Grow These 5 Nutrient-Dense Microgreens on Your Windowsill to Boost Your Health – They'll be Ready to Harvest in a Week
These tasty mini-me veggies contain up to 40 times the concentration of vitamins and antioxidants as regular greens: support your immune system, calm inflammation and improve your health the natural way.
Struggling to eat your five a day, feeling sluggish or can’t shake off a cold? Grow microgreens on your windowsill and you can start to set that right in less than a week. Microgreens are simply seeds of regular greens selected for their fast-growing habit, with many germinating and growing to a harvestable height in 6 or 7 days. They're a cost-effective and natural health supplement, and super-easy to grow.
Nutrients are far more densely packed in these mini-me veggies than in their fully-grown counterparts, with some microgreens containing up to 40 times the concentration of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. And, because they’re eaten raw, none of those nutrients are lost in the cooking process. That means you can get a decent health-boosting hit with just a sprinkling in a sandwich or salad, or as a garnish on a bowl of soup or alongside a steak. Throw a handful into a smoothie to get a daily dose of goodness to improve health, too. Vitamins and antioxidants are key to help support your immune system and boost overall health, as well as reduce inflammation, so this is such an easy win.
There’s no difference in the genetic make-up of seeds for microgreen or regular vegetable cultivation, but it’s vital to choose seeds sold specifically for this small-scale growing method. Varieties chosen to grow microgreens are quick to germinate and nutrient-rich, and – vitally – the seed hasn’t been treated with pesticides or fungicides.
All these microgreens are dense enough in nutrients to warrant being labelled a superfood, and all are ridiculously easy to grow. Just give them a spot on your sunniest windowsill, water evenly, and watch the magic happen.
1. Broccoli to Detoxify and Boost Immunity
Microgreens in the brassica family are particularly nutritious, and broccoli is rich in sulforaphane, known to neutralize toxins in your body. Some studies also suggest it can slow tumor growth, though further research is needed. It’s also a concentrated source of vitamin C, which is critical for immune system support.
With a mild, sweeter taste than mature broccoli, this mighty microgreen grows fast and is ready to harvest in 6–12 days. It’s a little sensitive to mold but avoid overhead watering and don’t sow too thickly (a teaspoon of seed in an 8oz container is about right) and it’ll be fine.
Heirloom variety Brassica oleracea, available from Amazon, is a great place to start your microgreen journey. Once you’re hooked, it’s more cost-effective to buy in bulk, like this 1lb bag from Heirloom Seed Rainbow Co via Amazon.
QUICK TIP: Many microgreens grow fuzzy white air roots – don't mistake these for mold!
2. Radish for Mental Wellness & Better Sleep
Radishes are a potent source of magnesium which, as we all know, helps regulate the stress hormone, cortisol, and is an essential component in producing melatonin, which affects sleep quality. It’s also involved in nerve health, and a deficiency can cause fatigue. Add all those elements together, and magnesium is a key factor for mental wellness and is often referred to as a natural mood stabilizer.
Good news, then, that microgreen radishes have 4–6 times the concentration of magnesium. Seed germinates quickly, even, in lower temperatures, and is ready to harvest in 7–10 days. It has a spicy, peppery kick and choose Radish Sango, available from Eden Brothers, and you’ll enjoy vibrant pink stems and purple leaves, too. If you’re buying in bulk, this 1lb bag of Red Arrow, Purple Triton and White Daikon varieties from Amazon is a pretty mix of white- and pink-stemmed green-leaved radish microgreens.
3. Arugula the Powerful 21st-Century Antidote
How does arugula help us cope with modern living? It’s not simply because a sprinkling of these intensely flavored, peppery microgreens taste heavenly on top of avocado on sourdough toast! Also known as rocket, Eruca sativa has a high level of lutein which helps our eyes filter blue light and reduces glare sensitivity. It’s rich in vitamin A, C and K as well as calcium, magnesium and potassium. And it’s been the subject of many medical investigations, including studies to measure its anti-cancer and anti-diabetic activities. Indeed, records show it has been cultivated for centuries and was once considered a medicinal plant, its seeds used by the Romans as an aphrodisiac.
