Gear · Grow
Picking the best seeds to grow microgreens
Six seeds I plant, five varieties worth learning, and the hardware store mistake that cost me my first few batches.
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Everything on this list is something I have used. Some of it for years. Some of it once, and it was useful enough to still be here. Where a company sends something rather than us buying it, the item says so.
Good seed or nothing
You can make all the preparations perfect for growing microgreens. But like my business partner Stephen keeps saying, “If you don’t have good seeds, well, don’t expect anything but bad microgreens.”
Keep in mind that the seeds used to grow microgreens are the same seeds used to grow full-sized herbs, leafy greens, and vegetables. Microgreens are just harvested earlier. There are hundreds of vegetables and herbs that can make good microgreens, and you can grow them from almost any kind of edible vegetable or herb seed.
When I tasted my first microgreens, there were so many flavors. Some were bland, others spicy or bitter. I haven’t had sour-tasting microgreens yet, but my friend Stephen is working on it.
The six I plant
My best seed recommendations for growing microgreens on a kitchen counter, a windowsill or an indoor shelf.
Amazon Associates links. A purchase through one earns a commission. Prices and availability come live from Amazon, which is the only way the Associates agreement lets a price show on this page at all.
Burpee Wild Arugula Selvatica
I love my Burpee seeds. These wild Arugula seeds are perfect if you’re starting out. Easy and quick to grow.
Mountain Valley Seed Company Ruby Queen Beet Seeds
Mountain Valley is another company I have tried. They have been around since 1974, and their beet microgreens are just delicious.
Mountain Valley Seed Company Waltham 29 Broccoli Seeds
Want easy peasy? Then order and grow these seeds today. Perfect with any dish, soup, or sandwich.
Burpee Sweet Success Slicing Cucumber Seeds
That’s all I can say, really. These seeds produce some of the sweetest and tastiest microgreens on the planet.
Mountain Valley Seed Company Red Acre Cabbage Seeds
Crisp, tender, and fresh to taste, these red cabbage microgreens have an earthy and peppery flavor that adds spice to many dishes.
Little Hogweed Organic Purslane Seeds (Portulaca oleracea)
Purslane adds a fresh tartness to any salad, stir-fry, or pasta dish. These greens are trendy in Europe and are best eaten young and tender.
More seed on Amazon
Variety packs and sprouting mixes, pulled live from Amazon. This is a browse strip rather than a set of recommendations: the six above are mine, these are what is out there.
How to choose your microgreens seeds
When I first started growing microgreens, I used regular seeds I bought at the local hardware store. My first few batches weren’t exactly stellar. To tell you the truth, most of them I had to throw away.
So: get good quality seed, avoid GMOs, and make sure it has not been chemically treated. Look for the Certified Naturally Grown or certified organic label. Then think about which plants you actually want to grow, and choose a few that look or sound interesting to you.
Pick ones that take no more than 7 to 10 days from sowing to harvest, and start with something that does not need soaking before planting. There is a longer version of all this in seed sourcing and handling.
Microgreens plant families
Farmers group microgreens by the plant family they belong to. It gives you a broad idea of how they will taste and what growing conditions they prefer.
| Plant family | Genera and types |
|---|---|
| Amaranthaceae | Amaranth, beets, chard, quinoa, and spinach |
| Amaryllidaceae | Chives, garlic, leeks, and onions |
| Apiaceae | Carrot, celery, dill, and fennel |
| Asteraceae | Chicory, endive, lettuce, and radicchio |
| Brassicaceae | Arugula, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, radish, and watercress |
| Cucurbitaceae | Cucumbers, melons, and squashes |
| Lamiaceae | Most common herbs: mint, basil, rosemary, sage, and oregano |
| Poaceae | Grasses and cereals like barley, corn, rice, oats, and wheatgrass, plus legumes including beans, chickpeas, and lentils |
Poaceae is doing some heavy lifting in that last row. Grasses and legumes are not the same family botanically, but growers tend to handle them the same way, which is why they sit together here.
Five varieties worth starting with
What each one tastes like, how fast it moves, and where to get the seed.
