Microgreens are the fastest reward in home growing: tiny vegetable seedlings harvested just a few days after sowing, with bright flavour and colour. You need no garden, no balcony and no experience — a windowsill, a shallow tray and a packet of seeds will do. For a beginner, they are the perfect first project because you see results within a week, and if anything goes wrong you simply sow again.
This guide is written for Central and Western Europe and assumes no experience at all. Because microgreens grow indoors, the outdoor season does not matter — you can sow them every month of the year, including right now in October.
| Care point | What microgreens need |
|---|---|
| Light | A bright windowsill; 4+ hours of direct sun is plenty |
| Water | Keep the growing medium damp, never waterlogged — mist or water from below |
| Growing medium | Seed compost or coconut coir, about 3–4 cm deep |
| Sowing | Scattered thickly and barely covered — sow year-round indoors |
| Temperature | Around 18–22°C germinates most varieties fastest |
| Harvest | 7–21 days after sowing, at 5–10 cm tall |
| Difficulty | Very easy — the fastest beginner win in home growing |
Step 1: Pick beginner-friendly seeds
Start with varieties that forgive mistakes. Radish, broccoli, rocket, sunflower and pea shoots are all fast, vigorous and tasty, and they germinate reliably on a windowsill. Buy seeds sold for microgreens or sprouting if you can — they come in generous packets at a fair price.
One safety note: use untreated seeds only, and never grow microgreens from nightshade-family seeds (tomato, pepper, aubergine, potato) — their leaves are not for eating. If a packet says it is treated with fungicide, do not use it for anything you will eat.
Step 2: Set up a shallow tray
Any shallow tray with drainage holes works — purpose-made microgreen trays, seed trays, or even a repurposed food container with holes poked in the base. Sit it inside a second tray or saucer without holes to catch drips.
Fill the tray with 3–4 cm of damp seed compost or coconut coir and press it flat with the palm of your hand. A level surface gives you even germination; loose, lumpy medium gives patchy results.
Step 3: Sow thickly and mist well
Scatter the seeds thickly and evenly, so they nearly touch each other. Microgreens are grown densely — this is the opposite of spacing vegetable seedlings apart. Press them gently into the surface with your hand or a flat board so every seed touches the damp medium.
Mist the surface well with a spray bottle. The medium should be thoroughly damp like a wrung-out sponge, not dripping.
Step 4: Cover for the first few days
Place another tray, a piece of cardboard, or a damp tea towel over the top to keep things dark and humid. Darkness encourages strong, even germination — most seeds sprout in 2–4 days this way. Check daily and mist if the surface looks dry.
As soon as the seedlings start pushing the cover up, take it off. Leaving them covered too long makes them pale and leggy.
Step 5: Move to the brightest windowsill
Uncovered trays go straight to your brightest windowsill. Light is what turns pale sprouts into sturdy, colourful microgreens. Turn the tray a quarter-turn every day or two so they grow straight instead of leaning towards the glass.
From now on, water from below: pour water into the outer tray or saucer and let the medium soak it up. This keeps the leaves dry and reduces the risk of mould. Top the water up when the medium feels dry to the touch — usually every day or two.
Step 6: Harvest with scissors at 5–10 cm
Most varieties are ready 7–21 days after sowing, when they are 5–10 cm tall and showing their first true leaves. Cut with clean scissors just above the growing medium, rinse gently, and eat fresh — on sandwiches, in salads, or scattered over cooked dishes.
Harvest in the morning if you can: the leaves are crispest then. Taste as you go — earlier is milder, later is stronger.
Step 7: Re-sow for a continuous supply
One tray gives one main harvest. For a steady supply, start a new tray every 1–2 weeks — by the time you finish one, the next is ready. Most microgreens do not regrow well after cutting (pea shoots are the happy exception and often give a second cutting), so re-sowing is the reliable rhythm.
Troubleshooting: common microgreen problems
Leggy, pale, floppy seedlings: Not enough light. Move the tray to your brightest windowsill, or sow a little less thickly so each seedling gets more light. They will not straighten up, so consider re-sowing.
White mould or fuzzy growth on the surface: Too wet with poor airflow. Water less, water from below only, improve ventilation around the tray, and do not leave the cover on once seedlings are up.
Seeds not germinating: Old seeds lose vigour — use a fresh packet. Or the medium dried out — keep it evenly damp from sowing until sprouts appear.
Bitter or tough harvest: Left growing too long. Cut earlier, at the first-true-leaf stage, and taste a leaf before harvesting the whole tray.
What to do this October
October is one of the best months for microgreens in Central and Western Europe — outdoor growing winds down, but a windowsill crop takes over without missing a beat. Sow radish, broccoli, rocket and pea shoots now; they all germinate well at normal room temperature.
Days are getting shorter, so use your brightest south-facing windowsill and keep trays away from cold draughts at night. Start a second tray about a week after the first, and you will have fresh greens coming through the whole autumn.
Frequently asked questions
Are microgreens the same as sprouts?
No. Sprouts are grown in water and eaten whole, root and all. Microgreens grow in a medium (compost or coir) and are cut above it, usually at the first-true-leaf stage.
Do I need special seeds?
Use untreated seeds, ideally sold for microgreens or sprouting. Ordinary garden seeds can carry seed treatments meant for field use — check the packet before sowing anything you will eat.
Can I regrow them after cutting?
Most varieties will not regrow well once cut — re-sow instead. Pea shoots and a few others often give a second cutting, which is a nice bonus, not the rule.
Are microgreens safe to eat raw?
Yes. They are grown in clean medium and rinsed before eating. Harvest with clean scissors and use them fresh — they do not store well, so cut only what you need.
Related guides
- How to Grow Herbs at Home — the natural next step for windowsill growing
- Starting Seeds Indoors for Beginners — the germination basics in more depth
- How to Grow Lettuce at Home — graduate from microgreens to full salad leaves
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