Microgreens at Home — Grow Superfoods in 7-14 Days
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Microgreens are the fastest food you can grow. Sow seeds today, harvest edible greens in 7–14 days — no garden, no soil, no special equipment. Microgreens are seedlings harvested at the cotyledon or first true leaf stage, when they are nutritionally at their peak. Studies show they contain 4–40 times the nutrient concentration of mature vegetables of the same species.
This makes microgreens the most space-efficient, time-efficient, and nutrition-efficient thing you can grow at home. A tray the size of an A4 sheet of paper, on your kitchen counter, produces a continuous supply of fresh greens year-round.
What Are Microgreens?
Microgreens are not sprouts. Sprouts are germinated seeds eaten root and all, grown in water or a jar. Microgreens are grown in a medium (cocopeat, vermiculite, or even wet jute cloth), allowed to develop their first leaves, then snipped at the base with scissors.
The nutritional concentration is highest at this stage — before the plant draws down its stored nutrients to build more leaves and stems. Radish microgreens, for example, contain 40 times the glucosinolate concentration of mature radish.
4–40x
Nutrient concentration in microgreens vs mature vegetables of the same species
7–14 days
Time from seed to harvest for most microgreen varieties
₹200–500
Price per 100g of premium microgreens at restaurants and health stores
₹200–500
Total equipment cost to start growing microgreens at home (trays, cocopeat, seeds)
Which Microgreen Varieties Are Best for Indian Beginners?
These are the easiest, fastest-germinating varieties widely available in India:
Sunflower: Large, meaty shoots with a nutty flavour. Soak 8 hours before sowing. Harvest at 10–12 days. One of the most satisfying microgreens to grow.
Radish (Mooli): Fast, spicy, intensely nutritious. Germinates in 2 days. Harvest at 7–8 days. Easy to find seeds at any market — use standard mooli seeds.
Mustard (Sarson): Peppery and sharp. Fast germinator (2–3 days). Harvest at 7–10 days. Excellent mixed with milder greens.
Fenugreek (Methi): Bitter and intensely aromatic. Common methi seeds from your kitchen spice box work perfectly. Harvest at 7–10 days.
Pea shoots: Sweet, tender, and large enough to use in salads or stir-fries. Soak 8 hours, harvest at 10–14 days. Use any dried whole peas from the grocery store.
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Trays: Shallow trays 3–5 cm deep. Purpose-made microgreen trays (₹80–200 each) have drainage holes and fit together neatly. Food-grade plastic trays, old baking tins, or seedling flats all work. You need two trays per batch: one with holes (growing tray) and one without (watering tray below it).
Growing medium: Cocopeat (₹50–100 per block) is ideal — clean, lightweight, consistent. Alternatively, use dampened jute cloth for varieties like sunflower and pea shoots that do not need deep rooting.
Seeds: ₹50–200 for enough seeds to grow 3–4 trays. Buy from organic seed suppliers if possible — standard market seeds may be treated with fungicides.
Spray bottle: For daily misting. Any small spray bottle works.
Farmer's Tip
Buy a kitchen scale to weigh seed quantities. Most microgreen varieties are sown at 15–30g per standard tray. Weighing seeds ensures even coverage and removes the guesswork from your first few batches.
What Is the Step-by-Step Method for Growing Microgreens?
Day 0 — Soak: Measure seeds (15–30g per tray depending on variety). Rinse, then soak in cool water for 4–8 hours (8 hours for sunflower and peas, 4 hours for small seeds like mustard and radish).
Day 0 — Sow: Spread moist cocopeat 2–3 cm deep in your growing tray. Drain soaked seeds and spread them evenly in a single layer across the surface. Press lightly to ensure good contact with the medium.
Days 1–2 — Blackout: Stack an empty tray on top and place a weight on it. The pressure and darkness promote germination. Keep in a warm spot — a kitchen counter or near a window.
Day 2 — Check: Lift the cover tray. You should see white rootlets and the first shoots emerging. If germination is good (most seeds sprouted), move to indirect light. If not, cover for one more day.
Days 3–7 — Grow: Place in indirect bright light (a windowsill with morning sun is perfect). Mist with a spray bottle once or twice daily to keep the surface moist — do not over-water or you will get mould. The shoots will green up within 12–24 hours of light exposure.
Days 7–14 — Harvest: When shoots are 5–10 cm tall and the seed leaves are fully open, harvest by snipping with clean scissors just above the growing medium. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
What Is the Business Potential of Selling Microgreens?
Microgreens sell at ₹200–500 per 100g to restaurants, juice bars, and health-conscious consumers in urban India. A 4-tray setup cycling continuously produces roughly 400–600g of microgreens per week. At ₹300/100g, that is ₹1200–1800 per week from a kitchen counter. Many people start microgreens as a kitchen hobby and discover a part-time income from supplying local cafes.
Last updated: March 2026