🌱 Microgreens

Microgreens are the young seedlings of salad and vegetable plants, cut after their first true leaves emerge, and they are packed with flavour and colour. They can be grown on any windowsill in as little as a week or two, in any month, with no garden at all, making them the best year-round crop in this guide.

Good choices include radish, mustard, pea shoots, sunflower, broccoli, rocket, coriander, basil, beetroot and fenugreek. They need almost no equipment: a shallow tray or old food container, a little compost or kitchen paper, seed and water.

Varieties to try

Radish (fast, peppery, ready in 7 days)Pea shoots (sweet, crunchy, 14–21 days)Sunflower (nutty, crisp)Mustard and rocket (hot and peppery)Broccoli and kale (mild, 8–10 days)Coriander and basil (slower, aromatic)

Use a shallow tray, about 3–5 cm deep, with drainage holes if possible. Fill with 2–3 cm of moist peat-free multipurpose compost, or use a layer of damp kitchen paper or a coir mat. Firm and level the surface, then scatter seed thickly and evenly so the seeds are almost touching but not overlapping.

Press the seed gently into the surface and mist it well. Some seeds, such as peas and sunflowers, benefit from soaking overnight before sowing. Cover with a lid, plate or another tray for two to three days to keep the seeds dark and moist, then uncover and move to good light. Use seed sold for sprouting or microgreens.

Top tips

• Sow thickly: microgreens are crops in a tray.
• Cover for two to three days, then move into the light.
• Use a bright windowsill, ideally south-facing.
• Soak large seeds like peas and sunflowers overnight.

Water the trays from below or with a gentle mist, keeping the compost moist but never waterlogged. Overwatering and poor air flow lead to mould. Keep the tray in a bright, well-ventilated spot at room temperature, and turn it every day so the seedlings grow straight.

If you see white fuzz on the surface, it is usually fine root hairs rather than mould; mould is grey or cottony and smells musty. Good ventilation, thinner sowing and careful watering prevent it. Wash trays between batches in hot water and use fresh compost each time.

Top tips

• Water from below to keep leaves dry.
• Provide good air flow.
• Turn trays daily for even growth.
• Use fresh compost for each sowing.

Watch out for

Mould in humid, stagnant airDamping off from overwateringFungus gnats in damp compost

Cut microgreens with scissors just above the compost when the first pair of seed leaves has fully opened and, for some types, the first true leaves have started to appear. Radish and mustard take about a week, sunflower and pea shoots two to three weeks, and basil and coriander three weeks or more.

Harvest in the morning when the leaves are crisp, and snip the whole tray or take just what you need. Most do not regrow well after cutting, apart from pea shoots, which may give a second smaller crop. Compost the used compost and roots, then start another tray.

Top tips

• Cut just above the compost with clean scissors.
• Harvest when the first leaves are open.
• Sow a new tray every week for a steady supply.
• Pea shoots may give a second cut.

Use microgreens as a fresh topping for salads, sandwiches, soups, eggs, pizza and curries, where they add intense flavour and bright colour. Peppery radish and mustard greens liven up bland dishes, sweet pea shoots are lovely in stir-fries and sunflower greens add a satisfying crunch.

Microgreens are best eaten the day they are cut. Keep unwashed, dry greens in a container lined with kitchen paper in the fridge for up to five days. Rinse gently just before use. They do not freeze, so harvest only what you need.

Top tips

• Add at the last moment to keep their crunch.
• Do not wash until needed.
• Store dry in a lined container.
• Mix different types for flavour and colour.