Microgreens go from seed to salad in about a week, with no garden, no soil bag, and no green thumb. The setup is cheaper than most beginners expect, and the first harvest happens on a kitchen counter. Here is what to buy and what to skip.
By Colin B. · Published November 1, 2026 · Last reviewed November 1, 2026
You can start for around $60 with trays, mats, seeds, and a scale, and a sunny window for light. Adding a pack of grow lights lifts a typical setup to about $150. Seeds and mats are the only recurring cost.
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Start with two trays and two crops. Sunflower and pea shoots are the easy ones: big seeds, even germination, mild flavor. Radish and broccoli come next. Resist the 12-variety pack until you have a few harvests behind you.
Microgreens are a days-not-months hobby. You will know within a week whether it works, so start small and buy lights only after you have run a tray on a windowsill and decided you will keep going.
Mold is the beginner problem, not light or watering. Too-dense seed, too-wet mat, and no airflow are the usual causes. Weigh your seed, drain the extra water, and keep a small fan or open window nearby.
The gear
What you actually need
Trays
The standard microgreens tray is the 10x20 inch "1020" flat, about an inch or two deep. Buy the no-hole version first: it holds water, lets you bottom-water, and doubles as a blackout lid when you flip a second one on top. Mesh or hole-drilled trays are for later, nested inside a solid one. Two or three trays is plenty to start; more just means more harvest than you can eat.
Best starter
Bootstrap Farmer
1020 Trays, 5-Pack, No Drain Holes
$$
★★★★★Our rating
Heavy-duty polypropylene that does not flex when it is full of wet coir. Five trays is the right first order: two to grow in, two to flip over as blackout lids, one spare. It is the tray most commercial micro-farms use, and it lasts for years.
What we like
Thick plastic that will not buckle when full of water
Doubles as its own blackout cover when flipped
Same size the mats, domes, and racks are all built for
What to know
No drainage, so overwatering is on you
Sold in fives, which is more than you need on day one
Drain-hole trays nest inside a solid tray for bottom watering, which keeps the seed surface dry and cuts mold risk on fussy crops like pea shoots. This listing is a 10-pack, so it covers a full rotation. Buy these after your first two or three harvests, once you know whether you prefer top or bottom watering.
What we like
Bottom watering keeps seed surface drier
Nests in a solid tray for a clean setup
Easier to drain after a heavy misting
What to know
Useless on its own, since it needs a no-hole tray underneath
You can grow microgreens in potting mix, but mats are cleaner, lighter, and dead simple: cut to 10x20, lay flat, wet, seed. Coconut coir holds water well and works for almost everything. Hemp or jute mats are thinner and wick quickly, which suits fast crops like radish and broccoli. Either way, you are buying a consumable, so do not overthink brand.
Best starter
Envelor
Coco Coir Grow Mats, 10 x 20 in, 20-Pack
$$
★★★★★Our rating
Pre-cut coir that drops straight into a 1020 tray. Soak it flat in the tray, pour off the excess, and you have a seedbed that stays evenly damp for the whole grow. Twenty mats covers roughly 20 harvests, which is months of growing for most beginners.
What we like
Cut to fit a 1020 tray exactly, no trimming
Holds moisture evenly across a 7-10 day grow
Twenty mats lasts most beginners a long time
What to know
Thicker coir can trap water and encourage mold if you overwater
Hemp mats are thinner and drain faster, which many growers prefer for radish, broccoli, and other fine-seeded crops. They are also easier to rinse off the roots at harvest. A good second purchase to find out which medium you like.
What we like
Thin and fast-draining, less mold-prone than thick coir
Buy seed sold for sprouting or microgreens, not ornamental packets: it is cleaner, cheaper per tray, and tested for germination. Start with two crops that forgive mistakes. Sunflower and pea shoots are big seeds, sprout evenly, and taste mild and sweet. Radish and broccoli are fast and peppery. Skip basil and cilantro for now; slow germinators are where beginners give up.
Best starter
Handy Pantry
Black Oil Sunflower Microgreens Seeds, 1.5 lb
$$
★★★★★Our rating
Sunflower is the crop that makes people fall in love with microgreens: thick, crunchy, nutty shoots in about a week. Soak the seed overnight, give it a 3-4 day blackout, and it is hard to fail. A 1.5 lb bag seeds a lot of trays.
