How to Grow Microgreens: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide From Microgreen Experts

Okay, you're ready to dive into the amazing world of growing microgreens at home or for the purpose of starting a microgreens business of your own. To learn how to grow these greens, you can start by reading this blog which will help you get the gist of it, but if you really want to learn EVERYTHING we have learned from 2019 to 2026, we highly suggest our book Becoming a Microgreen Master. It's basically the ultimate microgreen grower's manual. New to microgreens entirely? Start with our beginner's guide to growing microgreens or grab the Beginner's Guide PDF for the quick-start version.

But anyway, let's help you learn the basics. Before we can start growing beautiful microgreens like these Speckled Pea Microgreens, you first need to choose how you are going to grow and determine what materials you will need to start growing with. Then we can walk through each step of the way to get you growing healthy, happy, and abundant trays every time. We hope that this article can become your go-to guide on how to get amazing grows, so let's get started.

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Quick Answer: How to Grow Microgreens Step by Step

To grow microgreens, fill a mesh tray with your grow medium (soil, coco coir, or a reusable silicone grow medium), spread seeds evenly across the surface, mist lightly, cover with a no-holed tray and weight, and place on a dark shelf to germinate for 2 to 4 days. Once germinated, do a 1 to 2 day blackout dome to stretch the stems, then move under a grow light on a 16 to 17 hour daily cycle and start bottom-watering. Most varieties are ready to harvest in 7 to 14 days with sharp scissors or a knife.

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Choosing Your Grow Medium

The first thing we are going to do is select a growing style. Here at On The Grow, LLC, we love basically all growing methods. As long as it is something you enjoy and produces happy microgreens, we are all for it.

If you're growing microgreens in soil, they will have access to all the minerals and organisms in the soil immediately. Using soil is a tried-and-true method for growing and will generally provide really solid results, depending on the soil used. When it comes to growing with soil, we prefer to use soil that doesn't have chunks of wood or other large debris while having good drainage. We usually stick to "seedling mixes" or "potting mixes" if no seedling mixes are available. A popular soil choice within the commercial growing community is ProMix+ HP Biofungicide Mycorrhizae. However, we have been loving both the Ocean Forest and Happy Frog potting soil blends.

We love to grow microgreens "hydroponically," which is basically adding minerals to water and giving that to the plants instead of using a soil that has minerals added already. To grow hydroponically, you must first select your grow medium.

As of 2026, our top recommendation is our reusable silicone grow medium. It's virgin food-grade platinum-cured silicone, third-party tested and FDA compliant per 21 CFR 177.2600, LFGB Tested & Compliant (1.2mm standard version). It rinses clean, gets boiled to sanitize, and is rated for 20 to 30+ growing cycles. Learn more in our full reusable silicone grow medium guide.

If a reusable medium isn't the right fit, coco coir is a great alternative. Coco coir is made from the outer husk of a coconut and is a sustainable option for growing. We buy our coco coir in compressed bricks and expand them with water when we need it. Coco coir requires nutrients since it's an inert medium, just like silicone.

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Choosing Grow Trays

The next step is to select your trays to grow in. We use a 3-tray method that consists of 2 shallow no-holed 10x20 trays and 1 shallow slotted or mesh 10x20 tray. You can also get away with using 2 trays (one no-holed tray and one mesh or slotted tray). For a full deep-dive on tray options and capacities, see our complete guide to growing microgreens in 10x20 trays.

If you are wanting to get started without buying trays, you can practice growing on plates or old food containers to hold the grow medium and seeds.

Can't decide between a mesh tray or a slotted tray? Usually we will use mesh trays whenever growing on a hydroponic grow mat or reusable silicone grow medium, because the roots can latch onto the mesh holes making it easier to harvest later. If we are using coco coir or a soil medium, we like to use a slotted tray so we don't lose too much medium through the mesh holes. That said, mesh trays also work great for coco coir and soil too.

These days, we sell 10x20 trays in a set that includes a mesh tray plus a no-holed tray on our website. We also offer the smaller 7x14 OTG Microgreen Tray Kit for people who want a countertop-friendly setup.

Tip: Keep the coco or soil moist when using a mesh tray so it doesn't fall through.

