What Is the Difference Between Sprouts and Microgreens?

While microgreens and sprouts are similar, they are not the same thing. Both are baby plants, both can be grown indoors, and both can be grown from the same types of seeds, but that's where the similarities end.

There are three key differences between sprouts and microgreens:

• Sprouts and microgreens mean different stages of a plant's growth.
• Sprouts and microgreens, therefore, take a different amount of time to grow.
• Sprouts and microgreens are grown using different methods and supplies.

Now, let's explore each of those differences in more detail.

Sprouts and Microgreens Mean Different Stages of a Plant's Growth

A sprout is the very first stage in a plant's life cycle after the seed germinates. That means the seed has been pushed into the soil, bursts open, and produces the cotyledon, AKA the seed leaves, and the radical, AKA the plant's first root. At this point, sprouts are typically pale in color because they have not yet begun photosynthesizing and producing chlorophyll.

When you eat a sprout, you're getting the initial nutrition of the seed.

Once the baby plant grows beyond its first shoot and root, it moves toward the microgreen stage. Microgreens are essentially the mature plant in miniature—they have leaves, stems, and roots. Microgreens are typically harvested once the stem has grown a bit taller (perhaps three to five inches tall) and the first set of true leaves has appeared.

A microgreen is rich in nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that will soon be spread throughout the maturing plant's leaves, flowers, and fruit. That's why eating microgreens is so good for you and packs more of a nutritional boost than eating a single part of a mature plant, such as a tomato fruit, a broccoli head, or a romaine leaf.

Sprouts and Microgreens Take a Different Amount of Time to Grow

Sprouts can be grown in as little as two to five days. We only have to wait for the seed to germinate and push out a tiny bit of growth. Microgreens, however, take between 10 and 14 days to grow.

If you were to let your microgreens continue to grow under the right conditions (in other words, you gave them some more space), they could become baby greens after 15 to 40 days (think those small, tender spinach leaves most of us love so much). Eventually, the life cycle would continue until the plant has reached maturity, which could happen after anywhere from 40 to 150 days, depending on the plant.

Sprouts and Microgreens Are Grown Differently

Most seeds need water, not light, to germinate. That means that sprouts can be grown without light. They also don't require any extra nutrients to grow because they rely on the good stuff they have stored inside the seed to get started, and that means sprouts can be grown without soil or another growing medium. Give seeds the one thing they need—water—and they will grow into sprouts for you.

For that reason, sprouts can be grown in a jar, a special tray with draining holes, a strainer, or even just a damp paper towel. The seeds will need to be rinsed frequently and then drained well so that they grow without becoming moldy and yucky.

When you "harvest" sprouts (i.e., take them out of their growing place), you'll eat the entire plant, baby roots and leaves and all.

Microgreens, in contrast, will need light to grow once they've germinated. They'll also want extra nutrients to grow, which they'll need to get from a growing medium like soil or coco coir. I like to grab a drainable seedling tray that's at least a couple inches deep, 12 inches wide, and 18 inches long. I place this tray inside a non-draining tray so that I can water my microgreens from below. Microgreens grown under artificial light look much fuller and healthier than those grown in a window sill or with ambient light.

To harvest microgreens, you'll simply cut their baby stems above the soil line. Unlike with sprouts, we won't eat the entire plant, just the stems and leaves, because the roots will be covered in growing medium.

Which One Are You Most Excited to Grow?

I'm a big fan of microgreens because growing them feels more like an indoor gardening project, and I love the look of a tray bursting with tiny green leaves. I grow them in my basement—proof that you can grow sprouts and microgreens just about anywhere.

Whichever stage of baby plant you prefer, I hope you'll endeavor to start growing these very simple but incredibly rewarding plants. You don't even need to leave your kitchen to get started!