How to Grow Microgreens at Home in Canada

If you're gardening in Canada, microgreens are the one crop that laughs at your frost dates. No outdoor space, no last frost anxiety, no hardiness zone limitations — just a tray on a windowsill and fresh greens in 7 to 14 days.

Whether you're in Halifax in February or Winnipeg in March, microgreens deliver homegrown produce year-round. Here's exactly how to grow them.

What Are Microgreens?

Microgreens are vegetable and herb seedlings harvested just after the first true leaves develop — typically 7 to 21 days after germination. They're not sprouts (which you eat root and all) and they're not baby greens (which grow much longer). Microgreens land in the sweet spot: nutrient-dense, fast-growing, and intensely flavourful.

Common varieties grown in Canada include:

• Radish — spicy, ready in 5–7 days, foolproof for beginners
• Pea shoots — sweet, substantial, popular in salads
• Sunflower — nutty, meaty texture, great for wraps
• Broccoli — mild, nutritious (high in sulforaphane)
• Arugula — peppery bite, pairs well with cheese
• Basil — slower (14–21 days), fragrant, worth the wait

What You Need to Get Started

You don't need a greenhouse or grow lights to start — a sunny south-facing window works in most Canadian homes from March onward. In winter or in darker homes, a basic LED grow light makes a significant difference.

Equipment:

• Shallow growing trays (1020 trays or repurposed containers)
• Growing medium: seed-starting mix, coconut coir, or burlap/hemp mats
• Spray bottle or gentle watering can
• Microgreen seeds (available at West Coast Seeds, Mumm's Sprouting Seeds, or local garden centres)

Optional but helpful:

• A second tray for the blackout/germination phase
• Weight (like a book or brick) for pressing seeds into soil

Total startup cost: under $30 for your first tray. Cost per tray after that: roughly $2–5 in seeds and medium.

Step-by-Step: Growing Microgreens in Canada

Step 1: Prepare Your Tray

Fill your tray with 1–1.5 inches of moist growing medium. Don't pack it tightly — microgreens need aerated, well-drained substrate. Smooth the surface with your hand or a flat board.

Step 2: Sow Seeds Densely

Microgreens are sown much more densely than garden seeds. Sprinkle seeds evenly across the surface — they should be touching but not piled on top of each other. Press seeds gently into contact with the growing medium using a flat board or the bottom of a second tray.

Seeding density by variety:

• Radish, broccoli, kale: 1–1.5 oz per 10×20 tray
• Pea shoots, sunflower: 6–8 oz per 10×20 tray (large seeds)
• Basil, amaranth: 0.5 oz per 10×20 tray (tiny seeds, sow thinly)

Step 3: Blackout Phase

Cover your seeded tray with another tray or a blackout dome. This simulates being underground and encourages strong, upright growth rather than sprawling. Add a small weight on top to keep seeds pressed to the medium.

Leave covered for 2–4 days. Check daily — mist the surface lightly if the medium feels dry.

Step 4: Introduce Light

Once seedlings are about 1–2 cm tall (yellowy-white at this stage), uncover and move to your light source. In Canada from March to September, a south-facing windowsill works well. In winter, run a basic grow light 12–16 hours per day.

Room temperature of 18–22°C (65–72°F) is ideal — standard Canadian indoor living temperatures are fine.

Step 5: Water From Below

Once uncovered, switch to bottom-watering: pour water into a second tray underneath your growing tray, allowing the medium to absorb moisture from below. This prevents mould on the stems — a common issue with top-watering. Water once or twice daily as needed — moist but not waterlogged.

Step 6: Harvest

Harvest when the first true leaves appear and the cotyledons (seed leaves) are fully open — usually day 7–14 for most varieties, day 14–21 for basil.

Cut with scissors just above the growing medium. Rinse, spin dry, and use immediately or refrigerate for up to 5 days.

Canadian Growing Notes

Winter: The challenge in Canadian winters is light, not temperature. A basic grow light (T5 fluorescent or LED panel, ~$40–80) solves the problem completely. Microgreens don't care if it's -30°C outside.

Summer: South-facing windows can get too hot in July and August. Rotate to an east or west window, or shield from direct afternoon sun to prevent wilting.

Mould prevention: Good air circulation matters in humid Canadian homes. A small fan on low setting near your trays reduces mould risk significantly.

Best Microgreens for Beginners in Canada

Start with radish or pea shoots. They germinate fast, grow predictably, and taste great — which keeps you motivated to keep going.

From Tray to Table

Microgreens work in almost any dish: mixed into salads, piled on sandwiches and wraps, stirred into eggs just before serving, used as a garnish on soups or grain bowls. One tray yields roughly 100–200 grams of greens — enough for a week of salads for one person.

Plan Your Full Garden Year-Round

Microgreens are the gateway to year-round growing in Canada. Once you've got the rhythm, run 2–4 trays on a rotation so you're harvesting every few days.

When you're ready to plan your outdoor garden too, mygardenplanner.ca has a free planting date calculator that gives you exact outdoor sowing and transplanting windows for your Canadian zone. Plan your windowsill and your garden — grow something every month of the year.