What we like
Big seeds sprout evenly and forgive sloppy watering
Nutty, crunchy taste that non-microgreen people like
1.5 lb is many trays of seed for the money
What to know
Hulls stick to the leaves, so rinse at harvest
Mold risk is real if you skip the soak or crowd the seed
Pea shoots are the other beginner crop: sweet, tender, and great in salads and stir-fries. Soak about 8 hours and blackout for 3 days. Tendril pea gives the curly, leafy shoots you see in restaurants.
What we like
Sweet, pea-flavored shoots that cook well too
Dense seed gives a full tray from one pound
Ready in about 8-10 days
What to know
Seed is large, so a pound seeds fewer trays than you expect
One ounce each of a dozen crops, including broccoli, radish, beet, sunflower, and pea. It is the cheapest way to find out which flavors you actually like before committing to a pound of any of them.
What we like
Sample a dozen crops without buying bulk of any
Fast-growing radish and broccoli included
Good for discovering your favorites
What to know
Small packets, so each crop gives you only a tray or two
Some varieties, like cilantro, are slow and finicky for beginners
A sunny windowsill works for a tray or two, but light is the biggest variable in indoor growing, and window light is thin in winter. A cheap LED bar suspended 4-8 inches above the tray gives short, sturdy stems and deep green leaves. Look for 5000K white or full-spectrum, roughly 20 watts per foot of shelf. You do not need anything fancy.
Best starter
Barrina
T5 Grow Lights, 4 ft, 5000K, 8-Pack
$$$
★★★★★Our rating
Linkable full-spectrum bars with separate switches, so you can light one shelf or several. Eight bars is a lot for a first setup, but they plug together and you can run only the ones you need. Suspend one or two above each tray.
What we like
Full-spectrum 5000K suits seedlings and young leaves
Linkable with individual switches
Plug-and-play, no electrical know-how
What to know
The 8-pack is more than most beginners will use
Needs a shelf or hanging setup, as no stand is included
Stand, shelves, and lights in one box. If you want to grow four trays at once without building a rack, this is the grab-and-go version. Each tier has its own light, and the stand rolls on locking wheels.
What we like
Shelf, lights, and timer in one box
Four tiers to stagger harvests
Rolls on locking wheels
What to know
The lights are fixed in place on each tier
Shelf height is set, so tall crops can crowd the light
Seed density is the one thing that decides whether your tray works. Too little leaves bald patches; too much invites mold. Do not guess: weigh it. A 0.1-gram pocket scale also tells you your yield at harvest, which is how you learn what is worth growing. Any cheap scale with a tare button is enough.
Best starter
YONCON
Digital Pocket Scale, 3000g x 0.1g
$
★★★★★Our rating
A small, cheap, accurate scale with a tare button and a removable tray. It reads to a tenth of a gram, which is what you need to portion seed per tray, and it fits in a drawer.
A sturdier stainless platform with a longer track record. The 650-gram capacity is plenty for seed and for weighing a harvested tray, and it feels less flimsy than the cheapest options.
What we like
Stainless platform, easy to wipe clean
Accurate to 0.1 gram
Long-running, trusted model
What to know
650-gram limit is too small for weighing a full wet tray
Microgreens go from seed to salad in about a week. Here is what the first two weeks look like, day by day, from your first tray to your second harvest.
Microgreens are the fastest feedback loop in gardening. You plant on a Sunday and you are eating on the next one. That speed is the whole appeal, and it means you learn by doing: one tray tells you more than any article.
This is what the first two weeks look like, with the few things that matter and the many that don’t.
Day 0: Soak and seed
Pick sunflower or pea shoots for your first tray. Both have big seeds and forgive mistakes.
Soak the seed in plain water overnight, 8 to 12 hours. Drain it and rinse once.
Wet the mat. Lay a 10x20 coir mat flat in the tray, pour in water until it is soaked, then tip out any pooled water. Damp, not swimming.
Weigh the seed. A good starting point is about 4 ounces (110 grams) of dry sunflower or pea per 1020 tray. Spread it in a single, even layer with seeds touching but not stacked.
Mist the top lightly, so every seed is wet.
Resist the urge to use more seed. Crowded seed is the number-one cause of mold.
