Most gardening advice assumes you have dirt, daylight, and patience. Microgreens require none of those things. They grow in a tray on your kitchen counter, they don't need direct sunlight, and they go from seed to harvest in as little as seven days. No experience required. No outdoor space. No waiting until spring.
We compared five of the most popular microgreens growing kits sold on Amazon, focusing specifically on what matters to apartment growers: mess, setup complexity, yield, and how foolproof the process actually is. This guide covers everything from which kit to start with to what to do with your first harvest.
What Are Microgreens? (They're Not Sprouts)
Microgreens are young vegetable and herb seedlings harvested just after the first true leaves appear — typically between 7 and 21 days after germination. They're often confused with sprouts, but they're different in a few important ways.
Sprouts are grown entirely in water, with no growing medium, and you eat the whole thing — root, stem, and seed. Microgreens are grown in a soil or fiber medium, and you harvest just the stem and leaves above the surface with a pair of scissors. Because they complete more of their growth cycle, microgreens pack a more concentrated nutritional punch.
Research from the USDA has found that many microgreens contain 4–40 times the nutrients of their full-grown counterparts — particularly vitamins C, E, and K, and various antioxidants. That's a meaningful nutritional boost from something you grow in a tray the size of a sheet of paper.
Why Microgreens Are Perfect for Apartments
The average apartment doesn't have garden beds, reliable outdoor sunlight, or much counter space to spare. Microgreens were practically designed for this situation.
- Tiny footprint: A standard 10×20 inch tray — the industry standard — fits comfortably on a kitchen windowsill, a shelf, or the top of a refrigerator.
- No outdoor access needed: A bright window works fine for most varieties. A small grow light (around $30–$50) handles any setup with limited natural light.
- Fast turnover: Unlike houseplants that sit for months, microgreens are a continuous, productive crop. Harvest one tray, start another the same day.
- No mess (with the right kit): Kits with pre-seeded pads or included growing media mean you're not hauling bags of soil into your apartment.
- Low water use: Bottom-watering keeps the surface dry and prevents mold — and uses far less water than any other food crop.
The one caveat: microgreens do best with consistent indirect light or a grow light. A north-facing apartment with no windows will need a supplemental light. Our grow light guide covers the best budget options.
What to Look for in a Microgreens Kit
Not all kits are equal. Here's what separates a kit that actually works from one that collects dust after the first failed tray.
- Tray size and material: Standard 10×20 inch trays hold enough volume for a meaningful harvest. Thinner plastic trays warp; look for BPA-free food-grade plastic or reusable inserts.
- Growing medium included: The best beginner kits include everything — soil, coco coir, or fiber pads. Buying growing medium separately adds complexity and cost.
- Seed quality: Organic, untreated seeds germinate more reliably and are safer to eat raw. Many kits skimp here — check the label.
- Mess factor: Soil-based kits can be messy in a small apartment kitchen. Pre-seeded fiber pad kits (like Hamama) are virtually mess-free.
- Instructions clarity: If the included instructions are vague, you're going to have a bad first experience. Beginner-friendly kits include step-by-step guides, not just a seed packet and a tray.
- Yield per tray: A single 10×20 tray typically yields 4–8 oz of microgreens at harvest — enough to top a week's worth of lunches.
At a Glance: Kit Comparison
| Kit | Score | Price | Setup Difficulty | Days to Harvest | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamama Microgreens Kit TOP PICK | 9.2/10 | ~$50 | Very Easy | 7–10 days | Beginners, zero-mess setup |
| Bootstrap Farmer 1020 Tray Kit | 8.6/10 | ~$35 | Moderate | 8–14 days | Serious growers, scaling up |
| True Leaf Market Beginner Kit | 8.1/10 | ~$30 | Easy | 7–12 days | Variety seekers, value buyers |
| Hamama Sunflower Shoots Kit | 8.4/10 | ~$45 | Very Easy | 8–12 days | Sunflower shoots, big yields |
| iPower Microgreens Growing Kit | 7.5/10 | ~$25 | Easy | 7–14 days | Budget buyers, experimenters |
Full Kit Reviews
The Hamama kit is the reason beginners succeed on their first try. Instead of spreading loose soil and individual seeds — a genuinely messy process in a small kitchen — Hamama uses pre-seeded quilt pads that drop straight into the tray. Add water to the base, set the pad on top, and you're done. There's nothing to measure, nothing to spill, and no soil to track across your floor.
