If you plan on becoming a microgreens farmer it’s useful to know the total microgreens yield per tray that you can expect. This is especially true if you’re growing microgreens for profit since certain microgreens will net a much larger harvest.
That’s why we put together this microgreen cheat sheet to give you a starting point to assess each type of microgreens profit and yield potential.
Microgreens Yield Per Tray
10×20 Microgreen Trays
The total microgreens yield per tray depends on a variety of factors. Seed planting density plays the largest role in the final microgreen yield per tray. In addition, temperature, light, and moisture can also play a significant part in the yield of your final harvest.
Small Microgreens
Smaller microgreens like amaranth, basil, broccoli, cabbage, and cilantro will usually yield between 8-12 ounces of microgreens in each 10×20 microgreen tray (Buy Online). And you’ll need an average of 14 to 56 grams of small seed in a 10×20 tray to get a full harvest.
Large Microgreens
Larger microgreens like sunflowers, peas, and radishes, will usually produce 1-2 lb of microgreens per tray. They also require that you plant fewer seeds, but each seed weighs more so you’ll need at least 56 to 170 grams of seed per flat. The yield of larger microgreens will also be highly influenced by the time of day they are harvested, and also by their total moisture content.
The following graph shows the average yield per tray for the most commonly grown microgreens:
This comprehensive microgreens list has more details about each type of microgreen variety, and you’ll also find the best prices from the top microgreen seed suppliers.
Microgreens List – Types of Microgreens
Amaranth
Amaranth Seeds (Buy Online) will yield on average 6.5-ounces of microgreens in a 10” x 20” tray. In order to get this yield, it will require at least 7.5-grams of seed per tray. And it will take 17-days on average for the microgreens to be mature enough to harvest.
Arugula
Arugula Seeds (Buy Online) will yield on average 10-ounces of microgreens per tray. To achieve this yield it will require at least 10-grams of arugula seed per tray. In addition, it will take 14-days on average for arugula microgreens to be ready to go to the market.
Basil
Basil Seeds (Buy Online) will yield on average 7.5-ounces of microgreens per tray. And you’ll need at least 5-grams of basil seeds per tray. In most cases, basil will take 19 to 25-days to reach maturity before it will be ready to harvest.
Beets
Beet Seeds (Buy Online) will yield on average 7.5-ounces of microgreens in a 10” x 20” tray. In order to get this yield, it will require at least 26-grams of seed per tray. And it will usually take 17-days on average for beet microgreens to be ready for harvest.
Broccoli
Broccoli Seeds (Buy Online) will yield on average 11.5-ounces of microgreens per tray. To reach this yield you’ll need to plant at least 13-grams of broccoli seed per tray. Broccoli will take 10-days on average for the microgreens to be large enough to harvest.
Cabbage
Cabbage Seeds (Buy Online) will yield on average 8.5-ounces of microgreens per tray. And you’ll need to plant at least 10.5-grams of cabbage seeds in a 10” x 20” tray. Cabbage will usually take an average of 14-days to reach maturity before it will be ready to harvest.
Chard
Chard Seeds (Buy Online) will yield on average 9.5-ounces of microgreens in a 10” x 20” tray. In order to get this yield, it will require a planting density of 31.5-grams of seed per tray. And it will usually take 16.5-days on average for chard microgreens to be mature enough to harvest.
Cilantro
Cilantro Seeds (Buy Online) will yield on average 6-ounces of microgreens per tray. This yield will require a planting density of at least 26-grams of cilantro seed per tray. In addition, you can expect cilantro to take 20-days on average for the microgreens to be ready to harvest.
Cress
Cress Seeds (Buy Online) will yield on average 8-ounces of microgreens per tray. And you’ll need to plant at least 11-grams of cress seeds in a 10” x 20” tray. Cress seeds will usually take an average of 13-days to reach full maturity.
Dandelion
Dandelion Seeds (Buy Online) will yield 5.5-ounces of microgreens on average in a 10” x 20” tray. In order to get this yield, it will require that you add at least 4-grams of dandelion seeds per tray. Dandelions will usually take 18-days on average for the microgreens to be the right size and texture for most markets.
