How to Grow Microgreens at Home

Most people spend weeks waiting for their plants to grow. Microgreens say no to that completely.

Plant them today. Harvest them in 7 days. Eat them immediately. Then do it all over again. It is the fastest, most nutritious, most satisfying thing you can grow in your kitchen — and you do not need soil, a garden, or even much of a windowsill to do it.

If you have ever wanted to grow your own food but felt like you did not have the space, the time, or the green thumb — microgreens are where you start.

What Are Microgreens Exactly?

Microgreens are simply vegetable and herb seedlings harvested at 7–14 days old — right after the first true leaves emerge. They are not sprouts. They are not baby plants. They are that perfect moment right in between — when the plant is at its most nutritionally dense and its most flavourful.

Think of them as the concentrated version of any vegetable. All the nutrients packed into a tiny, tender, intensely flavoured shoot.

What Are Microgreens Called Around the World?

Region	Local Name
🇵🇰 Pakistan / Urdu	مائیکرو گرینز (Micro Greens) / ننھی سبزیاں
🇸🇦 Arabic	الخضروات الدقيقة (Al-Khudrawat al-Daqeeqa)
🇮🇳 Hindi	सूक्ष्म साग (Sukshma Saag)
🇫🇷 French	Pousses de légumes
🇯🇵 Japanese	マイクログリーン (Maikuro Guriin)
🌐 Scientific	Vegetable cotyledons — seedling stage harvest

Why Microgreens Are the Most Powerful Food You Can Grow

🔬 40x More Nutrients — A USDA study found microgreens contain up to 40 times more vitamins and minerals than their fully grown counterparts. Radish microgreens alone have 40x more vitamin E than mature radishes.

⚡ Instant Energy — Densely packed with chlorophyll, enzymes, and antioxidants. Adding a handful to your breakfast genuinely changes how you feel by midday.

🫀 Heart Health — Red cabbage microgreens are shown to reduce LDL cholesterol significantly in clinical studies. Real food doing real medicine.

🌿 Completely Chemical Free — When you grow your own, you know exactly what went in. No pesticides, no preservatives, nothing. Just seeds and water.

💰 Saves Serious Money — Restaurant-quality microgreens sell for hundreds of rupees per 100g in Pakistan. Growing your own costs a fraction and takes 7 days.

🍽️ Transforms Any Meal — A handful on your eggs, your roti, your salad, your sandwich. Instant colour, flavour, and nutrition. Chefs charge premium prices for exactly this.

🧒 Perfect for Kids — Fast results keep children engaged. Plant on a Monday, harvest by Sunday. Kids who grow their food eat their vegetables. Science says so.

Best Microgreens to Grow as a Beginner

Microgreen	Flavour	Harvest	Difficulty
Radish	Spicy, peppery	6–8 days	⭐ Easiest
Sunflower	Nutty, sweet	8–10 days	⭐ Easiest
Pea Shoots	Sweet, fresh	10–12 days	⭐ Easiest
Wheat Grass	Earthy, grassy	7–10 days	⭐ Easiest
Broccoli	Mild, earthy	7–10 days	⭐⭐ Easy
Coriander	Herby, citrusy	12–14 days	⭐⭐ Easy
Fenugreek (Methi)	Slightly bitter, aromatic	8–10 days	⭐ Easiest
Mustard	Spicy, bold	6–8 days	⭐ Easiest

💡 Start with radish or fenugreek (methi). Both grow explosively fast, both taste incredible, and both are seeds you probably already have in your kitchen spice rack right now.

What You Need (Everything Is Already at Home)

Any shallow tray, plate, or container
Paper towels, cotton cloth, or a thin layer of soil
Seeds — radish, methi, peas, sunflower, mustard
A spray bottle with water
A windowsill or any bright spot
7 days of patience

That is genuinely everything. No special equipment. No grow lights. No fancy setup.

Step 01 — Soak Your Seeds Overnight

Microgreen seeds soaking in a bowl of water

The night before you want to plant, put your seeds in a small bowl and cover with water. Let them soak for 8–12 hours — overnight is perfect. This softens the seed coat and kickstarts germination, shaving 1–2 days off your growing time.

In the morning you will notice the seeds have swollen slightly and some may already have tiny tails beginning to emerge. That is exactly what you want.

