Broccoli microgreens retail for $25 to $40 per pound at farmers markets and natural food stores. They grow in 8 to 10 days in a standard tray on a countertop. You don’t need outdoor space, a garden bed, or good soil. The seed cost per tray runs $0.50 to $1.50. That spread between input and output is why microgreens get attention from every small-scale growing publication, and why the economics are more complicated than the headline number implies.
Here’s what the actual math looks like, what it leaves out, and how to decide whether home production makes sense for you specifically.
What Microgreens Actually Are
Microgreens are seedlings harvested at the cotyledon stage or the first true leaf stage - 7 to 14 days after germination, depending on the crop. The cotyledons are the seed leaves, the first structure that emerges from the seed. The first true leaves come after, carrying the shape and character of the mature plant’s foliage. Most microgreens are harvested before or just as the first true leaves appear.
They are not sprouts. This distinction matters because sprouts and microgreens have different food safety profiles, different production methods, and different flavor characteristics. Sprouts are germinated seeds grown in water without any growing medium, consumed whole - root, seed, and shoot together. Microgreens are grown in a solid medium (potting mix, coconut coir, or hemp mats), and only the shoot above the medium is harvested. The roots stay behind. Sprout contamination outbreaks - salmonella, E. coli - occur because warm, wet, seed-inclusive conditions favor bacterial growth. Microgreens grown in well-managed trays with good airflow don’t carry the same risk profile.
The Fahey et al. (1997) PNAS paper on broccoli sprouts as a chemoprotective agent is frequently cited in microgreen marketing materials. That paper is about sprouts, not microgreens. Broccoli microgreens do contain sulforaphane precursors (glucoraphanin), but the research basis is often overstated by conflating microgreens with sprouts. The nutritional case for broccoli microgreens is real - a 2012 study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (Pinto et al.) showed microgreens contain higher concentrations of vitamins and carotenoids per gram than mature leaves - but cite the right research.
The Crop-by-Crop Economics
The standard growing unit is a 10-inch by 20-inch flat tray, the same size as a nursery flat. That’s 200 square inches, roughly 1.4 square feet of growing surface. Per-tray economics vary significantly by crop because seed costs, seeding density, and yield per tray all differ.
Retail prices below reflect USDA AMS Specialty Crop Market News data and farmers market survey data. Yield and seed rate figures are consistent with Johnny’s Selected Seeds microgreen trial data and the University of Maryland Extension microgreen production guide (Mitra et al., University of Maryland Extension, 2017).
| Crop | Days to harvest | Seed/tray (oz) | Seed cost/tray | Medium cost/tray | Light cost/tray | Yield (oz) | Retail ($/lb) | Gross value | Net value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunflower | 10-12 | 2-3 oz | $0.75-1.50 | $0.35-0.65 | $0.50 | 4-8 oz | $20-35 | $5.00-17.50 | $3.35-15.85 |
| Pea shoots | 10-14 | 3-4 oz | $0.75-1.50 | $0.35-0.65 | $0.50 | 4-8 oz | $15-25 | $3.75-12.50 | $2.00-10.85 |
| Radish | 7-10 | 0.5-1 oz | $0.20-0.50 | $0.35-0.65 | $0.40 | 3-6 oz | $20-30 | $3.75-11.25 | $3.00-10.20 |
| Broccoli | 8-10 | 0.25-0.5 oz | $0.50-1.50 | $0.35-0.65 | $0.40 | 2-4 oz | $25-40 | $3.13-10.00 | $2.00-8.25 |
| Basil | 14-21 | 0.25-0.5 oz | $0.50-1.50 | $0.35-0.65 | $0.85 | 2-4 oz | $30-50 | $3.75-12.50 | $2.25-10.50 |
| Amaranth | 10-12 | 0.25-0.5 oz | $0.40-1.00 | $0.35-0.65 | $0.50 | 3-5 oz | $20-35 | $3.75-10.94 | $2.60-8.79 |
| Cilantro | 14-21 | 0.5-1 oz | $0.30-0.75 | $0.35-0.65 | $0.85 | 3-5 oz | $20-30 | $3.75-9.38 | $2.30-7.43 |
Notes on the table inputs:
Growing medium: potting mix runs $0.25 to $0.40 per tray at roughly 1 to 2 cups per tray from a $10 to $15 cubic-foot bag. Coconut coir is $0.15 to $0.25 per tray and rehydrates from compressed blocks. Reusable plastic trays cost $2 to $5 each; amortized over 20 or more grows, that’s $0.10 to $0.25 per tray - included in the medium cost figures above.