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Choosing Microgreen Seeds

Lastly, choose your seed. Some great varieties for beginners are broccoli, purple kohlrabi, turnip, radish, mustard, or basically anything within the Brassica family (you can buy our recommended microgreen seeds at True Leaf Market). These crops grow abundantly and are easy to grow, especially for new growers. If you're using a reusable silicone grow medium, also check our seed compatibility guide for reusable mediums to see what works best.

Tip: We have tons of full walk-through grow videos available in our on-site Video Library that can help guide you through growing different varieties for free and with ease. Also be sure to check out our Free Downloadable Microgreen Seeding Guide on our website to learn about how much we use of each seed and our average grow times. If you're looking for a seed company, a reliable seed source is True Leaf Market, which is one of our go-to seed company choices.

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Now That We Have Our Materials, It Is Time to Start Growing

First, take one of the no-holed trays and place your slotted or mesh tray on top of it, so they fit together like the picture above (there's a black tray under the green).

Second, fill the slotted or mesh tray with the grow medium of choice. Typically, we use about 6 to 8 cups of coco coir per 10x20 tray. That way it fills the tray enough to cover the area, but the grow medium is still just below the rim of the tray. Evenly distribute the grow medium in the tray so that you have a nice, leveled surface. It does not have to be perfect, just make sure you do not have a lot of low or high spots as it will cause problems later. If you run into clumps of grow medium, try breaking them apart some. (You can also use another tray to press it down even.)

Third, take your desired seed and evenly spread the seed on the tray. Typically, if we are seeding a 10x20 tray of broccoli microgreens, we will use 25 grams of seed, but if we are using a 9.5x11.75 tray we will cut the sow weight in half. Keep in mind that the seed amount will change depending on the microgreen variety you pick. You want the seeding to be dense, but not so densely that you restrict the air flow between the plants. If a tray is over-seeded, it will have a much higher chance of developing problems with mold. But you are in luck, because we have our wonderful seeding guide here on our website and full walk-through grow videos on our Video Library to help you easily figure out how much seed to use for a lot of different varieties.

When it comes to seeds with a harder shell, like beet microgreens or Swiss chard microgreens, we will put a thin layer of coco coir across the top of the seed as well to help with the germination and seed hull removal.

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Caring for Germinating Microgreen Seeds

You have seeded your first tray. Congratulations. It is now time to give your seeded tray a light mist with either a spray bottle or a water hose that has a spray attachment set to the "mist setting." Make sure not to over-saturate it (you don't want puddles or water pooling in the bottom of the tray) but give it enough water so the seeds can happily germinate.

After watering, take your second no-holed tray, place it on top in the same orientation as the other trays (that way it makes contact with the seeds), then place some weight on top of that tray before you place it onto a dark shelf to germinate.

You may be asking "Why do we add weight?" The reason we add weight is for a couple of reasons. Adding weight helps you get even germination across the tray because of the pressure it puts on the seedlings, while pushing them into the moist grow medium. The weight also helps remove the seed hulls by providing resistance, which is extremely important, especially for crops like sunflower microgreens. However, there is a limit to how much weight you should use, along with some varieties that do not do well with added weight, like Red Garnet Amaranth microgreens. For most crops we will use between 3 to 7 lbs of weight. Then for the more delicate crops, we will use just the empty top tray to act as the "weight." If you feel confused on which crops need added weight and which crops only need an empty tray, we have that information listed on our seeding guide. (We've found that all crops will grow without weight, just not as well as with weight.) For more on this exact timing, see our weight to blackout transition guide.

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Alright, We Have Gone Through the Steps for Germination. Now What?

What you will want to do is, twice a day for the first couple days, lightly water your seeds in the morning and night with regular water, that way they can continue to germinate. After each misting, be sure to place the top tray and weight back on top before placing them back on your shelf.

After a couple of days, you will see that the crop has germinated. Keep in mind that germination time is different for each variety. Some happen within 1 day and others take up to 3 days.

There are some crops that can take up to 15 to 20 days to germinate, and we avoid those crops. Ain't nobody got time for that.

Whenever 1 to 5 days has passed, you may see that your tray has germinated well (you want plants that have removed the seed hulls). That means it is time to move into the next step, which is blackout. But before we move into blackout, below are a few tips if you've run into anything unexpected during your grow.

