Most crops make you wait months. Microgreens and sprouts are the glorious exception: a jar of crunchy sprouts is ready in three to six days, and a tray of intensely flavoured microgreens in one to two weeks — no garden, no greenhouse, not even a sunny season required. They are the fastest, cheapest way to grow fresh food at home, they are just as happy on a windowsill in January as in July, and gram for gram they pack more flavour and concentrated goodness than almost anything else you can grow. Here is exactly how to grow both, and which seeds repay you best.
- Sprouts ready in 3–6 days, in a jar
- Microgreens ready in 7–21 days, in a tray
- Space needed one bright windowsill
- Season year-round, indoors
Microgreens and sprouts: what is the difference?
Both start as densely sown seeds, but they are grown — and eaten — differently. Sprouts are germinated seeds eaten whole, root and all, after a few days of rinsing in a jar. They need no soil and no light; the kitchen worktop is their natural habitat. Microgreens grow in a shallow tray of compost on a bright windowsill and are snipped just above the soil once their first leaves open, so you eat only the tender stem and leaves. Sprouts win on speed and simplicity; microgreens win on flavour, colour and crunch. Grow both and a green-less week becomes impossible.
The best seeds for microgreens
Almost any leafy vegetable or herb can be grown as a microgreen, but some are famously reliable:
- Radish — the beginner's favourite: up in two days, peppery and crisp within a week. Radish seeds are also among the cheapest per tray.
- Cress — the original windowsill crop, ready almost before you have washed the scissors. Browse the cress range.
- Mustard — bold, warm heat that lifts sandwiches and stir-fries; see our mustard seeds.
- Rocket — all the pepper of the mature salad leaf in half the time; grab rocket seeds.
- Pea shoots — sweet, crunchy and generous: peas will even regrow for a second cut.
- Sunflower — nutty, substantial shoots from sunflower seeds, a firm favourite with chefs.
- Beetroot & basil — slower, but worth it: ruby stems from beetroot, perfumed mini-leaves from basil.
The whole microgreens & sprouts collection is selected for exactly this job, with an organic microgreens range if you prefer certified-organic seed — a sensible choice for crops you eat just days after sowing.
The best seeds for sprouting
For jar sprouting, stick to seed sold specifically for sprouting: it is tested for germination and food safety in a way ordinary garden packets are not. Alfalfa is the mild, classic all-rounder; broccoli sprouts are the famous nutrition heavyweight; radish sprouts bring proper wasabi-style heat; and mung beans make the fat, crunchy beansprouts you know from the wok. You will find all of them in the sprouting seeds collection, including an organic sprouting range.
How to grow microgreens: step by step
- Fill a shallow tray 2–3 cm of moist seed compost in any tray with drainage holes — a repurposed fruit punnet works perfectly.
- Sow thickly Scatter seed densely so the surface is almost covered — far closer than you would ever sow in the garden.
- Press, don't bury Press seeds into the surface, mist well, then cover the tray for 2–3 days of darkness while they germinate.
- Bring into the light Uncover on a bright windowsill and mist daily — pale shoots green up within a day or two.
- Cut and eat Snip with scissors just above the compost once the first leaves open, usually day 7–14. Sow a fresh tray weekly.
How to grow sprouts in a jar
Sprouting is even simpler. Soak two tablespoons of sprouting seeds overnight in a clean jar, then drain. Cover the mouth with muslin or a sprouting lid, and rinse and drain thoroughly twice a day, leaving the jar tilted upside-down so no water pools inside. In three to six days the jar is full; give the sprouts a final rinse and keep them in the fridge for up to five days.
Two food-safety habits matter: always use seed sold for sprouting, and never let sprouts sit in standing water — rinse morning and evening without fail. If a batch ever smells sour rather than fresh, compost it and start again; at pennies per jar, sprouts forgive every false start.
Sprouts
Whole germinated seeds from a jar — no soil, no light needed.
- Ready in 3–6 days
- Rinse twice daily — that is the whole job
- Best: alfalfa, broccoli, radish, mung
Microgreens
Baby leaves cut from a tray of compost on the windowsill.
- Ready in 7–21 days
- Needs light and a daily misting
- Best: radish, cress, mustard, peas
Common mistakes (and easy fixes)
- Sowing too thinly — a sparse tray never makes a proper harvest. Microgreens want a dense carpet of seed.
- Letting trays dry out — shallow compost dries fast; a daily misting keeps germination on track. If nothing comes up at all, run through our germination troubleshooter.
- Poor airflow — dense, damp sowings can invite mould. Space trays out, ventilate the room, and read the fixes in our damping off guide if white fuzz appears.
- Water pooling in the sprouting jar — the number-one cause of failed sprouts. Drain properly, at an angle, every single time.
- Cutting too late — microgreens are at their best just as the first true leaf shows; leave them weeks longer and the flavour and texture fade.
Frequently asked questions
Do microgreens regrow after cutting?
Most do not — you cut below the growing point. Pea shoots are the cheerful exception and usually give a second cut. The rhythm to aim for is a new tray each week: the windowsill version of succession sowing.
Can I use ordinary garden seed for sprouting?
For microgreens grown in compost, yes — any untreated seed is fine. For jar sprouts eaten whole and raw, use seed sold specifically for sprouting, which is tested for food safety.
Do I need grow lights?
No. A bright windowsill grows excellent microgreens year-round; in midwinter the shoots simply stretch a little taller. Sprouts need no light at all.
Are microgreens really more nutritious?
Weight for weight, studies have found many microgreens hold several times the vitamin concentration of the mature crop. Treat them as a flavour-packed bonus to a varied diet rather than a magic pill.
Microgreens and sprouts are gardening with the waiting removed — and the easiest way to keep harvesting straight through winter. Browse all our seeds and the rest of our growing guides, and if you sow one thing today, make it a jar you will be eating by the weekend.
