Best Seeds for Microgreens

Microgreens sprouting with cotyledon's

Here is a list of microgreen seeds that you can grow indoors. The most common, widely available and easy to grow microgreen seeds are fenugreek, radish, broccoli, sunflower, mustard, kale and pea. All of these microgreens are ready for harvest in 7 to 15 days.

Kale microgreens are considered one of the most nutritious, and fenugreek microgreens are recommended for diabetics(1).

Microgreen	Family	Taste/Aroma/ Flavor/Intensity	Crop time
Radish	Brassicaceae	Sweet, Strong	10-15 Days
Cauliflower	Brassicaceae	Peppery	8-12 Days
Broccoli	Brassicaceae	Bitter, Crunchy, Mild	10-14 Days
Cabbage	Brassicaceae	Sweet, Crunchy, Mild	20-30 Days
Watercress	Brassicaceae	Bitter, Peppery, Strong	8-14 Days
Arugula or Rocket	Brassicaceae	Savory, Pungent, Nutty, Strong	10-12 Days
Garden Pea	Fabaceae	Crunchy, Sweet, Juicy	10 Days
Kale	Brassicaceae	Bitter, Crunchy, Mild	8-12 Days
Mustard	Brassicaceae	Spicy, Sweet, Mustardy	14 Days
Lettuce	Asteraceae	Sweet, Strong	8-20 Days
Endive	Asteraceae	Bitter, Mild	8-15 Days
Sunflower	Asteraceae	Sweet, Spicy, Nutty	10-14 Days
Chicory	Daisy	Bitter, Mild	7-20 Days
Radicchio	Daisy	Spicy	7-10 Days
Dill	Apiaceae	Aromatic, Hint of lemon and anise	16-30 Days
Carrot	Apiaceae	Carrot taste, mild	15-25 Days
Fennel	Apiaceae	Fennel flavor, Mild	20-30 Days
Celery	Apiaceae	Like celery	21-30 Days
Garlic chive	Amaryllidaceae	Like garlic	5-14 Days
Onion	Amaryllidaceae	Savory, Strong	12-21 Days
Leek	Amaryllidaceae	onion-like flavor with a tiny hint of cucumber, Mild	10-12 Days
Amaranth	Amaranthaceae	Sweet, Earthy, Mild	10 Days
Spinach	Amaranthaceae	Sweet, Mild	7–10 Days
Quinoa	Amaranthaceae	Bitter, Woody, Mild	10-14 Days
Swiss Chard	Amaranthaceae	Sweet, Earthy, Mild	8-12 Days
Beet	Amaranthaceae	Sweet, Earthy, Mild	15-30 Days
Chives	Amaryllidaceae	Spicy Sweet, Crunchy	14-21 Days
Melon	Cucurbitaceae	Sweet, Crunchy	14 Days
Squash	Cucurbitaceae	Nutty, Mild	14 Days
Cucumber	Cucurbitaceae	Sweet, Mild	7-12 Days
Dill	Umbellifers	Sweet, Grassy	15-30 Days
Coriander	Umbellifers	Sour, Citrusy	10-20 Days
Corn	Grasses	Sweet or Bitter	6-7 Days
Wheatgrass	Grasses	Sweet and Bitter, Grassy, Mild	7-10 Days
Fenugreek	Legumes	Spicy, Grassy, Mustardy	9-10 Days

Broccoli sprouts are one of the most nutrient-dense microgreens that you can grow. They contain glucoraphanin and sulforaphane which is known to prevent cancer.
You can grow Paris Cos which is a romaine lettuce. Another variety of Lettuce that you can grow indoors is the Bronze Mignonette which has beautiful purple tinge leaves. You can grow them near a sunny windowsill but they do even better under a grow light.
Carrot microgreens taste just like carrots.
Don’t mistake the tiny roots of microgreens for mold. Basil seeds develop a jelly-like coating that looks moldy. This is normal.
Corn microgreens are sweet if you grow them in the dark, and bitter if you grow them in light because of the photosynthesis that takes place in sprouting plants.
Kale is considered to be the most nutritious microgreens that you can grow and eat. Kale is high in vitamins A, C, K1 and B6, works wonders for your skin, and is high in antioxidants
When growing coriander microgreens, break the outer covering of the coriander with some pressure. Spread the seeds in any kind of soil.

Most Tasty Microgreens

Microgreens taste almost like the mature plant, often more potent. While most microgreens will have some level of bitterness, the least bitter and most flavorful microgreens are basil (sweet n sour aftertaste), beets, broccoli, arugula, dill, garlic chives, mustard (spicy), pea, and sunflower. On the contrary, the most bitter microgreens are bitter, cress, wheatgrass and kale (but very nutritious).

Non-edible Microgreens

The following list of microgreens should not be consumed as most of them contain toxic alkaloids such as solanine and tropanes which can cause digestive and nervous system related symptoms and make you sick.

Potatoes
Tomatoes
Eggplants
Peppers

Health Benefits of Microgreens

Eating vegetables is linked to lower risk of several diseases, thanks to its high amounts of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Most microgreens actually contain more nutrition than mature vegetable greens(1). Most varieties of microgreens are rich in potassium, iron, zinc, magnesium, copper (2, 3) and antioxidants (1).

According to a 2014 study by USDA,

“Among the 25 microgreens tested, red cabbage, cilantro, garnet amaranth, and green daikon radish had the highest concentrations of vitamin C, carotenoids, vitamin K, and vitamin E, respectively. In general, microgreens contained considerably higher levels of vitamins and carotenoids—about five times greater—than their mature plant counterparts.”

As microgreens contain polyphenols and antioxidants, microgreens can reduce the risk of following diseases: