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FAQ
Answers to the most frequently asked questions of our customers here in the store
Order & Shipping
We usually deliver Germany-wide within 2-5 business days after receipt of payment. For shipping outside Germany, the delivery time may vary.
In Germany we deliver free of charge from an order value of 50€! All other tariffs you will find here.
You will receive a tracking number with each shipping confirmation, which you can use to check the current shipment status. Please note that we no longer have any influence on this once the package has been handed over to the transport service provider.
You can usually cancel your order yourself within 24 hours in your customer profile under the Orders tab. Once your order has arrived at our shipping center, the order can no longer be canceled manually.
You have 30 days to complain about delivered products. You can read more about this here.
General questions
Both variants are one and the same plant, only the harvest age is different. Sprouts have an age of about 3-8 days, and microgreens - about 8-20 days. Of course, the limit can not be set to the day, but it can be said approximately so. A big role is played by the method of cultivation: sprouts are grown on a pure water basis and do not require soil or other substrate. Microgreens, on the other hand, are best grown on good organic soil, as the little plants also need nutrients from the soil after about 8 days. Good growing soil is recommended because it does not contain too much fertilizer. Too much fertilizer in the first days is rather unfavorable for a healthy growth.
Of course, microgreens can also be grown on other substrates: Examples are hemp fiber or coconut fiber. For the perfect result, however, a little liquid fertilizer should be added to the irrigation water after 10 days at the latest.
There are no major differences in the ingredients, only the chlorophyll content is higher in microgreens due to more daylight. Therefore, one can say that microgreens are a little bit "healthier".
Both microgreens and sprouts are very easy to grow if you go for the right seeds and follow a few principles.
Microgreens and sprouts have many advantages - one of them is the hardly needed space. A few window sills are bound to be free at any time, and you can place trellises just about anywhere in the apartment - even in a 1-bedroom apartment without a garden!
Both seed varieties are set in just a few minutes after soaking and require a few seconds of care 1-2x a day - that's it!
💡 Grow microgreens
If you are new to growing microgreens, pea and small seeds such as alfalfa, broccoli, radish or radish are best suited. These varieties are easy to handle.
Please note that you soak the pea seeds between 8h to 12h before spreading them on your seed tray. The smaller seeds do not need to be soaked beforehand.
Most children love mild varieties, which they can also easily take in their hands. Pea and sunflower are therefore ideal. Both are rather mild in taste. The pea tastes like fresh pea pods and the young sunflower has a slightly nutty flavor. Their texture is rather strong compared to other varieties. Small, coarse-motor children's hands can take them great in hand, without them immediately become mushy.
| Seed germ | Soaking time in hours | Time until harvest in days |
| Organic Golden Linseed | - | 7-11 |
| Organic sprouting seed field bean "Fava bean | 12 | 14-20 |
| Organic sprouting seed adzuki beans | 12 | 10-16 |
| Organic Germ Seed Alfalfa | - | 7-10 |
| Organic Germ Seed Basil | - | 14-20 |
| Organic Germ Seed Basil Red | - | 14-20 |
| Organic Germ Seed Fenugreek | - | 7-11 |
| Organic sprouting seed broccoli | - | 7-10 |
| Organic sprouted seed buckwheat unpeeled | 12 | 7-14 |
| Organic sprouting seed dill | - | 16-20 |
| Organic germination seed peas | 12 | 8-14 |
| Organic Fennel Seed | - | 14-20 |
| Organic Sprouting Seed Kale "Black Mandingo | - | 7-10 |
| Organic sprouting seed Kale red | - | 7-10 |
| Organic germination seed cherry pea | 12 | 8-14 |
| Organic sprouting seed Kohlrabi | - | 7-10 |
| Organic sprouted coriander seed | - | 14-20 |
| Organic sprouted coriander seed (split) | - | 14-20 |
| Organic Sprouting Seed Cress | - | 6-10 |
| Organic Germ Seed Chard | 8 | 14-20 |
| Organic germination seed Mizuna | - | 7-11 |