The grow tray itself is a smart two-piece design: a solid base holds water, and a slotted insert sits above it so roots can drink from the bottom while the surface stays dry. That bottom-watering approach prevents mold — one of the most common beginner problems — almost entirely. We saw our first visible sprouts within 48 hours and were harvesting dense, flavorful greens by day 8.
Hamama offers a subscription that ships new seed pads automatically, which is great if you want to keep growing without thinking about it. Individual pad variety packs (radish, sunflower, pea shoots, broccoli) let you try different flavors. The one real downside is cost — seed pads are more expensive per harvest than buying bulk seeds — but for a beginner who wants a guaranteed win, the premium is worth it.
Pros
- Zero mess — pre-seeded pads drop right in
- Bottom-watering design prevents mold
- Consistent 7–10 day harvests
- Subscription option for ongoing growing
- Works without soil — perfect for apartments
Cons
- Seed pads cost more than bulk seeds
- Limited to Hamama pad varieties
- Smaller yield than full 10×20 trays
Bootstrap Farmer makes equipment that commercial microgreens growers actually use, and this kit brings that professional quality to the home setup. The 1020 trays (10×20 inches) are built from heavy-gauge plastic that won't warp, crack, or bow under a full load of moist growing medium — a real issue with cheaper trays that become difficult to handle as the crop matures.
The kit includes bulk seeds, a coco coir growing medium, and detailed instructions covering germination, blackout phase, and harvest. The seeds included cover popular varieties like sunflower and pea shoots, giving you immediate flexibility. Setup takes more hands-on effort than the Hamama — you're mixing, measuring, and spreading growing medium — but the process becomes second nature after one or two trays.
Where Bootstrap Farmer really shines is scalability. Once you're comfortable with the process, you can order more trays (they're sold individually and in packs), buy bulk seeds, and run multiple crops on rotation. If you see yourself growing more than a few trays a month, this is the better long-term investment. For someone who just wants to try microgreens once, it's more involved than it needs to be.
Pros
- Professional-grade, durable trays
- Easy to scale — buy extra trays cheaply
- Bulk seeds included for a lower cost-per-harvest
- Works with any seed variety you choose
- Excellent instructions for beginners
Cons
- More setup work than pad-based kits
- Requires managing growing medium (coco coir)
- Not as beginner-friendly for first tray
True Leaf Market has been selling seeds since 1974, and their beginner microgreens kit reflects that depth of knowledge. The kit includes shallow growing trays, a selection of seed varieties, and a well-written instruction booklet that explains not just the how but the why behind each step — something that makes troubleshooting much easier when things don't go perfectly.
The seed selection is a genuine strength. Where most kits give you one or two varieties, the True Leaf Market kit typically includes four to six — often a mix of radish, broccoli, pea shoots, and a mild salad blend — letting you discover which flavors you actually enjoy before committing to bulk orders. The trays are simple shallow designs without the two-tier bottom-watering system of the Hamama, so you'll need to be a little more careful about overwatering, but the instructions walk you through exactly how often to mist.
At $30, this is the best value kit for someone who wants a real seed variety experience without building their own setup from scratch. True Leaf Market also sells bulk seeds at very competitive prices, so once you've found a favorite variety, restocking is easy and affordable.
