How to Grow Microgreens: The Beginner’s Guide

by Kevin Espiritu | Aug 25, 2016 | Crops | 32 comments

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 Should I grow microgreens?
Unless you’ve been living inside the greenhouse for years, you’ve probably heard of microgreens and the insane
growth that this tiny little type of crop has had over the past 4–5 years. Chefs are using them in dishes across
the country and they’re even showing up in farmers markets these days.

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 They’re extremely popular for their avor and color on the chef’s side, but farmers have good reason to love
them as well. Their high pro t margin can help a farm weather lean harvests in other areas of the farm, or just
boost the pro tability of the farm as a whole.

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 Photo by Peggy Greb

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 But how do you know if adding microgreens to your farm’s production makes any sense? To answer that
question, we need to dig into how they’re grown, the economics of the crop, and how you might go about
testing your local market.

Let’s get started.

The basic economics of microgreens production

Looking at microgreens from the perspective of a farmer, it’s no surprise they’re a popular crop. When you get
into the raw costs of bringing a tray of microgreens to harvest, the margins are absolutely incredible.

First o , you have your xed costs. The beauty of microgreens is that you can keep these extremely low when
testing demand in your local area. The only real xed cost you’ll incur are for 10×20″ propagation trays, which
run about $1/unit in bulk.

Now, your variable costs. Seeds, soil, water, and packaging are the big four here.

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 1) Seeds
Unless you’re growing very rare varieties—and you shouldn’t when starting out—most microgreen seeds cost
under $15/lb, with discounts on bulk purchases pushing that number at least 20% lower.

For most microgreen varieties, around 1oz of seeds are used per tray, bringing the cost per tray down to under
$1. There are special cases (cilantro, radish, sun ower, pea), but this is just a basic overview.

2) Soil
I like to use a 75/25 mix of potting soil and coconut coir, and the cost per tray comes out to around $1. This can
uctuate depending on how much soil you decide to use per tray. Some growers ll their 10x20x2” tray to the
brim, and some only ll it halfway up.

3) Water
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 So low as to be negligible, at least when starting out.

4) Packaging
This can be a xed or variable cost, depending on how you work with restaurants. Some prefer disposable
packaging, while others are happy to reuse food safe containers over and over again.

OK, so microgreens have low costs, but how are yields?

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 , g , y
So our actual cost of goods sold per tray is at or around $2–4, depending on the type of green you’re growing
and your soil and packaging choices. But this number isn’t useful to us unless we plug in our yield per tray and
what we can sell our micros for at market.

In my experience, most crops yield between 8–12 oz per tray. Again, there are exceptions for bigger shoots like
peas, sun owers, and radish, which can reach up to 12–18 oz per tray.

As far as pricing, while you can price each microgreen variety individually to maximize your pro t per green
(because some seeds are far more expensive than others), I nd it’s best to charge a standard price per ounce at
around $3/oz. You can make special exceptions for rare varieties like purple basil, shiso, etc., but this is a good
baseline price.

This means that at the worst, your revenue per tray will hit around $24. At best, your revenue per tray can be up
to $48. Your costs, on the other hand, are only $2–4 per tray, plus your time.

And that’s where we get into a sticky situation. It can take a lot of time to harvest and package microgreens, so
streamlining that part of your operation will be crucial if you want to make this crop work in your farm.

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How to grow microgreens—grow your rst crop to test your market

While I could go into a wealth of detail on growing microgreens here (and I have on my site), microgreens are
fairly simple to grow. If you’re interested in growing some sample trays to test out your market and see if they’re
a good addition to your farm, here’s what I recommend.

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 1) Pick a few microgreen crops that are universally liked. Basil, arugula, radish, and sun ower are great ones to
start out with.

2) Mix your soil, spread it into your 10×20 tray, and make sure you create an even, at surface without
compressing the soil too much.

3) Spread your seeds as evenly as possible, using around 1oz per tray unless you’re growing a larger seed like
sun ower.

4) Mist your seeds lightly, then cover with another 10×20 tray for a few days

5) Check on your tray and mist daily.

6) A couple of days after your seeds have germinated, take o the blackout dome and expose them to the light.
It’s time for them to green up.

7) Around a week after you uncover your trays, they should be ready to harvest.

Again, this is a simpli ed guide on how to grow microgreens, and I would direct you to one of my video guides if
you want more in-depth information.

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 Testing your market: working with restaurants
After you’ve grown a few sample trays, it’s time to test the market. Restaurants will always be the best customer
to go to when starting out with microgreens because they’ll purchase larger quantities on a reliable schedule.
This allows you to streamline your production, because you know you have orders coming in on a weekly basis.

