What Are Microgreens?

Microgreens are tiny vegetables that are harvested at the most nutritious stage of a plant's life cycle.

Grown indoors on a windowsill or counter, microgreens are up to 40 times more nutritious than mature vegetables, and twice that of sprouts. With hundreds of important phytochemicals and micronutrients in each one, it means that you need to eat a much smaller portion of microgreens than you would mature vegetables to get the necessary nutrients in your diet each day.

For those that do not like the texture or taste of vegetables, microgreens are also the perfect answer- they taste much sweeter than full-grown vegetables and are small and easy to ‘hide’ in a meal.

Sprouts vs Microgreens

Both sprouts and microgreens are baby plants. However, they differ in the way they are grown, the way they taste, their nutritional content- and in safety. Sprouts are the first stage of a plant's life cycle, the ‘infants’ of the plant world. They have just barely germinated and are grown in a warm, humid environment for 3-5 days. The entire sprout is eaten, from seed to stem. They’re typically pale in color because they have not yet begun making nutrients through photosynthesis.

Sprouts also have a deadly side to them and unless kept scrupulously clean, and rinsed thoroughly 3-4 times a day, can become a health hazard. They are not recommended for pregnant women or young children.

sprouts grown in a jar

Microgreens are the 2nd stage in the plant's life cycle

This is the ‘toddler’ stage of a veggie plant- one of rapid growth and activity. Typically at about 10-14 days old, the plant has more key nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants per ounce than at any other stage of plant growth. At this point, the cotyledons (the seed leaves) are open and help the baby plant become a photosynthetic organism. The process of photosynthesis begins to rapidly increase the nutrients in the tiny plant. When we harvest at this stage, not only do we have the nutrients from the seed and cotyledon, we consume all the nutrients that it is packing on before it begins its growth spurt into a full-sized plant.

Microgreens are grown in soil in the open, with good airflow

Microgreens are usually 3-5 inches long and can be grown in soil or a growing medium such as coconut coir. Harvesting is as simple as cutting them just above the soil level with a pair of scissors.

An important difference between sprouts and microgreens- or why you should be growing microgreens instead of sprouts.

The warm, humid, and low-ventilation conditions used for sprouts are also ideal for the growth of bacteria, including Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli. Sprouts continue to be a major offender in Salmonella outbreaks and are not recommended for those with health risks. Any bacteria present can multiply dramatically during the sprouting process because of the warm, humid growing conditions.

Microgreens, however, are grown with good airflow, no excess humidity, and light- exactly the way nature intended seeds to grow. They are planted in an organic, clean substrate that is prepared especially for microgreens. Each of these conditions provides a safe, healthy, and nutritious way to grow fresh vegetables indoors. The risk of contamination is dramatically lower than sprouts, as well as store-bought greens such as spinach. Microgreens are a healthy, safe choice.