In this blog post I am going to be showing you how to grow your own microgreens at home for less than 49 cents a day. This is a complete guide to growing your own microgreens from start to finish with tons of health tips and money saving tips, so be sure to read until the end.

The benefits of growing your own food are ENDLESS. Not only is it absolutely wonderful for your health to consume more fresh greens in your diet, but also growing your own food - even simple foods such as sprouts or microgreens - can be one of the most cost-effective ways to consume a ton of nutrients, phytonutrients, and minerals on a daily basis. 

So many of you have reached out to me and said that you wish you could grow your own food, but don’t have the means or space to do so. I am going to show you how to grow your own microgreens at home in simple trays that you can keep on your countertops. It’s simple, easy, and requires minimal equipment!  My intention is to show you how to grow your own food with very little, no matter where you are or how much space you have. You can grow microgreens or sprouts no matter where you live. No special lighting is required.

I am going to teach you how to grow microgreens for 49 cents a day. When you buy sprouts or microgreens at the stores, I find the prices are sometimes 10x-15x the cost than if you grew your own at home!

The difference between growing sprouts and growing microgreens is that sprouts can germinate in jars or trays with moisture but no soil required, and microgreens grow with soil in trays or small beds. The “stem” and seed of sprouts can be eaten whereas only the leaves and stems of microgreens can be eaten. Microgreens are more nutrient-dense than sprouts, can be more easily digested by your body, and are more tender to chew. Basically, microgreens are baby greens which can have more nutrients than mature or fully grown ones. I recommend organic and non-GMO seeds for all sprouts and microgreens you grow or purchase. 

Where can you get the best seeds, and what seeds do I use? True Leaf Market is the BEST.

http://bit.ly/trueleafgardenseeds -  I use their seeds for EVERYTHING. They are organic and non-GMO. I don’t compromise on quality, and they have the best prices as well. Trust me when I say that these seeds are THE BEST. I’ve linked the seeds I use below, as well as an easy microgreens starter kit and all of my other recommendations. Definitely check out True Leaf Market, get your seeds, and start growing!

One of the seed packs from True Leaf Market is only $2.99. If you got a pound of those seeds it’s only $8.99. One small 25g pack is enough to fill up one of these trays, and can provide you with enough microgreens to enjoy for about 6 days. That comes out to be approximately 49 cents a day - at least a couple of cups full of microgreens each day! That’s incredible!! 

Let’s touch for a moment on the quality of soil and soaking your seeds. I recommend organic - I use organic composted soil. Please get the highest quality you can. Quality matters when it comes to soil. You want fine grain, not chunky. The larger the particles, the harder it is for your seeds to grow through that dirt.

Let’s jump into planting microgreens seeds.

A secret starter-tip to helping grow microgreens: before you add in your soil, pour 2 cups of water into your tray FIRST. This is called bottom watering, and it helps to prevent molding, especially if you live in a humid climate like me, so this tip really is essential. 

Don’t put the soil all the way to the brim, it will make it more challenging to harvest the seeds once they grow. Leave half about an inch below the surface.

Once the soil is evenly spread in the trays, begin to sprinkle the seeds on top of the soil. Really use your hands here, and get very personal with the process. For me, it’s therapeutic. 

You can plant seeds of different sizes and different varieties. For larger seeds, I recommend adding more into your tray. The smaller the seed, the less you’ll need because they spread easier and grow much more abundantly. I recommend measuring out 1-2 ounces to spread on your surface to begin with. You can decide from there if you want to add more seeds to cover more of the tray. I’m usually a fan of making sure there’s a heavy spread on there...well...because I eat a lot, and I like to enjoy many microgreens in my salads. 

Make the dirt evenly smooth and compress the seeds in with your hands. Compressing and smoothing is important!  You want the seeds to be somewhat near the surface and not totally covered deep under the soil. 

Make sure you have even distribution. Avoid having any clumps in certain areas. Scatter your seeds the best you can, and try not to get them too close to the corners.

Now that you have SOWN your seeds, give them a light mist. You can use a spray bottle or the mist setting on your hose. Use the cleanest purified water that you can. My property is on a water well, so I get clean water all around my property. Get the surface of your trays wet.

Remember your seeds do not need light!

What I like to do for the sprouting process is to put a tray on top for the first few days to block out light. This also keeps moisture around the seeds, and I believe it helps to begin the sprouting process. It will take about 3 days to germinate, so be patient. The seeds WILL sprout. You can also push another tray on top of the seeds to apply some extra pressure to help them spout faster. The tray will push up and rise on it’s own. The sprouts might come up yellow initially because they haven’t been exposed to light yet. Don’t worry, that's normal! 

If you really want to speed up the process, you could also soak your seeds in water for 6-12 hours to help them sprout before you sow them into your soil. Set your seeds in separate bowls with a set timer. Don’t soak them too long or they will ruin.

So now that you have sown your seeds and given them a safe space to grow, then check back in 3 days.

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Come back in 3 days.

After three days, and you see them starting to sprout, open the trays and start exposing the seeds to the natural light from outside. Some people use lights, but I prefer natural sunlight. I’ve learned that it doesn’t have to be much. Light placement is important - it can be window light, porch light, or you can set the trays in a place once a day where it can simply reach any light available. Be sure to keep misting the seeds lightly each day.

Once your microgreens start popping up, THEN we can use a bottle or hose to lightly spritz water on top. However, if you live in a hot climate, you might need to add more water accordingly. They typically need a light mist, but I’ve found that for me here in Hawaii I sometimes need to douse them in order for them to thrive. You can also lightly spray the soil before you plant your seeds.

Come back in 6 days.

After 6 days, you can see different amounts of progress via each of the trays...it’s actually pretty cool, and you can see the microgreens beginning to grow a bit more. Baby greens! 

If you see a white fuzz around the roots, it’s not mold. It’s actually a part of their root hair system, and the white part is called Cilia. When a seed is sprouting, it’s common to see these root hairs or cilia. As the microgreens or sprouts mature, it can definitely be mold, so be sure to distinguish between the two. 

I decided I want to have a rotation of microgreens growing so that I ALWAYS have fresh greens to eat, so about 5-6 days after I plant some trays, I start the process again with 5 more trays. I find that if you want to ALWAYS have fresh salad greens to eat, rotating between two sets is the best way to make sure you always have an abundance! 

I don’t do too much to the trays after they start sprouting other than to mist them on a daily basis and make sure they are getting enough sunlight. 

Let the trays grow for 12-14 days and then see the final results! 

You can harvest these microgreens with your hands, or with scissors (easiest), and use them super fresh in salads or in whatever way you choose!

Enjoy the flavors and nutrients in your food!

Video version of this post: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzPR162vRYs

Links:

🌱 Get the best quality organic and non-GMO gardening seeds from True Leaf Market here: http://bit.ly/trueleafgardenseeds

🌱 Microgreens Beginner's Growing Kit: https://bit.ly/microgreenbeginnerskit

🌱 Soil Microgreens Beginner's Kit: https://bit.ly/soilmicrogreenskit

🌱 How to grow sprouts for 25 cents a day video: https://youtu.be/qynti1u9ywE

🌱 Sprouting Seeds I LOVE (12 lb. Bulk Set): https://bit.ly/trueleafsprouts

🌱 Easy Sprouting Starter Kit (Jars Included): https://bit.ly/sproutingstarterkit

🌱 More Sprouting Jars: https://amzn.to/37vEqvQ

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