If you already have relationships with restaurants and chefs, the next logical step is to bring over microgreen
samples next time you go in for a delivery. Explain to them that you’re testing out a new crop for your farm and
wanted to drop o samples to see if it’s something they’re interested in.

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 Try to lock down a minimum order of $50 of microgreens. Anything less than that and it’s not worth the time to
deliver to most restaurants unless you’re already delivering other produce to them.

If you haven’t worked with restaurants before, here are some pointers:

The two best times are from 9–10 am and 2–3 pm. Never visit during service hours, unless you want to make
yourself a new enemy.
Emphasize how fresh and local your produce is. Chances are the micros they’re getting (if they’re getting any
at all) are coming through a distributor and are both more expensive and less fresh.
Try to speak with the sous chef. They’re one step below the executive chef and often make most of the
purchasing decisions for the kitchen.

Go forth and grow microgreens!

So there you have it: a simple and quick overview of microgreens. If you can make these little shoots a pro table
part of your farm, they can go a long way to adding to the bottom line. There are growers out there right now
that specialize in microgreens only and make a healthy living for themselves and their family, so the proof is out
there — it’s time for you to test it for yourself.

>>>You can get this article as a PDF here.

Kevin Espiritu is the man behind Epic Gardening, a gardening site dedicated to demystifying the secrets of the
green thumb.

When he’s not knee-deep in his garden, he’s usually skateboarding, sur ng, or reading a book.

Find him on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

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Related posts:

Growing Oregano in Best Conditions & How to Grow How to Grow Arugula
Hydroponics? Read Methods for Growing Hydroponic Cabbage: Microgreens in 10
This First! Hydroponic Parsley The Beginner's Guide Days

Kevin Espiritu on August 25, 2016 at 4:12 pm

Happy to answer any questions in the comments here!
Reply

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 Julien on September 6, 2016 at 8:02 am
Thanks for this great post Kevin. From your experience, what would be the best
Reply
varieties to grow for a rst test with restaurants?

Kevin Espiritu on September 6, 2016 at 9:01 am

You’re welcome Julien! Arugula is always a winner, but so are pea
Reply
shoots, sun ower shoots, and radish shoots. Out of those, radish
shoots are by far the easiest. Try to pick up a colorful cultivar.
Hope that helps – Kevin

Julien on September 6, 2016 at 12:20 pm

Thanks a lot Kevin! Cheers
Reply

Randall Browne on March 13, 2018 at 4:32 pm

G’day Kevin
Reply

i am looking at greenhouses and how to control the humidity in there,is there

any where i could nd a layout for that setting up of all of that .

Randall

Paula trees on March 7, 2019 at 4:56 am

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 Hi Randall I have picked up a book from the library here called Reply
“The complete guide to DIY Greenhouses”. It talks about more
grassroots type of greenhouses not big the big commercial ones.
The author is Black+Decker, Published by Cool Springs Press,
Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Shopan on July 25, 2018 at 2:39 am

So that is where I am “at” …
Reply
I have Worked in many Restaurants In 20 Years Of Front Of House service But I
Know that Once that First Sale Goes there Must Be Product in less than 2 weeks.
Its that rst sale that Has me a Bit on edge…

Peter on August 22, 2018 at 11:14 am

Hi Kevin, Can micro greens be grown in a hot climate such as in Spain in a
Reply
greenhouse? Are there any particular varieties most suitable to that climate? Do
they travel as well as other vegetables? Peter

Mia Lauenroth on August 27, 2018 at 8:32 am

Hi Peter,
Reply

Microgreens can be grown in such climates, but keep in mind

that maintaining proper watering intervals will obviously be
much more critical. Most herb varieties will be better suited to
warmer temperatures. Cool weather varieties can still be grown
but the heat may alter the avor pro le. Check out this blog post

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 for more details on environmental conditions.
Microgreens can be transported very will if they are still in the
media. If they have been cut, they will need to be shipped with
refrigeration.

Ben Pan on December 3, 2016 at 7:01 pm

where do you purchase/source for your seeds?
Reply

Kevin Espiritu on December 5, 2016 at 8:51 am

I got mine from Everwilde Farms!
Reply

Vinod suryawanshi on December 21, 2016 at 5:38 pm

Thanks Kevin sir my self vinod suryawanshi from Mumbai India
Reply
I want starting in microgreens busines in my areas

Vinod suryawanshi on December 21, 2016 at 5:41 pm

My email suryawanshivinod18@gmail.com
Reply

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 Gowthaman on January 2, 2017 at 8:55 am
Hi,
Reply
First of all hats o for the best article about micro-greens for beginners on net.
I have a problem cultivating with raddish microgree as they look so down asthey grow and
easily attractive to moulds growth at stem though i am misting moderately twice a day.
Thank you ,
Gowthaman.