Electricity for grow lights: a 24-watt LED strip running 16 hours per day for 10 days consumes 3.84 kWh. At the national average of $0.13 per kWh (EIA, 2024), that’s $0.50 per tray. For shorter or longer grow cycles, adjust proportionally - basil at 21 days runs about $0.85 in electricity. Window growing eliminates this cost entirely; light consistency may be lower, but for home use it works.
Seed costs assume small-quantity purchasing. Bulk seed - sunflower and pea by the pound, broccoli and radish by the quarter-pound - cuts seed cost per tray by 30 to 50 percent for anyone running continuous production.
Where the Retail Price Actually Matters
The $20 to $40 per pound number is real. Farmers markets and natural food stores charge it. But that price is what a commercial producer charges - someone who has overhead, market fees, and labor to cover.
For home production, the relevant comparison isn’t the retail price. It’s the price you would have paid anyway. A 2-ounce clamshell of mixed microgreens at Whole Foods or a similar natural food retailer typically runs $4 to $8. That’s $32 to $64 per pound equivalent. You are not replacing commodity lettuce at $1.99 a head. You’re replacing a premium specialty product you were already spending money on.
If you were already buying microgreens regularly, the ROI case is straightforward. One tray of sunflower microgreens yields 4 to 8 ounces - the equivalent of 2 to 4 of those $4 to $8 clamshells. At $0.75 to $1.50 in seed cost and $0.85 to $1.15 in other inputs, you’re producing $8 to $32 of retail equivalent for $2 to $3. That’s a clear return.
If you weren’t buying microgreens anyway, the ROI framing changes. You’re not replacing something you were spending money on. You’re producing something new, which means the “savings” are theoretical unless the microgreens actually displace something you would have bought. A household that adds microgreens to salads and sandwiches will likely eat fewer store-bought salad greens. But that displacement is softer than direct replacement.
Setup Cost and Payback Timeline
A basic continuous-production setup for 4 to 6 trays running at a time:
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| 10 standard 10x20 flat trays | $20-30 |
| 2-foot LED grow light (full spectrum) | $15-30 |
| Potting mix, 1 cubic foot bag | $10-15 |
| Seed variety pack or bulk sunflower/pea | $20-40 |
| Total | $65-115 |
That’s a one-time cost. The consumables - seed and growing medium - run $2 to $3 per tray for most crops.
A 4-tray rotation with staggered start dates (one new tray started every 2 to 3 days) produces roughly 12 to 16 ounces of microgreens per week across mixed crops. A household using microgreens as a salad supplement 3 to 4 times per week goes through 6 to 8 ounces. At $4 per 2-ounce clamshell displaced, that’s $12 to $16 per week in grocery value.
Payback on $65 to $115 in setup cost at $12 to $16 per week: 4 to 10 weeks. That’s the range. The low end assumes efficient purchasing and maximal microgreen consumption. The high end assumes higher setup cost and more modest displacement of grocery spending.
The more conservative and honest number: most households reach payback in 6 to 8 weeks of consistent production.
The Honest Limits
Shelf life. Harvested microgreens last 3 to 7 days refrigerated. This is the central operational constraint. You cannot batch-harvest and store like you can with garlic or dried beans. Production rate needs to match consumption rate. A tray that yields 6 ounces on Tuesday needs to be consumed by Saturday at the latest, and if you’re traveling or had a big week, it goes in the compost. Staggered production solves this - one tray harvested every 2 to 3 days rather than four trays on the same schedule - but it requires active management.
Daily attention. Microgreens aren’t difficult to grow, but they’re not set-and-forget either. During germination (days 1 to 5 for most crops), you’re checking moisture twice a day and keeping a blackout dome over the tray to promote upright stem growth. After the dome comes off, you’re checking once a day and watering from the bottom by pouring water into a second tray below the growing tray. The harvest window is 24 to 48 hours wide for most crops - let them go too long and the cotyledons yellow or the first true leaves make the texture coarse. Radish in particular needs to be caught early; it gets hot and fibrous fast.