| Organic Germ Seed Carrot | - | 16-20 |
| Organic germination seed mung beans | 12 | 8-14 |
| Organic Seed Radish | - | 7-11 |
| Organic Seed Radish Red | - | 7-11 |
| Organic sprouting seed radish (Daikon) | - | 7-11 |
| Organic germination seed rose clover (incarnate clover) | - | 7-10 |
| Organic sprouted beetroot seed | 8 | 14-20 |
| Organic Germ Seed Red Lentils | 8 | 8-14 |
| Organic Sprouted Seed Red Amaranth | - | 8-12 |
| Organic sprouting seed red clover | - | 7-10 |
| Organic sprouting seed red cabbage | - | 7-11 |
| Organic sprouted arugula | - | 7-10 |
| Organic sprouting seed Chives | - | 12-20 |
| Organic sprouted celery seed | - | 16-20 |
| Organic sprouted mustard | - | 7-10 |
| Organic sprouted mustard "Red Giant | - | 7-11 |
| Organic sprouted spinach | - | 14-20 |
| Organic Germ Seed Sunflower | 8-10 | 8-14 |
| Organic Germ Seed Wheat | 12 | 8-12 |
| Organic Sprouting Seed Onion | - | 12-20 |
To make the cultivation of microgreens as successful as possible, a room temperature of 18-20'C and no direct sunlight are recommended. In the first 3 days you should cover them, just do not forget about watering. Suitable for this purpose is, for example, a piece of wood or another tray. The goal is to retain moisture in the soil as long as possible.
Especially with microgreens, we do not distinguish so strictly between dark or light germinators. In numerous tests, we have hardly been able to determine any differences when we germinated them light or dark. These differences play a greater role in horticulture, because here the seeds once under the ground no longer get any light pulse at all, if they are light germinators, for example. We do not have this problem with microgreens, because the seeds are always exposed to sufficient light pulses during daily control. Therefore, we do not specifically address light or dark germinators in our seeds.
We recommend using a spray bottle for watering in the first days. In this case you can use the pressure sprayer from Keimgrün. From the 4th or 5th day it makes sense to water the microgreens from below. To do this, simply place the pots in a bowl with water for 10-15 min, so that they can supply themselves with water.
The frequency depends on the room temperature. We recommend to start with 1x a day. However, at higher room temperature it is also necessary to water them 2x a day. You can easily check it by watering your microgreens in the morning and checking if the soil is dry or still moist in the evening.
Attention should also be paid to the selection of the trays. Here it is important to ensure that excess water can drain off from the trays. Thus, overwatering can be easily avoided.
The seed coats usually fall off by themselves. Just let your microgreens grow a few days longer. If despite all this some still remain, you can put them briefly in water. The seed coats will then float to the surface.
By storing the soil airtight, fungus gnats can not settle. Therefore, please make sure that you always close and store your soil airtight. As a preventive measure, some customers heat their soil briefly in the oven.
No, coconut soil does not have any nutrients.
We would use the soil only once, because the seeds pull the nutrients from the substrate as they grow.
In addition, the root and seed residues remain in the soil after harvesting. These can lead to diseases, such as mold. Especially larger seeds, such as those of the pea or sunflower are very massive, which makes further cultivation on them very difficult.
You can also grow microgreens in the garden or on your balcony in summer. However, you should be aware that your little plants will burn quickly on very hot days and in direct sunlight.
When sowing directly into the bed, always place a small layer of soil over the seeds to protect them from animals and the weather.
💡 Grow sprouts
When growing in a sprout jar, we recommend starting with little seed. For smaller varieties such as broccoli and alfalfa, a maximum of 2 tablespoons is sufficient. Direct sunlight should be avoided and the room temperature should be about 20'C, although sprouts are not quite so sensitive to temperature.
When choosing seeds, it is important to make sure that they are germinable and organic seeds. The germination rate should be very high - because non-germinable seeds quickly begin to mold in the sprout jar.
