Grow an Edible Countertop Forest With These Microgreens Growing Kits

Growing an indoor garden filled with your own microgreens couldn't be easier. There's no need for special equipment or gardening skills, but investing in a microgreen growing kit will make the process even easier. Microgreens starter kits contain everything you need for growing these healthy greens on an indoor countertop or windowsill. Many microgreen gardening kits are reusable, so you only need to purchase additional seed packets to keep growing.

Although you can find microgreens in specialty stores, they can be expensive. Growing your own microgreens saves money, and you always have fresh, tasty greens on hand when needed to pump up the flavor in a salad mix or smoothie. Below, we cover some information on microgreens and microgreen starter kits. To make purchasing the best kit for your needs easier, we've also rounded up the best kits and noted their features.

Sometimes sprouts are confused with being microgreens, but they aren't the same thing. Sprouts are the germinated seeds of certain plants like wheatgrass. You eat the seeds, roots and sprouts. However, microgreens are immature greens allowed to develop the first true leaves before harvesting. Once the greens are around 2 inches tall, the stems and first leaves are harvested for eating.

These tiny greens are popular in the culinary world and are used as a garnish, ingredient or even as the base for salads, sandwiches and other dishes. They add visual appeal, texture and a burst of flavor to meals. Microgreens are also valued for their high levels of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, making them a nutritious addition to a well-rounded diet.

‌Microgreen Seeds‌: Growers have a lot of choices in organic microgreen seeds that you can use to grow microgreens. Everything from leafy veggies, salad greens, and herbs, as well as some types of edible flowers, work well for microgreens. You can find specially selected seed packets for growing microgreens or salad mixes, and some microgreen growing kits sell refill kits to restock your seed and soil supply.

Some microgreens that are the easiest to grow and great for beginner growers include broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, cilantro, sunflower, radish, kale, arugula, kohlrabi, mustard, collard and buckwheat. You can mix all the seeds together in a single microgreen tray or separate the different types into their own trays, so you can identify which microgreen is what.

‌What to Look For‌: You'll find you have a lot of choices in microgreen growing kits, with everything from smaller basic kits that fit on a countertop to more elaborate and expensive hydroponic systems. There are even growing kits that suction to a sunny window. When shopping for a grow kit, always read the label of what's included and make sure they're using non-GMO seeds for the greens. You'll also want to make sure the grow tray is waterproof

‌Basic Care‌: Although some kits come with plant food you can use, fertilizer isn't necessary when growing microgreens. It's OK to use the plant food that's included in the kit as long as you follow package directions. One of the good things about microgreens is they tolerate a range of conditions. However, your microgreens perform best given four to six hours of daily sunlight. If you don't have the necessary light conditions, you can supplement light by using artificial lighting like a grow light or LED lighting.

You can keep your germinating seeds and developing microgreens watered and the soil moist by spritzing everything with a water-filled spray bottle. You can typically start harvesting your microgreens in as little as a week to 10 days. Use clean scissors and snip them off at ground level.

This easy-to-use growing kit has everything you need to grow healthy and organic microgreens, whether you're a beginner or have years of experience. The kit contains a showy wooden planter that holds the waterproof plastic liner, fiber soil discs, water spray bottle, two seed packs containing black oil sunflower seeds and mixed salad microgreen seeds.

The mixed salad seeds contain Red Acre cabbage, broccoli, kale, arugula and kohlrabi seeds, and there's enough of both types for two crops. You also get instructions that are easy to follow, assuring a good crop of microgreens. The kit is reusable, and the company offers refills. If you aren't completely satisfied, the company offers a replacement or your money back.

If you want to grow your own crop of superfood microgreens but don't want to spend a fortune on the setup, this growing kit from Back to the Roots might work. Everything you need to get started is contained in the kit, including a ceramic planter, a germination lid, expanding soil and organic seeds. The organic microgreen seeds contain a mix of broccoli, red cabbage, kohlrabi and kale.

The kit comes with instructions, and the company backs its product with a 100% guarantee. You can reuse the ceramic planter for another crop of tasty microgreens—although you'll have to purchase additional seeds and soil—and it's small enough to sit on any countertop or table without taking up much space.

It's never too early to teach children about growing their own food, and this interactive microgreen kid allows them to have fun while learning. This kit contains everything you need, along with easy-to-follow instructions that will have you harvesting your microgreens in as little as seven to 10 days.

You receive a diorama, a coir grow mat, a pollinator's garden pop-up card, a biodegradable and compostable grow tray and organic radish microgreen seeds. Your children will have fun setting up the kit, planting their seeds, and watching them grow, and before they know it, they'll be harvesting their microgreens. This garden kit makes a great gift for the little gardener in your life.

If you don't want to take up any space on your countertop, this kit fits perfectly on a sunny windowsill. The kit is 4 inches tall and wide and 16 inches long, so it's small enough to fit on any average-sized windowsill. You receive everything you need to get growing, including a plastic growing container and pre-mixed professional potting soil containing a blend of green and red mustard seeds.

After planting, you can start harvesting your fresh microgreens in days instead of weeks. The growing container is reusable, but you'll have to provide additional soil and microgreen seeds. It couldn't be easier to use, as you plant your soil and seed mixture in the container and water, and before you know it, you'll be harvesting.

This hydroponic microgreen grow kit contains everything you need to grow your crops on a countertop without messy soil. You receive three 20-inch by 10-inch growing trays without holes and three 20-inch by 10-inch growing trays with holes that fit inside the ones without holes. You'll also receive 10 bamboo fiber grow mats that hold 10 times their weight in water, a pH test strip kit to test the water, and a spray bottle.

The 4-ounce package of basic salad mix seeds contains Red Acre cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, Purple Vienna kohlrabi and arugula. You also receive a 4-ounce spicy sprouting mix containing the same varieties as the basic salad mix with the addition of Southern giant mustard. As an added bonus, you'll also receive a seed packet of seasonal microgreens that vary from month-to-month. You'll also receive all the instructions necessary for successful growth.

If you're looking for a smaller microgreen growing kit that won't take up much space, then this mini kit from Mountain Valley Seed Co. is a good choice. You receive a small growing container and humidity lid, a pre-fertilized soil puck, a mist sprayer and a package of organic, non-GMO salad mix seeds containing kale, cabbage, broccoli, arugula and kohlrabi.

This single-serve grow kit fits perfectly on a sunny countertop or other small space, and after planting, you should be enjoying your healthy harvest in around 10 days. The growing container is reusable, but you'll have to provide additional soil and microgreen seeds.

Once you've utilized all the seeds that come with your kit, you'll need to refresh your supply, and this 10-pack microgreen seed selection is a good choice in variety. The organic and non-GMO heirloom seeds contain seed packs of both veggies and herbs to pump up the flavor in your favorite recipes.

You'll receive selections of arugula, watermelon radish, Waltham 29 broccoli, Red Russian Kale, Oregon Sugar Pod II peas, Opal basil, Black Russian sunflower, Red Acre cabbage, buckwheat and Detroit Golden beets. You receive all the instructions needed for healthy growth. All you need to supply is a growing tray and soil, and before you know it, you'll be harvesting your fresh microgreens.