The cards are CJ Affiliate links to the seed companies. A purchase through one earns a commission. No prices here: seed pricing moves with the season and the pack size, so the number lives on their page, not mine.
Arugula
Arugula is a famous green, used the way lettuce is. It has a peppery, mild bite and adds a nice punch of flavor to any dish. The Slow Bolt variety is a smaller, wilder form that tolerates heat.
- Certified organic and non-GMO
- About 500 seeds a packet, good for five or six harvests
- Faster than most: 6 to 8 days
- Use it in smoothies, stews and salads
With more than 125 years of farming and seed production behind them, Burpee seeds are my go-to for growing microgreens.
Beets
The Detroit Dark Red seeds are often called micro beet tops. Long red stems, green oblong leaves, and the colour is the reason most people grow them.
- An excellent option in salads, mostly for what they do to the plate
- The flavour is subtle, not overpowering in any way
- A softer beet flavour is typical of beet top microgreens
Broccoli
Broccoli is a very popular microgreen, and it is one of the easiest crops to grow. Milder than a full-grown head, but you can still tell they are the same plant.
- Non-GMO and certified organic
- A mild, fresh cabbage flavour
- Good in salads, as a garnish, or in a smoothie
- Grows at a moderate rate
Cucumber
Cucumber microgreens are fresh and light, very sweet, with dark green leaves that go almost purple at the edges.
- Good with protein dishes, and good with fish
- Succulent, and still tastes a lot like cucumber
- 30 to a packet, non-GMO, organic or regular
They make a good addition to any meal when you want a soft note of flavour rather than a loud one.
Red cabbage
Small, with broad flat heart-shaped leaves. Dark green with a trace of purple at the edges. Red cabbage is one of the fastest microgreens there is.
- Non-GMO and certified organic
- Germinates 5 to 14 days after sowing
- Ready to harvest around day 14 or 15
- Keep the soil moist for the first few days
- Needs decent sunlight or a grow light to germinate properly
Crisp, tender and fresh to taste, with an earthy, peppery flavour that adds spice to a lot of dishes.
What is not on this list
Three things came off this page, and it is worth saying why rather than quietly deleting them.
Every health claim. This page used to say beet microgreens “help fight chronic diseases like cancer”, that red cabbage prevents neurodegenerative disease and boosts immunity, that broccoli carries heart-disease-fighting antioxidants, and that cucumber may lower blood sugar. None of it had a source. All of it describes treating or preventing disease, which is what turns a food into a drug in the FDA’s eyes. Seeds are seeds. If you want to know what the research actually shows about eating microgreens, that lives in the science room, with the papers attached.
Every typed price. The five seed company cards used to carry a price each, typed in by hand and eight months old by the time anyone read them. A price that stale is not information, it is a small lie with a dollar sign on it. The price now lives on the seller’s page, where it is right.
A grow kit and a pack of trays. The Amazon strip on this page was quietly carrying a Back to the Roots grow kit and a five-pack of Legigo sprouting trays. Good products, wrong page. They belong with the kits and the trays.
Questions people actually ask
Where do I find seed outside the United States and Canada?
The husband and wife team at React Greens, Saša and Boštjan in Slovenia, did the legwork on this one and their list is better than anything I could put together. Microgreens seed suppliers around the world.
What do microgreens actually taste like?
Tasting involves more than the five basic tastes your tongue is sensitive to, and microgreens are a good argument for that. I wrote the long answer in what do microgreens taste like.
I have the seed. How do I actually start?
Start in the growing room, which is where the method lives. If you want it in one document, there is the beginner’s guide.
Which microgreens are the healthiest?
That question has its own answer, and it is longer than a line here would allow. Which microgreens are the healthiest.
Next
Seed is the cheap half
A good packet costs a few dollars and lasts a season. What decides whether the tray works is the watering, the light and the day you cut. That is all in the growing room.
This page is educational. Nothing here is medical advice, and nothing on it is offered to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase.
This page carries affiliate links, including Amazon Associates links and CJ Affiliate links to True Leaf Market and Eden Brothers. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure.
