Grow microgreens on your windowsill in about 10 days

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Microgreens are vegetable and herb seedlings harvested when they're just a few inches tall. They're packed with flavor, ready in one to three weeks, and perfect for winter, when the outdoor garden is asleep.

What to grow

Radish, broccoli, kale, arugula, peas and sunflower are easy and fast. Radish is ready in about a week; peas and sunflowers take a little longer. Buy seed sold for microgreens or sprouting, which is untreated and comes in larger amounts.

What you need

A shallow tray, seed-starting mix and seed. A microgreens kit bundles it all together. Seed trays with humidity domes work great too.

How to sow

Fill the tray with about an inch of moist mix and press it flat. Scatter seed thickly so seeds are close together but not piled up, and press them in. Mist well and cover with a dome or another tray for 2–4 days until they sprout.

Give them light

Once sprouted, uncover them and give them bright light: a sunny window, or a grow light for 12–16 hours a day. Too little light makes pale, floppy greens.

Water from below

Pour water into a tray underneath and let the mix soak it up. Watering from above can flatten seedlings and encourage mold. Keep air moving around them.

Harvest

Most microgreens are ready when the first true leaves appear, usually 7–21 days after sowing. Cut just above the soil with clean scissors or snips, rinse, and eat. Then sow another tray.

Gear for this job

• Microgreens kit: Harvest in 7–14 days.
• Seed trays with domes: Reusable 72-cell trays for starting dozens of plants.
• LED grow light: A windowsill isn't enough light in late winter.
• Seed-starting mix: Fine, sterile mix that prevents damping off.
• Plant mister: Humidity for tropical houseplants.
• Harvest snips: Fast cuts for herbs and peppers.

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