Due to their high nutritional value, microgreens are among the most popular types of green foods today. Some even say they are healthier than their full-grown counterparts. It’s not hard at all to grow microgreens, and you can do it in your own home as long as you have the seeds. Can microgreens grow to full size, though, since they are still more or less just sprouted seeds and not full-grown plants?
Theoretically, microgreens can grow to full size when you provide them the environment to do so. They are still plants that grow from normal seeds, after all. There is a chance that microgreens won’t be able to grow into full-sized plants, though, because they are grown in ways that can stop their growth.
An increasing number of people are passionate about growing microgreens because they think these foods are healthy and tasty enough to meet their daily needs. If you want microgreens to stay microgreens and not grow into full-sized plants, you need to be very careful when you grow them from seeds. If you don’t, they will develop into full-sized plants.
Microgreens have exploded in popularity as a nutritional powerhouse ingredient. But these seedlings are typically harvested within weeks of sprouting, leaving many to wonder – can microgreens grow into full plants? This guide takes a deep dive into the growth cycle of microgreens, revealing their untapped potential to mature from nibble-sized shoots into fully developed vegetables and herbs.
What Are Microgreens?
Microgreens are the young seedlings of vegetables and herbs, harvested just after the first true leaves emerge. They are usually 1-3 inches tall. Popular varieties include sunflower, pea, radish, broccoli, and arugula. Microgreens contain exceptionally high nutrient levels compared to their mature counterparts. Their tender texture and concentrated flavors make them a chef’s delight.
The Stages of Microgreen Growth
Microgreens progress through 3 key growth phases
Germination – The seed sprouts and the first leaves (cotyledons) emerge.
Seedling – The cotyledons fully expand and the first true leaves develop. This is the ideal harvest stage for microgreens.
Maturation – The plant continues growing, developing more mature stems, leaves, and eventually flowers and seeds if left to grow.
So microgreens certainly can grow into full plants – if allowed to pass through all stages. But most are harvested for consumption during the seedling phase.
What Happens If Microgreens Grow to Maturity?
If you resist the urge to snip away those seedlings, your microgreens will keep growing. Here’s an overview of the changes they’ll undergo:
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Plant size increases from 1-3 inches to full maturity.
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Stems and leaves become larger and tougher in texture.
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Flavor profile evolves to resemble the mature plant more.
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Nutrient density per gram decreases as plants get bigger.
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Time from planting to harvest extends from 14-21 days to several months.
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More space is needed to accommodate growth.
Benefits of Letting Microgreens Mature
Allowing microgreens to fully mature offers some advantages:
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Produce full vegetables and herbs at home.
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Save money on buying seeds for mature plants.
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Experience different flavors and textures as plants grow.
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Add visual interest to dishes with varying stages.
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Enjoy nutritional diversity since nutrients change over time.
Drawbacks of Letting Microgreens Grow
However, there are also drawbacks to letting microgreens grow to maturity:
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They lose their signature tender crunch.
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Nutrient density significantly decreases.
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Intense microgreen flavors mellow out.
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More time, space and care is required.
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Higher risk of disease, pests, and mold.
Tips for Growing Microgreens to Maturity
If you do want to experiment with growing microgreens to full size, here are some tips:
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Use adequate lighting as plants get taller.
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Transplant to larger containers or garden beds.
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Maintain optimal watering, fertilization, airflow, and temperature.
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Monitor closely and promptly address any pest or disease issues.
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Harvest outer leaves to encourage continued growth.
Microgreens are intentionally grown for an early harvest, but they can continue maturing into full-sized plants if left to grow. This transition results in varying flavor, texture, and nutrition compared to microgreens. With the proper care, growing microgreens to maturity can be an interesting experiment for the home gardener. But the choice depends on your goals – micro flavors or mature vegetables!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you grow microgreens into mature plants?
Yes, it is possible to grow microgreens into fully mature vegetable plants or herbs. If left unharvested, microgreens will continue growing beyond their typical harvest window and complete their entire life cycle.
What changes occur as microgreens mature?
As microgreens mature, the stems and leaves elongate and become tougher. The flavor profile starts to resemble the mature vegetable or herb more. Nutrient levels decline on a per gram basis as the plant gets larger. Mature plants also require more space, light, and care.
Are microgreens better than mature greens nutrition-wise?
Microgreens contain much higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants compared to mature greens. However, the total nutrient content increases in larger, mature plants. Nutrient levels per gram or leaf decrease as the plant gets bigger.
Can any vegetable be grown from microgreen to mature?
Most common vegetables and herbs can be grown from microgreen stage into fully mature plants. Exceptions are some microgreen varieties that are hybrids or not capable of developing viable seeds and reproducing.
Is it worth letting microgreens grow to maturity?
It depends on your goals. If you want the tender crunch and hyper-concentrated nutrition of microgreens, harvest them early. If you want to experiment with flavors and textures, allowing some to mature can be interesting. But mature greens require more resources and lose microgreen benefits.
How long does it take microgreens to reach full maturity?
Microgreens take 1-3 weeks from seeding to reach harvest size. If allowed to grow to maturity, most will take several months to fully develop into a ripe vegetable or herb ready for harvest. Exact timing depends on factors like variety, conditions, and desired plant size.
More Resources
- Growing Microgreens at Home – Savvy Gardening
- How to Grow Microgreens – The Old Farmer’s Almanac
- Microgreens: What They Are and How to Grow Them – The Spruce
Want to learn more about maximizing your microgreen harvesting? Check out these additional resources for microgreen growing tips, nutritional data, recommended varieties, and more!
What if you give the microgreens more soil and nutrients?
Is it possible to move the microgreens to your garden and make sure they have enough soil and nutrients to keep growing once they’ve reached their full size and are ready to be picked?
Probably not. The reason for this is that microgreens are already too stressed out at that point in their lives to grow more, even if they were given enough food and soil after they stopped growing. They will never grow again, even if you want them to. You hurt them too much.
It’s a different story if you planted the seeds for the purpose of actually growing mature plants. As long as you give the seeds enough soil, space, and nutrients from the start, they will be able to grow past the microgreen stage and become full-sized plants.
But since these are seeds that are planted to grow microgreens, they probably won’t ever get big enough to be plants. In a perfect world, the seeds would have been able to grow into full-sized plants. But since you only grew them as microgreens, that chance will be lost.
Do microgreens keep growing?
In answer to the first question, microgreens don’t keep growing. They will stop growing at some point in their life because they won’t be able to reach their full size. Again, let us go back to how microgreens are grown.
If you skip ahead to the part where the microgreens are already competing for nutrients in the thin layer of soil you planted their seeds in, these plants won’t have the energy to keep growing because they are already in a very stressful situation where they want to grow but can’t because you didn’t give them the right climate.
Because they are under a lot of stress, the microgreens will stay as microgreens or at the stage where they are ready to be picked. At this point in their lives, they are too little fed to keep growing because they have almost used up all the energy they stored as seeds.
We already told you that cutting the microgreens off from the rest of the plant will kill the roots because it is too stressful. If you don’t pick the microgreens, the same thing will happen; they are already too stressed to keep growing and living, and they will die out in the end. So, in that sense, even if you don’t harvest the microgreens, they will stop growing and eventually die.
In the same way, a microgreen that has been picked will stress the roots so much that they can’t grow a new plant. To put it another way, microgreens are just one-hit wonders that will never grow and will eventually die out because they are in too much stress.