bright, sheltered spot.

Now, cabbage moths are a real pain here, especially with anything in the brassica family, so I keep my trays inside a netted cage to stop them getting hammered. After one batch got completely wiped out, I made a simple one out of an old wire drawer and some bug net (#ad). I just cable-tied it all around and it fits perfectly over the bottom tray. Easy to lift on and off, and it works well.

Once they’re up, I water from the bottom only. I don’t use a second tray, I just pour water straight into the bottom tray that the microgreen tray sits in. I like to keep them pretty wet. The coir holds the moisture well, and the roots can reach down into it. No spraying from above – it keeps the leaves dry and healthy, and really helps avoid fungus or damping off, especially when the weather’s humid.

They’re usually ready to harvest in about a week. I just snip off what I need with scissors each day, straight into wraps, sandwiches, salads, whatever’s going. I don’t store them in the fridge, they’re better fresh, and they keep producing for days if I only take a bit at a time.

They’re quick, they’re easy, and honestly, they’ve saved a lot of meals when everything else in the garden is either bolting or being eaten by something. If you haven’t tried growing microgreens yet, give it a go. It’s a nice little routine to have going.