What Equipment Do You Need to Grow Microgreens?

One of the great things about microgreens is that the equipment list is short and inexpensive. You do not need a greenhouse, grow tent, hydroponic system or specialist tools to produce excellent crops at home. What you do need, you need to get right — the wrong tray setup or a poor light source will undermine even the best seeds and technique. This guide covers what to buy, what to skip and what can be improvised from things you likely already own.

Trays

The standard microgreens tray is a 10×20-inch (25×50 cm) plastic propagation tray — the same size used for seed starting in horticulture. You need two trays per crop: one with drain holes (or solid-bottomed, depending on your watering method) for the growing medium, and one solid-bottomed tray used as a reservoir for bottom-watering and as a cover during the blackout phase. Standard propagation trays are inexpensive, reusable for many cycles and available from garden centres and online. Food-safe alternatives include baking trays of a similar size — these work fine if you have them.

If you prefer not to use plastic, wooden trays lined with a waterproof layer, or dedicated stainless steel microgreens trays, are available and more durable. They cost more initially but last indefinitely.

Growing Medium

Compressed coco coir bricks are the most economical and practical option for home growers. A single 650 g brick expands to fill several large trays when rehydrated. Alternatively, any quality seed-starting or potting mix without large wood chips or perlite works well. Avoid heavy, compacted garden soil. Hydroponic mats (jute, hemp or foam) are the alternative for cleaner, soil-free growing — see the soil vs hydroponics guide for a full comparison.

Light Source

A south-facing windowsill works for some microgreens in summer, but light intensity drops significantly in autumn and winter and on overcast days. A dedicated grow light eliminates this variability and produces consistently stronger, greener shoots year-round. A simple two-tube T5 fluorescent shop light is effective and inexpensive — position it 5 to 10 cm above the canopy and run it on a timer for 16 hours per day. Full-spectrum LED grow panels are more energy-efficient and last longer but cost more upfront. Avoid incandescent bulbs: they produce heat without meaningful plant-usable light.

Spray Bottle and Watering

A simple spray bottle is useful for the initial misting of seeds before covering. For ongoing watering, switch to bottom-watering using the solid reservoir tray — this is the single most important practice to reduce mould risk. You do not need a specialised watering tool; a standard watering can with a fine rose works for filling the reservoir tray.

What You Do Not Need

You do not need: a humidity dome (the inverted tray works), a heat mat for most varieties (useful only for basil and other tropical herbs), a grow tent, an air pump, hydroponics nutrients (microgreens live off seed energy, not added fertiliser), or any special scissors (any clean kitchen scissors work). Starting simple keeps costs low and lets you focus on learning the process before investing in upgrades.