Commercial vs. home context. The farmers market price is what someone charges after transporting product to a market, paying booth fees, and accounting for their time. A commercial microgreen operation selling 20 trays a week at market faces different economics than a home grower producing 4 trays for household consumption. Home production doesn’t need to justify market prices. It needs to justify itself against what you would have bought at the store.
Indoor light limitations. A south-facing window in winter produces 500 to 1,500 PPFD (photosynthetic photon flux density) on clear days. A 24-watt LED grow light positioned 4 to 6 inches above the tray delivers 200 to 400 PPFD - sufficient for microgreens, which don’t need high light intensity at this stage. The LED light is consistent regardless of weather. Window growing works but produces variable results; stems may be longer (etiolated) chasing light, which affects yield weight and texture. For casual home use, a window is fine. For tight production schedules, the LED is worth the $0.50 per tray.
Crop Selection: Where to Start and What to Skip
Start with pea shoots and sunflower. Both have large seeds that germinate quickly and uniformly. Both are forgiving of slight moisture variation. Pea shoots are cut and can sometimes regrow for a second cut from the same tray - you don’t always get it, but when you do it’s free production. Sunflower needs the seed hulls to be shaken off after harvest; most fall off on their own but some stick and are tough to eat. Soak sunflower seed for 8 to 12 hours before sowing to improve germination uniformity.
Broccoli is worth growing, but understand what you’re getting. The yield per tray is lower than sunflower or peas because the seed is small and seeding density is lower. A standard 10x20 tray of broccoli might yield 2 to 4 ounces where the same tray in sunflowers yields 4 to 8. The trade-off is the nutritional profile and the retail price premium. Broccoli microgreens contain glucoraphanin, the precursor to sulforaphane, at measurably higher concentrations than mature broccoli florets (Pinto et al., Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2012). If that’s part of why you’re growing microgreens, broccoli belongs in the rotation. See the radish crop page for a companion to broccoli microgreens - radish germinates faster and can be interleaved with broccoli trays.
Amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) produces vivid magenta-red cotyledons that hold their color through harvest. The visual appeal drives the premium in restaurant and market settings. Growth is reliable; germination typically 2 to 3 days. Seeding density is light because the seeds are tiny.
Basil microgreens (Ocimum basilicum) are the most expensive crop at market and the most patience-intensive to grow. Basil seed germinates slowly (7 to 10 days before you see full germination) and is mucilaginous when wet - it forms a gel coat that makes even seeding difficult. Don’t pre-soak basil seed. The crop takes 14 to 21 days to reach harvest, nearly twice as long as sunflower. On the same grow light and tray footprint, you can run two sunflower cycles in the time it takes to finish one basil tray. The economics work if you have consistent demand; they’re inefficient for a first attempt. See the basil crop page for more on the variety differences - Genovese basil and Thai basil produce meaningfully different microgreen flavors.
Cilantro microgreens require a step most new growers skip: the seed. Cilantro “seeds” are actually two seeds fused in a round husk. Germination is slow and uneven if you plant the whole husk. Crack the husks first by gently rolling them between two flat surfaces, then pre-soak for 8 to 12 hours. Germination jumps from 50 to 60 percent with whole husks to 85 to 95 percent with cracked and soaked seed. Grow time is 14 to 21 days. The flavor at the cotyledon stage is potent - some find it more herbal than the mature leaf form, others find it identical. For a first round, start with peas before you try cilantro.
Skip fennel and carrot microgreens to start. Both have naturally slow, uneven germination. Fennel seeds germinate at 7 to 14 days with wide variance; you’ll get gaps in the tray. Carrot microgreens are delicate and slow, 14 to 21 days, with thin stems that don’t support themselves well. Neither is a good learning crop.
How Microgreens Compare to Outdoor Growing
The comparison to traditional garden crops is worth making once, then setting aside.
One 10-inch by 20-inch tray (1.4 sq ft) producing 6 ounces of sunflower microgreens worth $7.50 over 11 days. The same 1.4 sq ft of outdoor bed space planted to lettuce produces 2 to 4 ounces of leaves per harvest over a 45 to 60 day season at $2 to $4 retail value per harvest.