That you can access all these health benefits with just 7–12 days of windowsill sunshine makes arugula a must-grow. Its stems are super-short so it’s common practice, once you’ve lightly sprinkled the seeds on the compost, to wrap the tub in tin foil to exclude light for three days, then remove the cover and place in strong sunshine. This encourages long stems, and don’t worry, the yellow light-deprived leaves will green up in just a few days. The seeds are tiny so you get plenty in a regular packet, available from Amazon, or bulk-buy with a 1lb bag, also from Amazon.
All You Need to Get Started
Because microgreens grow so fast, it’s best to succession-sow multiple small cartons rather than one big tub, else you’ll have a ton ready to harvest at the same time, and they’re best eaten fresh. These 8oz lidded containers are just the right size for a one-person crop.
It’s vital you don’t use soil or compost that may contain animal manure – and that includes worm casts – so you don’t grow pathogens alongside your microgreens. Coco coir is naturally resistant to fungus and two 30mm pucks fill an 8oz container perfectly.
It’s vital to keep your seed-scattered compost evenly moist by misting it two or three times a day, and this glass mister is handsome enough to grace any windowsill. Once the seeds germinate, switch to bottom-watering to cut down the risk of mold forming.
4. Red Cabbage to Calm Inflammation & Protect Eyesight
Containing around 250 times more beta-carotene per ounce than its fully-grown counterpart, this pretty pink-stemmed microgreen is a real hard-worker for your health. That beta-carotene converts to vitamin A essential for eye health, slows skin aging, is an antioxidant so supports your immune system, and it has an anti-inflammatory effect to boot. So yes, this little microgreen does have a bit of a cabbagy taste, but we’re happy to overlook that in return for all those benefits!
As well as flavour, red cabbage retains a crunch, making this a lovely microgreen to add to salads and coleslaw. It germinates readily and takes 7–10 days to reach a harvestable size. Seeds are less readily available but it’s well-worth hunting out, and a 14g packet of seed is available from Amazon.
QUICK TIP: Reuse an empty herb shaker bottle to sprinkle the seed over the potting mix – it makes it easier to get even coverage.
5. Kale for Essential Blood-Clotting Elements
Another member of the brassica family, kale boasts sulforaphane too, and is packed full of vitamins A, C, plus potassium, iron and calcium. There’s plenty of fiber here, too. But the number one reason why you should grow kale microgreens is for its vitamin K, which your body uses to produce the proteins essential for clotting blood.
Kale can be a little more erratic in its germination, but most will have sprouted after three days. Don't worry about any uneven growth though: because kale's first true leaves are edible and super-tasty, it doesn’t matter if some stems are ahead of the rest.
Red Kale (Brassica napus var. Pabularia ‘Red Russian’) seeds, available from Amazon, have pretty pink stems – the more light the seedlings get, the pinker they’ll be. Buying in bulk? This 1lb heirloom seed mix, also from Amazon, has Premier and Vates Blue Curled Scotch as well as Red Russian kale varieties.
If You Get Hooked on This Health Fix
Your microgreens need warmth to germinate and windowsills can be cold, draughty spots. If the room temperature is likely to drop below 60°F (and that means during the night, too), then a seed heat mat will speed the process by keeping seeds at an optimal 68–86°F.
Your kitchen scissors will do a perfectly good job of cutting your greens when it’s time to harvest, but a pair of bonsai scissors makes the process even more satisfying. The titanium-coated blades stay razor-sharp for years of happy snipping.
Addicted to microgreens and running out of windowsill space? Use a grow light and you can raise them anywhere. This full spectrum, dimmable, plug-in light sticks on a wall cabinet base to turn a countertop into a growing space and costs less than $1 a month to run.
