How to Grow Microgreens at Home: The Beginner’s Guide for Small Spaces and Apartments

My first microgreens tray sat on a kitchen bench in a rented flat. No garden, no grow lights, no experience — just a punnet of seeds, a takeaway container, and a vague optimism that something edible might happen. Something did. Within ten days I was cutting my first harvest of radish microgreens and putting them on scrambled eggs, genuinely surprised it had worked.

If you’re in an apartment and wondering whether growing your own food is even possible, microgreens are where I’d tell anyone to start. They’re fast, they’re cheap, they don’t need a garden, and they don’t need you to know what you’re doing. Here’s everything I’ve learned about growing them.

Why Microgreens Are the Perfect First Grow for Apartment Dwellers

Microgreens are the seedling stage of vegetables and herbs — harvested just after the seed leaves (cotyledons) have fully opened, usually between 7 and 14 days after sowing. They punch far above their weight nutritionally: research by Xiao et al. (USDA/University of Maryland, 2012) found significantly higher concentrations of vitamins and antioxidants than mature plants — in many varieties studied. But the real reason to grow them in an apartment is the logistics.

They don’t need outdoor space. A windowsill, a kitchen bench, or a small shelf is enough. They don’t need soil if you don’t want to use it — more on that below. They don’t need a warm climate. And because the turnaround is under two weeks, you’re not committing months of care to find out whether you did it right. You sow, you watch, you harvest, you learn. Then you do it again better.

For anyone exploring urban homesteading for the first time, microgreens are the lowest-barrier, highest-feedback entry point available.

What You Need (Full Equipment List)

What do I need to grow microgreens at home?

You need: a shallow tray or container (2–3 inches deep), a growing medium (potting mix or a hydroponic mat), microgreen seeds, a spray bottle, something to use as a blackout cover during germination, and a bright indoor spot or a basic grow light. Total startup cost is typically under $20.

Containers and Trays

You don’t need to buy purpose-built microgreen trays to start. I used the styrofoam trays that come with supermarket meat, rinsed thoroughly, with a few drainage holes punched in the bottom. Shallow food containers work. So do takeaway punnets.

If you want to spend a few dollars, a 10×20 inch nursery tray (with and without drainage holes — you’ll stack them during germination) is the standard setup and works well. The growing tray sits inside a solid tray that catches drainage water.

Container depth is the key measurement: 2–3 inches is all you need. Microgreens have shallow roots and won’t use more depth than that.

Growing Medium: Soil vs. No-Soil Options

Potting mix is the easiest starting medium. Use a fine-textured potting mix — not garden soil, which compacts and doesn’t drain well in containers. Fill your tray to about an inch deep, moisten it before sowing, and you’re ready.

Coco coir (compressed coconut fibre) is a popular no-peat alternative. It’s light, drains well, and rehydrates easily. Available at most garden centres.

Hydroponic growing mats (usually made from jute or hemp) are the genuinely soil-free option. You wet the mat, sow directly onto it, and the roots anchor into the fibres. Cleanup is easier, and there’s no soil to dispose of. They cost more per grow than potting mix but suit renters who don’t want compost to deal with.

All three work. I’d start with potting mix unless the no-mess appeal of mats is a strong draw for you.

Seeds: Which Varieties to Start With

Not all seeds are created equal for this use. You want seeds sold specifically as microgreen seeds or marked as untreated — standard vegetable seeds may be treated with fungicide coatings not intended for direct consumption at the sprout stage.

More on which varieties to start with below in the easiest microgreens section.

Light Requirements

Microgreens don’t need direct sun — they need bright indirect light for most of their growth cycle. A windowsill that gets a few hours of light per day is workable, though you may get some stretching (leggy growth) without supplemental light.

In the Northern Hemisphere, south-facing windows get the most sun; in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s north-facing. From here I’ll just say your sunniest position — microgreens are more about ambient light than direct sun, so the exact orientation matters less than the overall brightness of the spot.

If your flat gets very little natural light, a basic LED grow light on a 12–16 hour timer costs around $20–30 and makes a substantial difference to stem strength and colour. It’s not essential to start, but it’s worth having if you find yourself wanting to grow year-round.

Step-by-Step: Growing Microgreens From Seed to Harvest

Day 1–2: Soaking and Sowing

Larger seeds — sunflower, peas, beets — benefit from a 6–12 hour soak in plain water before sowing. Small seeds like radish, broccoli, and mustard don’t need soaking.

To sow:

1. Fill your tray with 1–1.5 inches of moistened growing medium. It should feel damp but not waterlogged — squeeze a handful and it should just hold together without dripping.
2. Scatter seeds densely across the surface. Microgreens are grown close together — you want near-complete coverage of the surface, not a sparse scattering.
3. Press seeds gently into the medium so they make contact.
4. Mist the surface with a spray bottle.
5. Cover with another tray or a piece of cardboard to block light and create humidity.

For larger seeds, add a small weight on top of the cover (a book, a water bottle) — the resistance helps the seeds push down roots and produce stronger stems. For small seeds this isn’t necessary.

Day 2–4: Germination (Keep Covered)

Keep the tray in a room-temperature spot (65–75°F / 18–24°C is ideal) and leave the cover on. Check once daily — mist lightly if the surface has dried out, but be careful not to overwater. Soggy growing medium at this stage is the primary cause of mould.

Most varieties will show germination — small white root tails — within 24–48 hours. By day 2–4 you’ll see stems pushing up, pale or yellow from the lack of light. This is normal.

Day 4–7: Uncovering and Light

How long do microgreens take to grow? Most microgreens are ready to harvest in 7–12 days from sowing, depending on the variety and light conditions.

Once stems are 1–2 inches tall and pushing against the cover, remove it and move the tray to your sunniest position or under your grow light. Within 12–24 hours of light exposure, the pale stems will green up — chlorophyll developing in response to light. This is called the “greening” phase and it’s when most of the nutritional value concentrates.

Water from the bottom during this phase: pour a small amount of water into the outer solid tray and let the growing medium absorb it. This keeps the surface drier, which significantly reduces mould risk.

Continue bottom-watering once or twice daily as needed, keeping the medium moist but not saturated.

Day 7–12: Harvest Window

Microgreens are ready to harvest at the cotyledon stage — when the seed leaves are fully open and the plants are 1–2 inches tall. This is the right harvest window for most varieties. If you start seeing the first true leaves (the second set, which look different from the seed leaves) beginning to form, you’re at the outer edge of the window — harvest immediately.

To harvest: use clean scissors and cut just above the growing medium. Rinse under cold water, spin or pat dry, and use immediately or refrigerate for up to five days.

Don’t wait too long. Past the cotyledon window, microgreens become more bitter and begin to lose nutritional density.

If growing microgreens has you thinking about what else is possible in a small space, The No-Land Homesteader’s Starter Kit covers container gardening, composting, seed-saving, and food preservation — all scaled for apartment living.

The Easiest Microgreens to Start With

Radish is the single best beginner variety — fast (7–9 days), reliable germination, distinctive peppery flavour, very forgiving. It’s where I’d tell anyone to start.

Sunflower produces satisfying thick stems and a mild, slightly nutty taste. Requires soaking. Takes 10–12 days. High germination rate.

Peas (snow pea or field pea) are sweet, crunchy, and generous yielders. Require soaking. Take 10–14 days. Very beginner-friendly.

Broccoli is worth growing for its nutritional profile — broccoli microgreens are a well-documented source of sulforaphane, a compound studied for its health benefits. Germination is slightly more variable than radish. 7–10 days.

Mustard is fast and punchy. Easy germination, ready in 7–10 days. Strong flavour — use as a garnish rather than in volume.

Avoid very small-seeded varieties like arugula if you’re brand new — the seeds stick together when wet and are harder to sow evenly.

Common Beginner Mistakes (Mould, Leggy Growth, Poor Germination)

Mould is the most common problem and almost always comes down to overwatering or insufficient airflow. The most reliable way to identify mould is smell: a musty or sour odour from the tray means something has gone anaerobic. Visually, mould appears as fuzzy growth — white at early stages, progressing to grey or green — typically at the base of stems or on the growing medium surface.

One common point of confusion: fine white hairs on seeds during germination are normal root hairs (radicles), not mould. They’re hair-like, appear right at the seed, and have no odour. Actual mould has a clear musty smell, a fuzzy appearance, and spreads across the surface rather than sitting at individual seeds.

Prevention: water from the bottom after uncovering, don’t mist the surface during the light phase, ensure some air circulation in the room.

Leggy, pale, or falling-over stems mean insufficient light. The plants are stretching toward a light source they can’t reach. Fix: move to a brighter position or add a grow light. This won’t fully correct an existing tray but will improve the next one.

Poor germination is usually one of three things: seeds are too old, the growing medium dried out during germination, or seeds were not pressed into firm contact with the medium. Mist more consistently during the covered phase and press seeds down properly at sowing.

How to Use Your Microgreens in the Kitchen

Microgreens are at their best eaten raw — heat destroys the texture and some of the nutritional value. They work as:

• Garnish on eggs, soups, avocado toast, and grain bowls
• Salad base when grown in volume (peas and sunflower work well here)
• Sandwich and wrap filling — particularly radish and mustard for a peppery kick
• Blended into smoothies — broccoli and pea microgreens blend without strong flavour

Harvest right before eating where possible. If you’re storing them, cut, dry thoroughly, and refrigerate in a container lined with paper towel. Use within 3–5 days. They don’t freeze well.

If you’ve developed a taste for growing food indoors, the logical next step is herbs — growing herbs indoors in an apartment follows many of the same principles but gives you a longer-term harvest cycle.

Can You Regrow Microgreens? (And What to Do With the Leftover Soil)

The short answer: no. Microgreens are a cut-once crop. Once you’ve harvested, the roots and growing medium don’t produce a second flush worth eating. The plant puts everything into that first growth — once the cotyledons are cut, there’s no meaningful regrowth.

What you can do is compost the spent root mat and growing medium. If you’re using potting mix, the spent trays are good compost material — the root mass breaks down quickly. I add mine to a small compost bin I keep on the balcony. (A full composting guide is coming to the site — for now, even a small enclosed bin or bokashi system works in a flat with no outdoor space.)

If you’re using hydroponic mats, spent mats can go into a compost bin if they’re natural fibre (jute or hemp). Synthetic mats go in the bin.

The cycle for microgreens is: sow, harvest, compost or dispose, repeat. Many growers keep two or three trays going in rotation so they have a continuous harvest — sow a new tray every 3–4 days and you’ll rarely be without.