Microgreens Growing Schedule: A 14 Day Beginner Guide

Microgreens Growing Schedule: My First Tray, Day by Day

My first tray of broccoli microgreens turned into a gray slimy mat by day four. I had watered from the top, sealed the humidity dome and walked away for two days straight the exact three things a working microgreens growing schedule tells you not to do.

If you're holding a bag of seed and a $10 tray trying to figure out whether day 3 or day 9 is when something is supposed to happen, the calendar you need is shorter and more exact than most growing guides for beginners make it sound. 

A first tray doesn't need forty varieties or a spreadsheet it needs a clear map from seed to scissors.

Here's exactly what that 7 to 14 day window looks like, broken down by variety.

A microgreens growing schedule runs in three blocks: 2 to 4 days of dark germination, 1 to 4 days blacked out under weight and 4 to 10 more days under light before harvest. 

Fast crops like radish finish around day 7. Slower ones like sunflower and pea shoots stretch to day 12 through 14. 

That's the honest answer to how long do microgreens take to grow: it depends almost entirely on what you planted.

Below is the day by day breakdown I use now plus the mistake that cost me that first tray and the harvest window that only lasts a day or two once your greens hit their peak.

Why Most Beginners Get Their First Tray Wrong Before They Start

Most people assume microgreens grow on one universal timeline. Plant on day zero, harvest on day ten. Doneand It's a fair guess. Seed packets and grow kits often print a single number like "10 days" right on the label.

The truth is messier according to Penn State Extension, harvest windows for microgreens span from about a week up to three weeks after germination depending on the crop. Brassicas like broccoli and radish finish fast. 

Herbs like cilantro and basil can take three weeks. Treating every seed on the same clock is the single biggest reason first trays get pulled too early or left to rot.

Sunflower and pea seeds also need something radish and broccoli don't: an 8 to 12 hour soak before they ever touch soil. Skip that step and germination stretches out unevenly which throws off every stage that follows. 

This is also where microgreens part ways from sprouts. Microgreens keep their roots in the growing medium and are cut above the soil line while sprouts are eaten whole, root and all.

The Real Microgreens Growing Schedule: A Day by Day Breakdown

Here's the schedule broken into the three blocks that actually matter for growing microgreens for beginners: germination, blackout and light. 

Day 0 is the seeding day not day 1.

Germination (Days 0 to 3): Seeds go into damp soil, covered in full dark. No light yet this is where soaking pays off. Sunflower and pea seeds that skipped their soak often germinate a full day or two behind seeds that got one.

Blackout (Days 1 to 4): Once roots take hold, stack a second tray or a weighted cover on top for a few days. This forces the stem to push upward searching for light which builds a straighter, sturdier shoot. 

Radish barely needs this stage. Sunflower and pea shoots need it most, since they tend to sprawl sideways without the extra push.

💡 Pro Tip: Weight the cover with a second tray plus something heavy on top not just the lid alone. Too little weight is the most common reason stems come out thin and leggy.

Light (Day 3 or 4 through harvest): Move the tray to a sunny windowsill or under a grow light for 12 to 16 hours a day. Color shows up fast here. Cotyledons turn from pale yellow to full green within about a day of first light.

Table 1: Presoak and blackout timing by variety

Variety	Presoak	Blackout Period	First Light
Radish	None	Days 1-2	Day 2-3
Broccoli	None	Days 1-3	Day 3-4
Sunflower	8-12 hrs	Days 2-4	Day 4-5
Pea shoots	8-12 hrs	Days 2-4	Day 4-5

Table 2: Microgreens days to harvest by variety

Variety	Total Days to Harvest	Height at Harvest	Notes
Radish	6-8 days	1.5-2 in	Fastest first tray pick
Broccoli	8-10 days	1.5-2 in	Most forgiving for beginners
Sunflower	9-12 days	3-4 in	Rub off loose hulls after light exposure
Pea shoots	10-14 days	3-5 in	Only variety that can regrow for a second cut

The short growing window is part of why microgreens carry so much nutrition per bite. 

