--- title: Microgreens: Small But Mighty—Everything You need to Know description: The sweet little greens are full of flavor and nutrients. canonical: https://time.com/4187361/microgreens-salad-greens/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-21T15:00:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:56:29.049Z article:section: Health og:title: Everything You Need to Know About Microgreens og:description: The sweet little greens are full of flavor and nutrients og:url: https://time.com/4187361/microgreens-salad-greens/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1ccc97421c1b1e04/698879cbcd1bbaaecf6ff04d/microgreens.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3744 og:image:height: 2106 og:image:alt: microgreens og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Everything You Need to Know About Microgreens twitter:description: The sweet little greens are full of flavor and nutrients twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1ccc97421c1b1e04/698879cbcd1bbaaecf6ff04d/microgreens.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Everything You Need to Know About Microgreens > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Health Matters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Health Matters is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The latest health news and expert advice on living well. Health Matters makes the fast-moving world of health more useful, surprising and human, from the latest science and medical breakthroughs to practical ideas for living better. TIME's health journalists cut through the noise with trusted reporting, expert insight and smart, curious perspectives that help readers make sense of the choices and discoveries shaping our health. 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Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ## Video: Should I Drink Green Juice? [Watch (HLS stream): Should I Drink Green Juice?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/J0d2ag3D.m3u8) (1:36)  _Published 2015-04-23. Green juice can cost you $10 a bottle. But is it a trend worth buying into? All five of our experts gave green juice the go-ahead_ by [Beth Lipton / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Beth Lipton / Health.com Contributor Jan 21, 2016 3:00 PM UTC  Cress (Lepidum sativum) with roots in perlite Cress (Lepidum sativum) with roots in perliteGetty Images by [Beth Lipton / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Beth Lipton / Health.com Contributor Jan 21, 2016 3:00 PM UTC Don’t let anyone tell you that size doesn’t matter, especially when it comes to [eating your greens](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20487719,00.html). You’re probably familiar with sprouts (like alfalfa sprouts) as well as baby greens (such as baby kale or baby spinach). In between those are microgreens: itty-bitty edible flowers, herbs, [lettuces](http://www.health.com/health/video/0,,20773154,00.html), and other small greens that make a beautiful garnish on salads, soups, pasta, or sandwiches. **_Health.com_**_:_ [_13 Veggies You Only Think You Don’t Like_](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20831770,00.html?xid=time) True to their name, microgreens are tiny—they’re usually about one to two weeks old when harvested and only a few inches tall. Some varieties may look a lot like sprouts, but they aren’t quite the same. Unlike sprouts, which are grown in water, microgreens grow in soil or on a special growing mat. You can also eat sprouts whole—the seed, root, and stem—whereas microgreens are snipped above the root. But these sweet little greens aren’t just pretty—they’re also super-flavorful and [loaded with nutrients](http://news.health.com/2012/09/07/microgreens-healthier/). According to a 2012 study in the [_Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry_](http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf300459b)_,_ microgreens can contain anywhere from four to six times more nutrients than mature greens (including vitamins C, E, and beta-carotene). The study mentions red cabbage, cilantro, garnet amaranth, and green daikon as particularly nutritious varieties, but other popular ones to look for are basil microgreens, broccoli microgreens, kale microgreens, and sunflower microgreens. **_Health.com_**_:_ [_31 Superfoods for a Long and Healthy Life_](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20610379,00.html?xid=time) So, why not eat microgreens all the time? Unfortunately, they’re not cheap. For example, arugula costs around $4 per pound, but arugula microgreens can cost upwards of $32 per pound (yikes!). The good news is that you can skip the hefty price tag by growing your own at home (you can buy a starter pack of microgreen seeds [on Amazon](http://www.amazon.com/Heirloom-Organics-NON-GMO-Home-MicroGreen/dp/B00MB5TNIC/ref=as%5Fat?tag=healthcom04a-20&linkCode=as2&)). It’s a fun, healthy way to get your hands dirty! 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