Tip 1: Your seeds may take more or less time to germinate depending on the grow medium you selected and the climate in which you're growing. We know that we get the best germination when we use coco coir or our reusable silicone grow medium and grow in our set climate of 75 to 85°F with a humidity of 50% or lower. When we have grown in temperatures below 75°F, we notice slower germination and growth. Something else we highly suggest is having good airflow, as this will help with preventing micro-climates on the shelves created by heat from the lights and will reduce issues with mold. Every shelf in our grow space has a fan running, and if you're curious on how we set up our grow racks, check out our professional microgreen grow rack setup guide.

Tip 2: Something you might notice now that your seeds have germinated is some fuzzy white stuff. Most people confuse this with mold, but do not worry. Those are called "root hairs," which are just part of the plant's root structure. If you picked a seed like radish or other brassicas, they tend to form a lot of them. How you can tell root hairs apart from mold is by looking to see if the "fuzzy stuff" is attached to the plant, or is it attached to the seeds and/or grow medium? If it is attached to the plant, then it's most likely root hairs. However, if the white strings are coming off the unopened seeds, seed hulls, or grow medium and has a spider web or spore look to it, then that's mold and you may have over-watered or seeded too densely. No worries though. As long as you caught it before it goes crazy, you're good. Try watering a little less on your next watering, and you can spot treat the mold with a 2 tbsp 3% food-grade hydrogen peroxide per 1 liter of water mixture to combat the issue. Good airflow can also help reduce or control mold. For a deeper dive, see our complete mold prevention and identification guide.

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Blackout Phase

Now it's time to put your crops into blackout. Remove the weight and reverse the top tray so that it is upside down and creates a "dome." What this will do is block light from getting to your crop, allowing the plants to try and stretch their way up to find light, making your crop taller and easier to harvest when it gets to harvest day. Generally, we only do a 1 to 2 day blackout period for most crops, because you do not want your crop to get too stretched out or it becomes lanky. There are a few crops like shiso microgreens that do better with a longer blackout period such as 3 days. This is because shiso microgreens stay very short, making them hard to harvest if you do not stretch them for longer. Again, we have this listed on our seeding guide for you. Remember to mist your crop twice a day with regular water, once in the morning and once at night during the blackout period, just like we did when it was under weight. Once you've misted the crop, place it back on the shelf.

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Microgreen Lighting

LET THERE BE LIGHT. After 1 to 2 days have passed with your crop in blackout, they should be ready for light. Now it is time to remove the dome and introduce them into that sweet light that they have been searching for. At this point you'll start to see your crop transform from yellow to green within a few short days. The lights we like using and suggest to others are 20-watt LED shop lights, and we use 3 per shelf. You can use natural light if you do not have lights available to you, just be sure to put your tray near a well-lit window. If you are using artificial lights like we are, then stick to an on/off period of around 16 to 17 hours ON and 7 to 8 hours OFF. This lighting schedule for microgreens has been working great for us for years. Check out our complete microgreen lighting guide with 7 years of testing if you need help picking lights for growing microgreens.

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Bottom-Watering Microgreens

Our rule of thumb at this point is any time we introduce a crop to light, that is when we begin bottom-watering. We bottom-water microgreens by adding water into the no-holed tray that is underneath the slotted/mesh tray. This is also when we start adding hydroponic nutrients that are mixed into the water, which we pH balance to the 5.5 to 6.0 range. Our personal favorite nutrient for microgreens is Ocean Solution 2-0-3 mixed at 0.5 oz per gallon of water. We start bottom-watering with a low amount of water, usually 1/4 cup twice a day. Then we bump that up over time to about 2 to 3 cups of water, twice a day, as they need it. Generally, you can tell whenever they need water by checking the grow medium. Does it look or feel dry or saturated? Or if the crop is falling over after being removed from blackout, that can also be a sign of under-watering. So just be sure to pay attention to what your crop is telling you. If you run into issues with mold or fungus gnats, you may have seeded too densely or over-watered. Next time, just make some adjustments to your grow.

Tip: We use this same watering method for soil, we just don't use nutrients with soil. Only pH-balanced water at the 5.5 to 6.0 range is needed. Never add fertilizer to soil. Fertilizer is only for coco coir and reusable mediums.