Pros
- Best seed variety selection of any beginner kit
- Outstanding written instructions
- Excellent price point for a complete kit
- Brand has decades of seed expertise
- Easy to reorder bulk seeds at low cost
Cons
- No bottom-watering system — requires careful misting
- Trays less durable than Bootstrap Farmer
- No subscription option for auto-refills
Sunflower shoots are one of the most popular and profitable microgreens at farmers markets — thick, crunchy, nutty, and visually impressive. This Hamama variant applies the same pad-based, zero-mess system to sunflower seeds specifically, and the results are noticeably more dramatic than smaller microgreens varieties. Sunflower shoots grow tall, dense, and visually striking.
The key challenge with sunflower microgreens is that the seeds are large and heavy, requiring more weight during the germination phase (blackout period) to push through the seed hulls. The Hamama system handles this with a weighted blackout dome that keeps the seeds pressed against the growing pad. We saw about 85% germination rate, which is solid for sunflowers.
Yields per tray are impressive — sunflower shoots are thick enough that a single tray provides a generous amount for salads, grain bowls, or sandwich toppings for a week. The flavor is mild and slightly nutty, making them universally appealing even for people who find other microgreens too strong. At $45, it's priced specifically for a sunflower-focused setup rather than variety exploration.
Pros
- Same zero-mess pad system as base Hamama kit
- Impressive yields — sunflower shoots are bulky
- Mild, crowd-pleasing flavor
- Great for people who want one specialty crop
- Weighted dome assists with hull shedding
Cons
- Specialized — only sunflower variety
- Slightly longer harvest window (8–12 days)
- Seed pads are the ongoing cost
The iPower kit is exactly what it claims to be: a basic, affordable entry point to microgreens growing. The 10-tray system gives you more growing capacity out of the box than any other kit on this list — great if you want to experiment with several varieties simultaneously or share trays with a roommate or partner. At $25, it's the lowest barrier to entry you'll find for a complete setup.
The trays are functional but basic. They're thinner than professional-grade options and can bow slightly when fully loaded with wet growing medium. The kit doesn't include seeds or growing medium (check listings carefully — this varies), so you'll need to purchase those separately. We recommend buying a small bag of organic potting mix or coco coir, and picking up a seed variety sampler from True Leaf Market to pair with these trays.
Where the iPower kit earns its place: if you're experimenting, want to run multiple varieties side by side, or aren't sure yet whether microgreens will become a habit, spending $25 instead of $50 is the right call. Once you've confirmed this is something you want to keep doing, you can upgrade the trays while keeping the setup knowledge you've built.
Pros
- Lowest price on this list — great for experimenting
- 10-tray system gives maximum growing flexibility
- Works with any seed and growing medium
- Good if you want to run many varieties at once
Cons
- Seeds and growing medium may not be included
- Thinner trays — less durable long-term
- Less hand-holding for true beginners
- No bottom-watering design
Getting Started: Step-by-Step
No matter which kit you choose, the process follows the same basic sequence. Here's exactly what to do from day one.
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1Soak your seeds (large seeds only) Sunflower, pea shoot, and wheatgrass seeds benefit from a 4–8 hour soak in room-temperature water before planting. This breaks dormancy and accelerates germination. Small seeds like radish, broccoli, and mustard don't need soaking — plant them dry.
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2Prepare your tray and growing medium If using a pad-based kit (Hamama), drop the pad into the tray and add water to the base — that's it. For soil or coco coir kits, fill the growing tray to about 1–1.5 inches deep, press lightly to level, and water gently. Don't saturate — moist, not soggy.
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3Spread seeds evenly Scatter seeds densely across the surface — microgreens are grown at much higher density than garden plants. Aim for even coverage without significant piling. Gently press seeds into contact with the growing medium using your palm or an empty tray.
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4Blackout phase: days 1–3 Cover the seeded tray with an empty inverted tray or a blackout dome. This simulates being underground, encourages the seeds to push upward strongly, and builds root depth. Keep in a warm spot (65–75°F is ideal). Check daily and mist lightly if the surface looks dry.
