Is It Cheaper to Grow Microgreens at Home Than to Buy Them?

Commercial microgreens are expensive. A small punnet of mixed microgreens at a supermarket or farmers market typically costs £2 to £5 for 30 to 50 grams — the equivalent of £40 to £160 per kilogram. For anyone eating microgreens regularly, this adds up quickly. Growing at home collapses the cost per gram dramatically, though there are equipment costs to factor in and a time investment to consider. This guide breaks down the real numbers honestly.

The Cost of One Tray at Home

A standard 10×20-inch tray of radish microgreens uses approximately 30 to 40 grams of seeds. Radish microgreens seeds from a reputable supplier cost roughly £5 to £15 per 100 grams, depending on quantity and supplier. This puts seed cost per tray at roughly £1.50 to £6 — let's use £3 as a mid-range estimate. The growing medium (a few tablespoons of coco coir) costs pence per tray when bought in bulk. Water and electricity (grow light) add perhaps 10 to 20 pence. Total variable cost per tray: approximately £3 to £4.

A well-sown 10×20-inch tray yields 150 to 300 grams of radish microgreens. At 200 grams yield and £3.50 in costs, you are producing microgreens at approximately £17.50 per kilogram — versus £40 to £160 per kilogram retail. That is a 2.5x to 9x cost reduction depending on where you were buying from.

Equipment Costs

Starting from scratch, a basic microgreens setup costs £20 to £60 in one-off equipment: a few trays (£5 to £10 for a set of 5), a coco coir brick (£5), and a grow light if you don't have a suitable window (£15 to £40). These costs are spread over many trays — a grow light will last several years and a tray can be reused dozens of times. By tray 10 the equipment cost per tray is negligible and all that remains is the variable cost of seeds and medium.

Time Investment

Growing a tray of microgreens requires roughly 10 to 15 minutes of total active time — sowing, daily 1 to 2 minute checks, watering (1 to 2 minutes per day), and harvest. Over a 10-day grow cycle that is perhaps 30 to 40 minutes total. Whether this time is worth it depends on your perspective. For most people who already spend time cooking, adding 30 minutes every 10 days to produce fresh, nutritious greens at a fraction of retail cost is very worthwhile.

What You Cannot Buy — Freshness

The comparison goes beyond cost. Commercial microgreens are typically harvested 2 to 5 days before you buy them and may be a further 1 to 2 days in transit or on the shelf. Home-grown microgreens can be cut moments before eating — peak flavour, peak nutrition, zero food miles. This freshness advantage is real and significant, and it cannot be replicated by any amount of shopping around for better commercial produce.

When Buying Makes More Sense

If you only want microgreens occasionally — a few times a month — the setup cost and time may not justify growing your own. Buying a punnet once or twice a month is practical and not particularly expensive. The crossover point where home growing clearly wins is when you want fresh microgreens every week or more. At that frequency, home growing pays for the equipment within a month or two and continues saving money indefinitely afterward.