7 to 13+ days have passed of you watering your crop twice a day, and now you are looking at a beautiful tray of microgreens that YOU GREW. Deciding on when to harvest your microgreens can be as easy as checking out our seeding guide to see when we generally harvest, or looking for the signs they're telling you "hey, I'm ready." The best way to figure this out is to check between the cotyledons (which are the first set of leaves you'll see from a germinating seed) and check if you can see the true leaves emerging between the cotyledons. Generally, whenever you see signs of true leaves, that means it's time to harvest your crop. If you wait too long after true leaves start to show, the crop may begin to develop a bitter taste. Crops like orach, for instance, are better whenever they have a more developed true leaf.

Tip: If you are not sure about what day to harvest on, simply pull out a microgreen or two and give it a taste test. This way, you can figure out if you enjoy the flavor or not before harvesting. For more on harvest method, check out our blogs on what works best for harvesting microgreens and why we don't eat microgreen roots like sprouts.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to grow microgreens from seed to harvest?

Most microgreen varieties are ready to harvest 7 to 14 days from seeding. Fast varieties like radish and broccoli can be ready in 7 to 10 days. Slower varieties like sunflower, pea shoots, and beets typically take 10 to 14 days. Cilantro and dill can take longer, sometimes 14 to 21 days. You'll know they're ready when the cotyledon leaves are fully open and the first true leaves start to emerge.

Do I need a grow light to grow microgreens?

You can grow microgreens in natural light from a bright south-facing window, but the results are usually uneven and stems tend to stretch toward the light source. A simple 20-watt T5 or T8 LED shop light hung 8 to 12 inches above the trays on a 16 to 17 hour daily cycle produces much more consistent, even results. See our complete microgreen lighting guide for everything we've learned in 7+ years of testing.

How much seed should I use per tray?

Seed amount varies by variety. For a 10x20 tray, we typically use about 25 grams of broccoli, 30 grams of radish, 40 grams of kale, 200 grams of soaked sunflower, or 250 grams of soaked pea. Smaller trays use proportionally less. Our free seeding guide PDF has exact amounts for dozens of varieties.

What's the easiest microgreen to grow for beginners?

Broccoli and radish are the most beginner-friendly. Both germinate within 1 to 2 days, are forgiving of small watering mistakes, finish in 7 to 10 days, and don't require pre-soaking. Start with our how to grow broccoli microgreens guide for a full walkthrough.

How do I tell root hairs from mold on my microgreens?

Root hairs grow directly from the white roots and look like tiny, soft fuzz that disappears with a light mist of water. They're concentrated right where the stem meets the medium. Mold grows on the seed hulls, decaying seeds, or the medium itself, and has a spider-web or spore-cluster look that doesn't go away with misting. If you're unsure, give the tray a light mist. If the fuzz disappears, it's root hairs. If it persists or grows, it's mold. See our root hairs vs mold guide for photos.

Can I reuse the grow medium after harvest?

It depends on the medium. Soil and coco coir are single-use and should be composted after harvest. Our reusable silicone grow medium is rated for 20 to 30+ growing cycles with proper cleaning between grows. See our cleaning and sanitizing guide for the full process, and our what to do with used grow medium blog for disposal and reuse ideas.

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Well, y'all, that is how you grow microgreens using the On The Grow method. If you have any questions, be sure to check out our on-site Video Library where we have tons of in-depth full walk-through grow videos for various crops along with many other videos to help you learn more about microgreens.

Happy growing and keep on be-leafing.

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Curious about other growing supplies we use? Check out our Amazon affiliate storefront.

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Related Blogs You Might Enjoy

• Inside The Microgreen Masterclass: What's Actually Inside The Course
• How to Grow Broccoli Microgreens
• How to Grow Radish Microgreens: The Fastest Beginner Crop
• How to Start Growing Microgreens: Beginner's Guide
• How to Grow Microgreens in 10x20 Trays
• Meet Our Reusable Silicone Grow Medium
• Compatible Microgreen Seeds for Reusable Grow Mediums
• Why Are My Microgreens Moldy? Mold vs. Root Hairs
• Complete Microgreen Lighting Guide
• Weight to Blackout Timing Guide
• Top Microgreen Growing Mistakes to Avoid
• Professional Microgreen Grow Rack Setup

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Written by: Mandi Vaughn
Edited by: CJ Vaughn
Published: July 27, 2020
Updated: May 2026
All content is property of On The Grow®, LLC