Kale
Kale Seeds (Buy Online) will yield on average 11-ounces of microgreens per tray. This yield will require a planting density of at least 10-grams of kale seed for each 10” x 20” tray. In addition, you can expect kale to take an average of 14-days before the microgreens will be mature enough to harvest.
Kohlrabi
Kohlrabi Seeds (Buy Online) will yield on average 11-ounces of microgreens per tray. And you’ll need to plant at least 9.5-grams of kohlrabi seeds per tray. Kohlrabi seeds will usually take 14-days on average to reach an optimal size for most farmers’ markets.
Marigold
Marigolds Seeds (Buy Online) will yield on average 6-ounces of microgreens per tray. And they will require a planting density of at least 4-grams of seed per tray. In addition, marigolds will take 18-days on average to be mature enough to harvest.
Mizuna
Mizuna “Japanese Mustard Greens ” Seeds (Buy Online) will yield 10-ounces of microgreens in a 10 x 20 tray. To get this yield you’ll need to plant at least 9.5-grams of mizuna seeds in each tray. Mizuna will usually take an average of 11-days before the microgreens are fully mature.
Mustard
Mustard Seeds (Buy Online) will usually produce an average yield of 9.5-ounces of microgreens per tray. You’ll need to plant at least 8-grams of mustard seed per tray to achieve that yield. Mustard seeds are also relatively fast-growing so they will usually only take 12.5-days before they are mature enough to harvest.
Pac Choi
Pac Choi Seeds (Buy Online) yields 10-ounces of microgreens per tray on average. And Pac Choi it requires a planting density of 10.5-grams of seeds per tray to get a decent harvest. In addition, you can expect Pac Choi to take only 13-days to reach full maturity.
Pea
Pea Seeds (Buy Online) will yield on average 1 to 2 pounds of microgreens in a 10” x 20” tray. To achieve this yield you’ll need to plant at least 4-ounces of pea seeds in each tray. In most cases, peas will take 10 to 14-days to reach the right texture and flavor for most markets.
Radish Microgreens
Radish Seeds (Buy Online) will yield 10-ounces of microgreens on average in a standard 10” x 20” tray. However, you’ll need to plant at least 28-grams of radish seeds per tray to reach those yield numbers. Radishes are very quick to mature and they usually only take 8-days of growth before they are ready to harvest.
Shiso
Shiso Seeds (Buy Online) will yield an average of 6.5-ounces of tasty microgreens per tray. You’ll need to plant at least 11.5-grams of Shiso seeds per tray. You can expect Shiso microgreens to take16-days to reach full maturity when they’ll have just the right minty flavor and crunchy texture.
Sorrel
Sorrel Seeds (Buy Online) will yield 6.5-ounces of microgreens in a standard 10” x 20” tray on average. To get this yield you’ll need to plant at least 3.5-grams of sorrel seeds in each tray. Sorrel usually takes an average of 24-days for the microgreens to grow large enough for a substantial harvest.
Sunflower Microgreens
Sunflowers Seeds (Buy Online) will yield at least 1 to 2 pounds of microgreens in a standard 10” x 20” tray. To achieve this yield you’ll need to plant at least 5-ounces of sunflower seeds in each tray. Like most of the larger microgreens, sunflowers will take an average of 10 to 14-days to reach the right size and texture for most markets.
Tatsoi
Tatsoi – “Spinach Mustard” Seeds (Buy Online) will yield 8.5-ounces of microgreens in a 10 x 20 tray. To get this yield you’ll need to plant at least 7.5-grams of tatsoi seeds in each tray. Tatsoi will usually take an average of 13.5-days before they are fully mature.
Resources:
https://extension.psu.edu/growing-microgreens
https://caldwell.ces.ncsu.edu/2018/02/what-are-microgreens/
http://monroe.cce.cornell.edu/agriculture/seasonal-produce-highlights/sprouts-and-microgreens
https://extension.arizona.edu/sites/extension.arizona.edu/files/attachment/Microgreens.pdf
