Avatar photo

By Citizen Reporter

Journalist


Four reasons microgreens are an all-rounder and great for winter

Don't remove them from your plate as microgreens offer plenty of nutrition.


Microgreens aren’t only there for decoration on your plate, or to create an Instagram-worthy food picture, they also offer tons of nutrition. 

The plants are actually easy to grow at home and a great way to add greens to your daily diet.

Four reasons to grow microgreens at home

Nutrient dense

Microgreens are the densely grown seedlings of vegetables such as radish, beetroot and broccoli. They also include greens such as pak choi, mustard seeds and cress or herbs such as basil, coriander and many more, Feelgood Health said in a statement. Typically harvested within 14 days, microgreens feature the first ‘seed leaves’ to emerge, and sometimes also the earliest true leaves of the plant.  

Studies have shown microgreens contain a higher concentration of nutrients compared to full-grown plants. They are good sources of vitamin A, B, C, D and E including many other things such as iron and calcium. One of the main advantages of growing the plant is the short growth period and no need for a garden space. 

Tastes as good as it looks

Not only does the plant have many nutritional benefits, it has an equally great texture from its crunchiness, and earthiness from the tiny broccoli leaves to the rich colour of beetroot seedlings. The taste of microgreens can also be tangy (cress) and spicy (radish). 

Microgreens. Picture: iStock

They’re not just for decoration either. You can include them in salads, poke bowls and smoothies or add them to your winter meals which can be on the heavier side. 

All year round green

Microgreens can be cultivated all year round. In fact, all you need is a little light by a bright windowsill and they will grow inside.

You can grow microgreens for a week to 10 days. 

Cost-effective 

You don’t have to tend to microgreens for months compared to other plants. My Growing Health, from Feelgood Health, have a range that could help you get started. It includes different varieties of popular microgreens, compostable containers, bamboo rakes and good quality soil. All you do is put most of the soil into the container and rake it over to level the soil.

Growing them at home is cost-effective as they would last longer than store-bought packages which are much smaller in size too.

The grow kits include broccoli, watercress, Chinese cabbage, Japanese radish and beetroot microgreens. 

Read more on these topics

gardening Health plants