12 Easy Choices: Best Microgreens for the Beginning Grower

Top Picks for Getting Started

Microgreens are a super-quick crop that can be grown year-round. They are also relatively easy to grow, but they are not entirely foolproof. For beginners, some are more dependable than others.

Out of the dozens of different microgreen selections we offer, we chose these 3 easy crop types, 4 easy mixes, and 5 easy varieties as our top 12 recommendations for those new to microgreens. All of them germinate and grow quickly for reliable performance every time.

Whether you're looking to add diversity and profitability to your operation or simply to give them a try, here are the best 12 microgreen choices for getting off to a successful start.

Microgreen Types

3 EASY MICROGREEN CROPS

Red Rambo radish microgreen
EASY RADISH MICROGREEN:
'RED RAMBO'
KEY ATTRIBUTES
  • Very fast growing
  • Spicy
  • Colorful
  • Bulky
Wasabina mustard microgreen
KEY ATTRIBUTES
  • Choose from spicy or mild
  • Interesting leaf shapes
  • Colorful
Red Russian kale microgreen
KEY ATTRIBUTES
  • Mild flavor
  • Colorful

4 EASY MICROGREEN MIXES

If you're ready to get started but prefer to keep things simple, premixed microgreens blends are a good way to go.

Micro mix can consist of many different kinds of vegetables—amaranth, arugula, beets, broccoli, cabbage, kale, mizuna, mustards, pac choi, radishes, to list a few—as well as tender herbs such as basil, fennel, and cutting celery.

We put careful selection and trialing into the development of our premixed blends so they reliably provide the advantages of uniform, compatible growth rates, a range of textures and colors, and well-balanced flavors.

Confetti Radish Micro Mix
A new formulation of easy, fast, and colorful radishes for microgreens.
Kalefetti Micro Mix
A new blend of kales with contrasting leaf shapes and colors.
Mild Micro Mix
A perennially popular mix combining sweet, mild-tasting brassicas.
Spicy Micro Mix
A colorful complement of sharper-tasting microgreen varieties.

We provide both conventional and certified-organic seed options for three of these four micro mixes.

You can offer one or more of these mixes individually or, alternatively, combine one or more post harvest—the mild product with the spicy one, for example.

5 EASY MICROGREEN VARIETIES

If you're feeling adventuresome, you could start off by growing one or more of the following 5 easy varieties.

Tokyo Bekana microgreen
Bulky, blonde leaves create great contrast in a mix or as a stand-alone product. Grows quickly and vigorously with a mild flavor and buttery texture.
Arugula microgreen
Classic peppery, nutty, arugula flavor in half the time of field-grown greens. Green leaves and purple stems.
Broccoli microgreen
Green leaves and long, green stems with a mild brassica flavor. An easy way to bulk up a mix.
Cressida Cress Microgreens
Spicy pepper flavor. Fancy three-lobed leaves. Excellent fast-growing selection for growers of all abilities.
Mizuna microgreen
Bright green leaves with a contrasting white stem. Fast-growing, serrated leaves. Mild flavor.

We've selected these varieties because, in our experience, they all reliably produce dense, uniform stands that are easy to harvest. Together, they also offer a pleasing diversity of flavors, from mild to spicy, and an attractive range of colors, shapes, and textures.

Learn More

Video on Microgreens Production & ROI
VIDEO: Microgreens Production
A review of basic production techniques and how to calculate ROI, with Thomas Macy, Johnny's Sales Representative & Sustainable Agriculture graduate, University of Maine

This article covers just one easy dozen out of many more microgreens that can be grown year-round. Once your program is up and running and you've mastered these easy varieties, you may want to step it up a level. The next step on your learning curve could be our 'Rainbow Sprinkles' Beets & Chard Mix. Or, if you feel ready, start diversifying; we encourage you to experiment and, over time, develop your own signature mix.

Additional microgreen learning resources