Year-Round Microgreens Production for Profit

Recommendations

A microgreens business lets you tap existing markets and open new ones. Varieties can sell well on their own or in signature blends with different flavors, colors and textures. They grow quickly all year, even in winter at northern latitudes, given extra heat and light. On top of being versatile and potentially profitable, microgreens are nutrient-rich, full of flavor and beautiful.

Microgreens are fairly easy and fast to grow, and startup costs are modest, but commercial success depends on knowing a few key things from the start. This guide covers planning, choosing seed, sowing, growing and harvesting, plus marketing tips for this profitable year-round crop.

A 20-row tray of 5 varieties chosen for similar growth rates and a mix of colors, flavors and textures

Sowing dates can be timed so several varieties all reach the ideal harvest size together.

See our microgreens comparison chart

Seed Selection

You may want to start with a few straightforward varieties, or with a professionally premixed selection of microgreens, then diversify later on. Hensley’s offers five premixed options:

• Mild Micro Mix, a balanced blend of mild brassicas.
• Spicy Micro Mix, a mix of sharper-flavored varieties.
• Rainbow Sprinkles Micro Mix, a showy blend of chard and beets with stems, leaves and veins in rainbow colors.
• Confetti Radish Micro Mix, an easy, fast, colorful mix.
• Kalefetti Micro Mix, bright kale colors in a range of leaf shapes and textures.

Our mixes are designed to give a range of colors, flavors and textures with good loft and matched growth rates.

Microgreens turn around fast, but growth rates differ by crop and variety. Most vegetable microgreens are ready in about 2 weeks; mustard and radish grow faster than beets, carrots or chard. Herb microgreens are generally slower, taking 16–25 days. Depending on the type, variety and conditions, a crop cycle can stretch to 4 weeks or longer.

Our microgreens comparison chart shows which varieties are fast or slow growers, along with other traits, to help you pick varieties to grow together. With practice you can time sowings so a mix of varieties is ready at once, at the best size and flavor.

To estimate how much seed you'll need, start with seeding density, covered in more detail under Sowing below. You'll also need to estimate how much product you'll harvest to meet demand. To help you compare seed sown with expected yield while planning, we put together a tech sheet with results from our microgreens yield trial (averages) for 29 popular varieties. With some trials, good records and repetition, you'll get good at estimating seed needs against yield, timing crop cycles and projecting your return.

Growing Microgreens Indoors or Under Cover: Supplies & Space

Because they're delicate, microgreens are usually grown indoors, in greenhouses or other protected spaces. They need the right temperature, ventilation and light, which take extra attention and resources. Before setting up, work out how much space you have or need and gather some supplies, many of which you may already own:

• Growing medium such as potting mix or a soilless medium made for microgreens. For potting mix we suggest Hensley’s 512 Mix, Hensley’s Germination Mix or Vermont Compost Fort Light Mix. To lower the risk of soilborne disease, avoid mixes with unfinished compost. For a soilless option we carry hemp grow mats.
• Trays. Microgreens are often sown in standard 1020 flats or 20-row flats filled 1½–2" deep with a light, sterile, soilless mix.
• Covers. After sowing, seeds can be covered with paper towels, vermiculite, dome lids or white plastic trays.
• Heat mats. Sold in many sizes and materials, some with daisy-chaining, timers and monitoring, heat mats help keep root-zone temperatures steady.
• Grow lights. Extra light is essential for off-season or indoor growing in most places.
• Fans. Good airflow is key to preventing disease.
• Bench space. Raised platforms, tables or hanging benches keep plants safe and make the work easier on your body.

With short crop cycles and little or no need for fertilizer, microgreens are well suited to hydroponics. See intro to hydroponic growing for more on systems and equipment.

Sowing at the right density gives the best germination, quality and yield.

Our microgreens tech sheet has more on sowing and growing.

Read the tech sheet…

Seed at Appropriate Density

Before sowing, consider seed size, which decides the best way to plant. Sifters and colanders help sort seed by size. Sow thickly enough to cover the flat, but not so thick that air can't move. Sow both small and large seeds densely (⅛–¼" apart) and press them gently into the medium.

• Small seed: about 10–12 seeds per sq in²
• Medium to large seed: about 6–8 seeds per sq in²

Sowing too thickly cuts airflow and raises disease risk.

Cover & Water In

After sowing, cover small seed with paper towels, finely sifted vermiculite or a thin layer of soilless mix; cover large seed with a light layer of growing mix. Water gently so seed doesn't wash away, then cover flats with a clear or white dome to hold humidity and help germination. Remove or vent covers in warm, sunny weather, or heat can build up and hurt germination. Keep paper towels damp and lift them off gently after a few days; most seed coats come off with them, which makes washing the finished crop easier.

A simple waist-high table setup

Use our cost and materials calculator and building guide to make a versatile hanging microgreens and seedling bench for a greenhouse, hoophouse or high tunnel.

Cost and materials calculator (XLSX)…

Building guide (PDF)…

Temperature Recommendations

• Medium temperature. The best soil temperature for germination and growth depends on the crop; heat lovers like basil need more warmth than cool-loving brassicas. Check the growing information on each product page for ideal temperatures before and after germination.
• Air temperature. Ideal air temperatures also vary by crop, but 65–75°F (18–24°C) generally works well. Above 75°F (24°C), disease pressure can rise and some varieties germinate poorly.

Slight drops at night are fine, but steady, warmer temperatures keep growth moving.

Humidity & Circulation

Fans provide the airflow that helps prevent pests and disease. Keep flats moist but not soggy. Some growers water from below to avoid splashing soil, which also gives a cleaner crop.