🌿 Small seeds like radish and mustard do not need soaking — they are tiny enough to germinate fast on their own. Only soak larger seeds like peas and sunflower.

Step 02 — Set Up Your Tray

Microgreen tray set up with paper towel base and seeds scattered

Take any shallow tray, plate, or container — even a recycled food container works perfectly. Line the base with one of these:

Option A — Paper Towels (easiest, no mess)

Layer 3–4 sheets of paper towel in the tray. Wet thoroughly until fully soaked but not dripping. Scatter seeds evenly across the surface — close together but not piled on top of each other.

Option B — Thin Soil Layer (better for larger seeds)

Add 2–3 cm of potting mix. Water lightly. Press seeds gently onto the surface. Cover with a thin layer of soil.

Mist the seeds with a spray bottle. Then — and this is the trick most people skip — cover the tray with another tray or plate on top to block out light completely for the first 3–4 days. Darkness during germination makes seedlings push upward fast and develop strong stems.

Step 03 — The Dark Phase (Days 1–4)

Covered microgreen tray in dark germination phase

Keep your covered tray somewhere warm — your kitchen counter is perfect. Check once daily and mist lightly if the paper towel or soil feels dry. Do not overwater — the medium should be moist, not swimming.

By day 2–3 you will hear a faint crackling sound when you lift the cover — that is hundreds of seeds germinating simultaneously. By day 4 when you remove the cover, you will find a dense forest of pale yellow seedlings all reaching upward desperately looking for light.

Move to your brightest windowsill now. Within hours — literally hours — they will turn green as chlorophyll kicks in. It is one of the most satisfying things you will ever watch happen.

🌱 The pale yellow to bright green transformation happens in under 6 hours of light exposure. Watch it happen — it is genuinely magical.

Step 04 — Harvest & Eat

Hands using scissors to harvest fresh microgreens from tray

Your microgreens are ready to harvest when they are 5–8 cm tall and the first set of true leaves have just started to appear — usually day 7–12 depending on variety. Do not wait too long — the younger they are harvested, the more tender and nutritious they are.

Harvest with clean scissors, cutting just above the paper towel or soil line. Rinse under cold water. Shake dry. Eat immediately — or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

How to use them:

🍳 On fried eggs or omelettes in the morning
🥙 Inside a paratha roll or sandwich
🥗 Tossed into any salad or raita
🍜 On top of daal or soups just before serving
🥤 Blended into a morning smoothie
🍽️ As a garnish on literally anything

✂️ Grow in rotation. Start a new tray every 3–4 days and you will always have fresh microgreens ready. A continuous harvest cycle means fresh food every single day.

Microgreens Growing Timeline

Day	What Happens
Day 0	Soak seeds overnight
Day 1	Plant seeds, cover tray
Day 2–3	Seeds germinate under cover
Day 4	Remove cover, move to light
Day 4–6	Pale shoots turn bright green
Day 7–10	First true leaves emerge
Day 7–14	Harvest time

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake	What Happens	The Fix
Skipping the dark phase	Slow, uneven germination	Always cover for first 3–4 days
Overwatering	Mould, rotting seeds	Moist not wet — mist do not drench
Too little light after uncovering	Leggy, pale, weak shoots	Sunniest windowsill you have
Harvesting too late	Bitter, tough, less nutritious	Harvest at 5–8 cm, first leaves just opening
Planting seeds too thick	Mould from poor air circulation	One layer of seeds, evenly spread
Using old seeds	Poor germination	Fresh seeds always — check germination rate

Microgreens vs Other Indoor Food Plants

	Microgreens	Basil	Tomato	Chili
Time to harvest	7–14 days	3–4 weeks	60–80 days	90 days
Space needed	Tiny tray	Small pot	Medium pot	Medium pot
Soil needed	Optional	Yes	Yes	Yes
Nutrition density	Extremely high	High	Medium	Medium
Cost to start	Almost zero	Low	Low	Low
Difficulty	⭐ Easiest	⭐ Easy	⭐⭐ Easy	⭐⭐ Easy

Microgreens win on speed, nutrition, and ease — every single time.

Part of the Instantly Grow Series by Seedora Store — the fastest, most nutritious food you will ever grow with your own hands.

How to Grow Microgreens at Home (Harvest in 7 Days, No Soil Needed)