A USDA Agricultural Research Service study of 25 microgreen varieties found that red cabbage, cilantro and garnet amaranth microgreens hold several times the vitamin concentration of their mature, full grown versions.

Charlotte grower Kate Brun started with a single tray of mixed microgreens in her backyard greenhouse and sold that first harvest to a single downtown restaurant. 

Her farm, Lucky Leaf Gardens, now supplies dozens of restaurants across the region, built on the same seed to scissors timing outlined above.

The Timing Mistake Nobody Tells First Time Growers About

Here's what nobody puts on the seed packet: you get one shot. Unlike lettuce in a garden bed, most microgreens don't grow back after you cut them.

"Microgreens are not cut and come again; you usually cut just once" said Pamela Hargest, horticulture educator with University of Maine Cooperative Extension in a 2020 Portland Press Herald interview. 

Pea shoots are the one common exception they can push a second, smaller cutting from the same root if you leave the bottom leaf node intact.

📝 Note: Skip tomato, pepper, eggplant and potato seeds entirely. Their seedlings carry alkaloids that are toxic at the microgreen stage even though the mature fruit is fine to eat.

That one shot rule means the harvest window matters more than the growing window. 

Wait two extra days past peak and the cotyledons toughen, the flavor flattens and emerging true leaves start pulling nutrients away from the part you're about to eat. 

Cut too early and you lose both yield and flavor the window where texture and taste peak together often lasts only a day or two.

What You Should Do Differently

Pick one variety for your first tray not a five seed blend. Know your exact harvest day before you plant not a rough range so you're watching the tray instead of guessing at it.

Water from the bottom. Set the tray in an inch of water for 10 minutes then drain it instead of misting from above. Top watering is what turned my first tray into that gray mat.

Log the seeding date somewhere you'll actually see it. A sticky note on the tray edge works fine. 

Once you've mapped your own microgreens growing schedule against a seed company's variety chart for a few different crops you'll trust your own timeline more than any chart including this one.

Key Takeaways

• A microgreens growing schedule runs in three blocks (germination, blackout and light) not one flat countdown to harvest.
• Fast varieties like radish finish around day 6 to 8. Broccoli lands around day 8 to 10. Sunflower and pea shoots run 9 to 14 days.
• Sunflower and pea seeds need an 8 to 12 hour soak before planting. Radish and broccoli don't.
• Most microgreens can only be cut once. Pea shoots are the main exception.
• The peak harvest window often lasts a day or two so knowing your variety's exact number matters more than a general range.

Your first microgreens growing schedule will teach you more than any chart,including this one. 

Write down your actual harvest day, compare it against the ranges above and by your second or third tray you'll be adjusting the timeline to your own kitchen instead of someone else's.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do microgreens take to grow?

Most microgreens are ready 7 to 14 days after seeding though the full range runs 7 to 21 days depending on species. Radish and other brassicas finish fastest while herbs like cilantro and basil take closer to three weeks.

What are the most common mistakes people make growing microgreens?

Overwatering from the top and leaving the humidity dome on too long are the top two causes of mold. Overseeding a tray also traps moisture around the stems and causes the same problem even with good watering habits.

What is the most profitable microgreen to grow?

Sunflower, pea shoots and radish tend to bring the highest returns for small growers with premium varieties fetching up to $50 per pound at retail. Sunflower's high yield per tray and short growing window make it a common top pick among small operations.

What is the healthiest microgreen to grow?

Red cabbage microgreens carry the highest vitamin C levels among common varieties according to USDA research while cilantro and garnet amaranth lead in carotenoids and vitamin K. Nearly every variety tested carries several times the nutrient concentration of its mature counterpart.

Do microgreens regrow after cutting?

Most varieties don't regrow once cut since the cut removes the growing point along with the leaves. Pea shoots are the exception often producing a second, smaller harvest 7 to 10 days later if cut above the bottom leaf node.