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5Uncover and introduce light: days 3–7+ Once sprouts are 1–2 inches tall and pushing against the cover, move them to a bright windowsill or under a grow light. At this point, water by bottom-watering if possible: pour water into the base tray and let roots absorb it from below. This keeps the surface dry and dramatically reduces mold risk.
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6Harvest with scissors When microgreens reach 1.5–3 inches tall and the first true leaves have appeared (the second set, not the seed leaves), they're ready. Use clean scissors or a sharp knife, cut just above the soil surface, and rinse your harvest. Eat fresh — they're best within a few days.
Most Popular Microgreen Varieties
Different seeds produce dramatically different flavors. Here are the five most popular varieties for home growers, with honest flavor notes.
For absolute beginners, radish is the safest starting point — it germinates within 24 hours, grows fast, and is very forgiving with watering. Once you've had one successful harvest, move to sunflower or pea shoots for larger, more impressive yields.
What to Do With Your Harvest
Microgreens are most often used as a fresh finishing element rather than a cooked ingredient — heat diminishes both their nutrients and their texture. Here's how apartment cooks actually use them.
Store unwashed microgreens loosely in an open container or bag in the refrigerator. They keep for 5–7 days, though they're best within the first three days of harvest. Don't seal them airtight — they need a little airflow to stay fresh.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not necessarily. A bright south- or east-facing window with 4–6 hours of indirect sunlight daily is sufficient for most microgreens varieties. However, if your apartment gets limited natural light — north-facing windows, heavy shade from neighboring buildings — a small LED grow light makes a meaningful difference. Microgreens grown in low light become "leggy" (tall and weak) and are harder to harvest. Our grow light guide covers the best budget options under $40.
Yes — plastic trays can be cleaned and reused many times. Rinse with warm water and a drop of dish soap, let dry fully, and they're ready for the next round. The exception is pad-based systems like Hamama, where the seed pad is single-use and you'll need a replacement pad for each new crop. Coco coir and soil-based growing media are generally single-use for microgreens — they become too compacted and root-dense after one crop. Compost them and start fresh.
Harvested and unwashed microgreens keep for 5–7 days in the refrigerator. Store them loosely in a container lined with a dry paper towel — the paper towel absorbs any excess moisture that would cause wilting. Don't wash them until you're ready to eat; moisture shortens their shelf life significantly. Some people prefer to harvest just before eating rather than storing, since the trays continue growing in the fridge for a few extra days if left unharvested.
Research suggests yes, in most cases. A USDA-funded study found that many microgreens contained 4–40 times more vitamins and antioxidants by weight compared to their mature counterparts. The concentration is highest when the plant is in its active seedling stage — it's essentially front-loading nutrients before the energy gets distributed across a much larger plant. Broccoli microgreens in particular are noted for high sulforaphane content, a compound associated with anti-inflammatory effects. That said, you're eating a small amount, not a full serving of vegetables — think of microgreens as a concentrated nutritional boost, not a replacement for a balanced diet.
Radish is the single easiest microgreen for beginners. It germinates in 24–36 hours (you'll literally see sprouts the next morning), grows quickly, tolerates mild overwatering better than most varieties, and produces a full harvest in just 5–7 days. The flavor is peppery and pleasant — nothing like the sharp bite of a full-grown radish. After radish, sunflower is the next recommended step because the seeds are large and easy to work with, the shoots are forgiving, and the yield is impressive for the effort involved.
The Bottom Line
Microgreens are the most accessible food crop for apartment living — faster than herbs, smaller than any other edible plant, and genuinely nutritious. The right kit eliminates the only real barrier: mess and setup complexity.
Start with the Hamama Microgreens Kit if you want a guaranteed first-harvest win with zero learning curve. Choose the Bootstrap Farmer 1020 Tray Kit if you're ready to treat microgreens as a regular habit and want to reduce the cost per harvest over time. Pick up the iPower kit if you want to experiment with multiple varieties before committing to a system.
Any of these kits will give you a harvest within two weeks. The hardest part is deciding to start. Browse microgreens kits on Amazon →