Fertility

Do microgreens need fertilizer? It depends on the crop and conditions. In media that already hold some nutrients, plain water is usually best. Some growers find a little fertilizer prevents yellowing. A dilute solution makes sense for slow growers or on media with no nutrients, such as foam or coir mats. Mix fertilizer into the medium before sowing, or add soluble fertilizer to the misting or bottom-watering supply. Watch for off flavors, which fish-based products can sometimes cause.

Lighting

Plants often respond differently to artificial light than to sunlight. Pay attention to how long lights run, their spectrum and intensity, and their distance from the crop, since these affect growth and quality. Lights too far away cause stretching, and too little intensity can leave colors looking faded.

Succession Planting Microgreens

Since microgreens are cut once, you need succession sowings for a steady supply. Base sowing dates and amounts on customer demand, delivery schedules and each variety's growth rate, which, again, vary. Keep records and adjust as you go.

Disease Prevention

Because they're sown so densely, microgreens are prone to problems such as damping off from poor airflow and waterlogged media. To lower the risk:

• Keep air moving with horizontal airflow fans.
• Use clean media and water.
• Sow at the right density.
• Don't overwater.

Tips For Challenging Microgreens Varieties

Two things make some varieties harder to grow than others.

• Big seeds. Large seeds have more trouble making good contact with the medium, so press them in firmly and cover them well to keep them moist while germinating. It's also tempting to sow fewer large seeds, especially multi-germ types such as cilantro, beets and chard, but their size already gives them the room they need, so still sow them ⅛–¼" apart.
• Slow germination. With slow germinators, both overwatering and underwatering cause trouble, so keep flats evenly moist (not soaked) and the air moving to limit disease. For varieties that like warmth to sprout, extra heat speeds germination.

Harvest and handle gently: this valuable crop has a shelf life as small as it is!

Seed-To-Harvest

Microgreens are usually cut at the first true leaf, with seed leaves still attached, or at the seed-leaf stage, at 1–2" tall. Judge readiness by the days listed for each variety plus look and taste. To help you plan and set expectations, we've published our microgreens yield trial (averages) for 29 popular varieties, along with harvest-size photos of each of those 29 varieties on their product pages. A little trialing and note-taking will help you find the best harvest window for your setup.

Harvesting Techniques

Cutting once is the standard practice. Some varieties can regrow in good conditions, but the second cut is often not good enough to sell. Since much of the weight is in the stem, microgreens sold by weight are usually cut as low as possible without picking up growing medium. Cut handfuls with scissors or whole flats with an electric knife. To sell live greens, just cut the medium into the size you want.

Cut, Wash, Mix, Pack & Cool

Microgreens are tender and very perishable, so handle them carefully. Depending on your methods and market, you might sell them living and rooted, cut them straight into clamshells or other final packaging, or cut them into a salad spinner for mixing or washing. Choose packaging for your main buyers, whether single servings or bulk, by weight or volume. Because shelf life is short, keep them refrigerated to hold freshness and quality.

It's covered last here, but making market research your first priority will improve your chances of building a successful microgreens business.

Microgreens can be sold in microperforated food-grade bags, in clamshells, or live in their growing medium.

Key Marketing Strategies

A few strategies for getting your microgreens to customers and turning a profit:

• Before scaling up, research your market and make sure you have buyers. Reach out to likely customers in your delivery area; restaurants are the most common, but specialty food stores and some farmers' markets may also be interested.
• Grow a few trial mixes or put together samples of single varieties to give away as you build a customer base. This also works well when introducing a new variety or product to current customers.
• Make your brand stand out with a signature mix. Pick varieties with an interesting mix of colors, flavors and textures. If you choose 5–6 with similar growth rates and needs, you can blend the seed in equal or different proportions before sowing. If growth rates or needs differ, sow them on different days, grow them separately so they're ready together, and mix after harvest. Either way, keep detailed records of varieties, sowing dates and proportions so you can repeat a winning mix.
• Finally, if you aren't already asking buyers and chefs for feedback, add that to your list so you can improve your product line over time. Customers stay interested when you offer new varieties and blends, especially when they trust your freshness and quality.

We put these guidelines together to help you launch your microgreens program. For more on growing microgreens year-round, see our Microgreens Library. Grown efficiently and marketed with some flair, microgreens can take your operation to the next level.

Small functional foods: phytochemical and nutritional analysis of five brassica microgreens • Full text

MORE RESEARCH @ PubMed

Microgreens Production

• Hensley’s Microgreens Brochure Printable 4-page PDF
• Intro to hydroponic growing Article
• Hensley’s Microgreens Production PDF tech sheet version of this article
• Microgreens production basics Webinar
• Cost and materials calculator for a hanging microgreens and seedling bench XLS
• Building guide for a hanging microgreens and seedling bench PDF

Vitamin and carotenoid levels in edible microgreens • Abstract

MORE RESEARCH @ PubMed

Microgreens Yield Data

• Microgreens yield trial • summary, methods, findings and discussion PDF
• Microgreens yield trial • raw data table XLSX
• Microgreens yield trial • chart of averages PDF tech sheet

Selecting Microgreens Varieties

• Top picks for starting microgreens • 8 good choices Article
• Hensley’s Microgreen Varieties Comparison Chart PDF
• Hensley’s Vegetable Microgreens Product List
• Hensley’s Herb Microgreens Product List
• Hensley’s Fast-Growing Microgreens Product List
• Hensley’s Slow-Growing Microgreens Product List