In addition, some varieties are slime-forming and therefore not suitable for growing in a sprout jar. These are the following:
We have had the best experience when you start the varieties separately. Seeds are a natural product, so the soaking and growth times can change a little depending on the batch. Therefore, it is not possible to make a 100% statement as to which varieties can always be planted together. In general, however, similarly sized seeds with the same germination period can be combined well in the sprouting jar.
Possible combinations:
- Broccoli rapa, kale, Brussels clover, red cabbage, kohlrabi and red clover
- Mung beans and lentils
- Radish and all types of radish
| Seed germ | Soaking time in hours | Germination period Days | Recommended quantity in tbsp. (750ml jar) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organic sprouting seed adzuki bean | 12 | 8-12 | 3-4 |
| Organic Germ Seed Alfalfa | 8 | 7-10 | max. 1 |
| Organic Germ Seed Fenugreek | 8 | 4-8 | 2-3 |
| Organic sprouting seed broccoli | 8 | 4-8 | 1,5 |
| Organic Sprouted Buckwheat Hulled | 4 | 1-3 | 10 |
| Organic germination seed peas | 12 | 3 | 8 |
| Organic Germ Seed Green Lentils | 12 | 3-5 | 6-8 |
| Organic sprouting kale seed | 8 | 5-9 | 2 |
| Organic germination seed cherry pea | 12 | 2-5 | 6 |
| Organic sprouting seed Kohlrabi | 8 | 5-9 | 2 |
| Organic germination seed maize | 12 | 3-5 | 3 |
| Organic germination seed Mizuna | 8 | 5-9 | 2 |
| Organic germination seed mung beans | 12 | 4-7 | 3 |
| Organic Sprouted Seed Pak Choi | 6-8 | 5-9 | 2 |
| Organic Seed Radish | 4-6 | 5-10 | max. 2 |
| Organic Seed Radish Red | 4-6 | 5-10 | max. 2 |
| Organic sprouting seed radish (Daikon) | 4-6 | 5-10 | 2-3 |
| Organic germination seed rose clover (incarnate clover) | 8 | 5-9 | 1-1 |
| Organic Germ Seed Red Lentils | 12 | 2-5 | 6-8 |
| Organic sprouting seed red clover | 8 | 5-9 | 2 |
| Organic sprouting seed red cabbage | 8 | 5-9 | 2 |
| Organic Germ Seed Wheat | 12 | 2-3 | Not specified |
| Sprout mix "Salad | 12 | 3-4 | 2 |
| Sprout mix "Vitamin | 6-8 | 7-10 | 2 |
| Organic germination seed Quino | 4 | 1-2 | 2-3 |
The data for soaking and germination times are approximate guidelines. The duration may vary depending on the season, temperature and humidity.
Detailed instructions for the general procedure in the sprout jar can be found here.
The following varieties germinate better in darkness in the first days: adzuki beans, peas, chickpeas and broccoli.
Sprouts should always be soaked in water for a few hours at the beginning so that the seeds soak up water. If you just rinse them initially, this might not be enough for them to start germinating.
Basically, it does not matter to the seeds if you soak them 1-2 hours too long. However, for some varieties this can decrease the germination rate. So if you feel that your current batch is not germinating well, it may be due to the soaking time. Please check this to be able to exclude this cause.
The sprouts should ideally be watered 2x a day, otherwise there is a risk that they dry out and possibly form germs. To water, simply rinse the glass or strainer with water, shake a little and then drain again.
If your sprouts have black spots, it is most likely mould. I would advise you to discard them and disinfect your sprout jar thoroughly. You can use vinegar essence for example.
If your sprouts are furry, determine if it is microroots or mold. Especially in warm temperatures, both can form quickly. How you can tell the difference between the two, you can read in our blog post sprout mold or micro roots.
If the sprouts start to get stinky and mushy, it is usually due to too much moisture. Our tip: Always make sure to carefully drain the moisture after watering and provide sufficient ventilation.
Depending on the variety and personal preferences germination period varies greatly. Climatic conditions also play a role in the growth. On warm summer days germination days are reduced. There is usually no such thing as too long or too short. If you are unsure and do not yet know at what stage you can harvest your variety, it is best to follow our germination tables. The taste of your sprouts can change depending on the germination stage.