On paper, the microgreen tray wins by a wide margin. But the comparison is misleading because they occupy different systems. The outdoor lettuce bed can produce continuously across a season through cut-and-come-again harvest, doesn’t require a grow light, and doesn’t need daily moisture management. The indoor microgreen tray can run year-round regardless of temperature, uses no outdoor space, and turns over in 10 to 14 days. They aren’t competing for the same role.
The better comparison for microgreens is the vegetable value per square foot analysis for indoor crops specifically: grow lights, year-round production, space-constrained growing. Against container growing or hydroponic lettuce in the same indoor footprint, microgreens are competitive precisely because the turnover rate is so fast.
The Commercial Opportunity and Its Limits
Some microgreen growers operate at commercial scale - supplying restaurants, running a booth at a farmers market, delivering CSA-style weekly boxes. The economics are different at that scale, and so are the constraints.
A commercial operation selling 20 trays per week at $8 to $12 per tray gross value generates $160 to $240 per week in revenue. Input costs at bulk seed pricing and larger bags of growing medium run $1.50 to $2.00 per tray, or $30 to $40 per week. Gross margin: $120 to $200 per week. That sounds good until you add labor (2 to 3 hours per day of seeding, watering, harvesting, packaging), delivery, packaging materials, and market fees. At $15 per hour for labor, 15 hours per week is $225 in labor cost alone - erasing the margin.
Commercial microgreen production pencils out at scale if you can charge premium prices, minimize delivery overhead, and keep a high fraction of production sold rather than composted. The failure mode is overproduction without guaranteed buyers. Unsold perishable product is a complete loss.
For home production, none of this applies. You’re not paying yourself, you have no market fees, and the scale is matched to what you consume. That’s the scenario where the economics are straightforwardly good.
Running the Numbers on Your Household
The question to answer first: do you currently buy microgreens or salad greens that microgreens could replace?
If yes: calculate your current monthly spending on those items. A household spending $20 to $30 per month on microgreens or premium salad greens can recover the $65 to $115 setup cost in 3 to 6 months and run at near-zero variable cost (relative to current spending) after that. The full salad greens ROI comparison breaks down how microgreens fit alongside mesclun mix, spinach, and arugula in the same indoor growing system.
If no: the calculation is different. You’d need to value the microgreens at what you’d be willing to pay to add them to your diet. If the answer is zero - you wouldn’t buy them at market prices - home production doesn’t generate financial return. It might generate nutritional or culinary value you’d weigh differently, but that’s not an ROI calculation.
The households where microgreens production makes clear financial sense: those already spending $15 or more per month on microgreens or comparable premium greens, who have consistent weekly consumption patterns, and who can commit to the daily management during the 10 to 14 day grow cycle. For those households, the math closes quickly and the steady-state cost per ounce drops to $0.25 to $0.50 - a fraction of retail.
The households where it makes less sense: those with highly variable consumption patterns, frequent travel, or no existing microgreens habit to displace.
Starting Your First Tray
Buy a 10x20 flat tray and a humidity dome. Start with sunflower seed - hull-on, raw, untreated, from a seed supplier rather than from a bird seed bag (bird seed is often treated with mold inhibitors that affect germination). Soak the seed for 8 to 12 hours. Spread 1 to 1.5 inches of moistened potting mix or coco coir in the tray. Broadcast the seed densely but in a single layer - no piling. Mist the surface, cover with the dome, and set somewhere out of direct sun for 3 to 4 days.
Check moisture once in the morning and once in the evening. If the medium surface feels dry when you press a finger to it, mist lightly. When the shoots are 1 to 2 inches tall and reaching toward the dome, remove the dome and move the tray under a grow light or into a south-facing window. Bottom water from here on: set the tray inside a second flat with a half-inch of water and let it wick up. Repeat once daily.
Harvest when the cotyledons are fully open and before the first true leaves appear, typically around day 10 to 12 for sunflower. Cut at the base with sharp scissors. Rinse, spin dry in a salad spinner, store in a container lined with a paper towel in the refrigerator.
Start the second tray on day 4 of the first tray’s growth. Start the third tray on day 7. By the time you’re harvesting the first tray, the second is in its final growth phase, and the third is just emerging. You now have a production rotation.