Kevin Espiritu on January 6, 2017 at 3:20 pm

Thanks! Be careful not to plant too dense. Radish germinate quickly, so be sure
Reply
to uncover them as soon as they sprout so they can get some sun and not get
too leggy (thus collapsing).

Gerry on April 17, 2017 at 7:53 am

What accounting software should we use when getting started?
Reply

Amy Storey on April 24, 2017 at 2:46 pm

Hi Gerry – a lot of folks have had luck with QuickBooks.
Reply

RossFarms on January 25, 2018 at 7:59 am

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 I’ve seen a lot of people just using Microsoft excel. Reply

Joe on June 26, 2017 at 5:47 am

Hi Kevin, Where did you nd trays at $1 each?
Reply

RossFarms on January 25, 2018 at 7:58 am

We can nd them for a $1 around here at local garden centers/greenhouses.
Reply
Online if you buy from someplace like Johnny’s seeds it gets close to that cost.

Camara on July 14, 2017 at 1:53 am

i have been looking for a better supply for seeds within Malaysia, any recommendations? seeds
Reply
for microgreens and hybrid seeds of cabbage, lettuce, eggplant, cauli ower, cucumbers, etc

Alanna on July 29, 2017 at 8:15 pm

Excellent, concise information. I’ve been searching articles galore and you answered nearly all
Reply
my questions in one fell swoop and brought up points I might not have thought of in time (o
hour visits to restaurants).

Ben on October 21, 2017 at 6:45 am

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 Hi Reply
Would you know of any suppliers in the UK.
I want to start growing microgreens and need to buy trays, seeds, coconut fur all the materials
that you described

chuck caulk on November 10, 2017 at 11:38 pm

HI KEVIN, i AM CHUCK AND WAS WONDERING IF PLANTS COULD BE ALLOWED TO GROW TO
Reply
MATURITY AND USED FOR GETTING SEED

Mia Lauenroth on November 13, 2017 at 8:36 am

Hey Chuck,
Reply

If you’re interested in growing mature seedlings for transplant, you will want to
take a slightly di erent approach. Check out our Seeds & Seedlings course.

Nigel on February 21, 2018 at 11:09 pm

Hi Kevin,
Reply
I’ve been growing microgreens for about 6 months. Our rainy season has now started and even
though I grow my microgreens indoors, I’m having problems with condensation on the leaves
especially with the trays that are more densely planted like kohlrabi and broccoli. The problem
is the moisture leaves the plants wet when harvested and they don’t last as long. I don’t wash
my microgreens so don’t have a dryer or anything. What I am doing is harvesting then laying
them on a dry clean cloth in front of a fan but this is not ideal. Do you have any ideas to reduce
the moisture or dry the harvested greens?

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 John D on April 24, 2018 at 6:01 am
I use a box where top and bottom is made from mosquito net. Just use a fan on
Reply
top and something to collect the drops at the bottom.

Jolene Hall on September 13, 2018 at 7:33 pm

How and what do you use to mix a sanitizer for microgreens, using hydrogen peroxide.I have
Reply
seen people use it but they do not tell you how to mix it .

Mia Lauenroth on September 18, 2018 at 4:07 pm

Jolene—
Reply

Just use food-grade peroxide and plain water.

Ray Houweling on January 9, 2019 at 9:32 pm

Thanks for this useful post!!! This guide will be really helpful for beginners who are planning to
Reply
grow microgreens and interested in the pros and cons of microgreen production.

AW on April 15, 2019 at 7:17 am

Kevin,
Reply
Thanks for the article. One lingering question I have is what to do with the soil? Can it be
composted and reused, or is it spent and I have to keep buying new soil (and dispose of the
old)?

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 Mia Godfrey on April 15, 2019 at 12:15 pm
Hi there—
Reply

You can reuse it if you properly compost or sterilize it before resuing. The
trouble is that if it doesn’t heat up enough, it could develop disease issues
eventually. Other types of media, like hydroton or something similar, can more
easily be sterilized and reused.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks
1. How to Grow Arugula Microgreens in 10 Days - Upstart University - […] Last time we talked, I gave an overview of why
microgreens are an attractive type of crop to test…
2. How to Grow Microgreens: The Beginner’s Guide | My Blog - […] https://university.upstartfarmers.com/blog/how-to-grow-
microgreens-beginners-guide […]
3. 6 Ways to Grow Better Microgreens - Upstart University - […] We recently published a quick growing guide on microgreens,
courtesy of microgreens grower Kevin Espiritu at Epic Gardening. (Check…
4. Microgreens – EdibleIdeas.us - […] How to Grow Microgreens: The Beginner’s Guide for the economics of microgreens from
Upstart University […]

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