Days 1-4: The blackout
Flip a second tray upside down over the first, or lay a plate on top, to keep the seed in the dark. Light tells seed it is time to grow leaves; darkness makes it push roots down and stems up.
Check once a day. Sunflower and pea need 3 to 4 days of blackout. Mist if the mat looks dry, and lift the cover to smell it: a fresh, earthy smell is fine, a sour musty one means too wet.
By day 3 or 4 you should see pale, yellow stems pushing the cover up. That is exactly right.
Uncover the tray and put it in bright light: a sunny window, or a grow light 4-8 inches above the tray. Within a day the yellow shoots turn green.
Switch to bottom watering. Pour a half-cup of water into the tray, not over the leaves. Wet leaves rot. Every day or two, tip out whatever the mat hasn’t absorbed.
Keep air moving. A small fan on low, or just an open window nearby, cuts mold more than any other habit.
Days 8-10: Harvest
Sunflower is ready when the shoots stand 3 to 4 inches tall and the seed hulls have mostly fallen away. Pea shoots are ready at 4 to 6 inches.
Cut just above the mat with clean scissors or a sharp knife. Rinse the greens, shake them dry, and eat or refrigerate in a container lined with a dry paper towel. They keep about a week.
Compost the used mat and root mass. Wash the tray in hot, soapy water and let it dry fully before you seed again. This habit keeps mold from building up.
For tray two, try something fast and different: radish or broccoli. They need only 2 to 3 days of blackout and are ready in a week. Use less seed: roughly 1 to 1.5 ounces per tray, since the seeds are small.
Once you have two crops going, stagger them by a few days so you always have something ready.
What to ignore
Nutrient solutions. The seed carries everything the plant needs for a week.
Fancy kits. You already have the tray, the mat, and the seed.
Perfect light. A bright window is enough for your first batch. Buy lights once you know you will keep growing.
Fussy crops. Skip basil and cilantro until the easy ones feel boring.
Save your money
What you don't need yet
Beginners get pressured to buy a lot of stuff that doesn't help them play
better. Here's what we'd skip on day one.
A complete microgreens kit — The bundled kits cost more than trays, mats, and seed bought separately, and the tiny seed packs run out after one or two harvests.
A humidity dome — A second tray flipped upside down is a free blackout cover. Domes only matter if your room is very dry.
Hydroponic nutrient solution — Microgreens live off the seed's own reserves for the week you grow them. Plain water is all they need.
A full grow tent — A shelf and two light bars cover a beginner. A tent is for when you are growing for sale.
Specialty seed for slow crops — Cilantro, basil, and celery take two weeks or more and sprout unevenly. Save them for once the fast crops feel easy.
First week
Your first seven days
A short, real plan to get from gear-on-doorstep to actually playing.
Pick two crops to start: sunflower and pea shoots are the easiest. · Action
Cover with an upside-down tray for 3-4 days of blackout, then uncover and give light. · Learn
FAQ
Common questions
How much does it cost to start growing microgreens?
Around $60 if you use a sunny window: trays, mats, seed, and a scale. Add grow lights and you land near $150. After that, the only recurring cost is seed and mats, a few dollars per harvest.
How long do microgreens take to grow?
Most are ready in 7-14 days. Sunflower and pea shoots take about 8-10 days; radish and broccoli can be ready in 6-8. Sunflower needs 3-4 days of dark blackout, and pea about 3, before you uncover them for light.
Do I need grow lights?
Not at first. A south- or west-facing window works for a tray or two in spring and summer. In winter, or if you want even growth on a shelf, a pair of cheap LED bars gives noticeably sturdier, greener shoots.
Why is mold growing on my microgreens?
Almost always too much seed, too much water, or no airflow. Weigh your seed, drain excess water from the tray, and run a small fan on low. White fuzz on stems is usually root hairs, not mold; mold is gray, slimy, and smells musty.
Coconut coir or hemp mats?
Coir holds more water and is more forgiving for big seeds like sunflower. Hemp is thinner and drains faster, which suits fine seeds like radish and broccoli. Start with coir, try hemp on your second tray, and keep whichever you like.
Are microgreens safe to eat raw?
Generally yes when grown with clean trays and fresh seed. Wash trays between harvests, use seed sold for sprouting or microgreens, cut above the root line, and refrigerate harvests in a dry container. Cut above the mat, not through it, so you don't carry root-zone mold into the bowl.
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