Harvest time - and now?
Both microgreens and sprouts are incredibly delicious and are suitable for a variety of recipes. Sure, on bread or in a salad is always fine. But if you're looking for new inspiration, feel free to check out our Instagram profile. You can also find many more recipe ideas here on our homepage and in our books.
You can eat your sprouts whole. The shell usually comes off during germination and floats on the water surface when rinsed.
Before the seeds are offered in our online store, a microbial examination is carried out by the manufacturer or by Keimgrün at an independent laboratory. There the seeds are tested for harmful pathogens such as e. coli bacteria or salmonella. Each batch is given its own batch number, which can also be found on each label. This ensures traceability of origin at all times.
In principle, sprouts can be eaten raw, but some varieties, such as peas, chickpeas and adzuki beans, have phasin. During germination, a large part of it is broken down, but large quantities should not be eaten raw. It is therefore advised to blanch or cook bean sprouts before eating.
When you are satisfied with the growth stage, rinse them thoroughly again. After that they should drain well, a salad spinner works best to remove the excess water.
You can then store them in an airtight bowl with a lid in the fridge for 2-3 days.
If you are satisfied with the size of your sprouts, but don't want to eat them all at once, you can store them in the refrigerator without any problems. An airtight container is suitable for this purpose.
We recommend rinsing the sprouts again beforehand and then drain them well, or use a salad spinner. They should rather dry in the refrigerator.
💡 Cress sieve questions
| Seed germ | Soaking time in hours | Germination period in days |
| Organic Golden Linseed | 15 min. | 8-10 |
| Organic Germ Seed Alfalfa | 8 | 7-9 |
| Organic Germ Seed Basil | - | 9-10 |
| Organic Germ Seed Basil Red | - | 9-10 |
| Organic sprouting seed broccoli | 8 | 5-10 |
| Organic Sprouting Seed Kale "Black Mandingo | 8 | 6-10 |
| Organic sprouting seed Kohlrabi | 8 | 6-10 |
| Organic Sprouting Seed Cress | 15 min. | 4-10 |
| Organic germination seed Mizuna | 8 | 7-10 |
| Organic Seed Radish | 8 | 7-10 |
| Organic Seed Radish Red | 8 | 7-10 |
| Organic sprouting seed radish (Daikon) | 8 | 7-10 |
| Organic germination seed rose clover (incarnate clover) | 8 | 7-10 |
| Organic sprouting seed red clover | 8 | 7-10 |
| Organic sprouting seed red cabbage | 8 | 7-10 |
| Organic sprouted arugula | 15 min. | 4-10 |
| Organic sprouted mustard | 15 min. | 7-10 |
| Organic sprouted mustard "Red Giant | 8 | 7-10 |
The information for soaking and germination times are approximate guidelines. The duration may vary depending on the season, temperature and humidity.
All about the seed
It is most likely that the seeds have unfortunately dried out. This can happen very quickly, especially in dry heated air or on very hot summer days. We would therefore recommend that you cover the seeds and check and spray them every day.
Additionally, we would change the location - instead of the windowsill, perhaps the colder kitchen countertop.
You can also soak the seeds for a few hours beforehand, so they can already soak up water well.
Except for the well-known variety of cress, the kitchen paper is rather less suitable, because it dries out too quickly, and therefore most of the seeds do not get enough moisture until the beginning of germination. If this is lacking, they dry out and do not germinate or hardly germinate.
The cress germinates quickly and therefore it works well on kitchen paper.
Therefore, for growing we recommend rather substrate, hemp mats or a cress screen.
In our online store we offer two different varieties of broccoli. There are the smaller seeds, broccoli rapa, and the slightly larger seeds, broccoli calabrese. We would like to briefly compare the differences so that you can find the right variety for you.
Broccoli rapa:
- the seeds are smaller
- older variety
- they germinate faster because they are smaller
- This variety is more suitable for growing in a sprout jar.
Broccoli calabrese
- the seeds are bigger
- they take a little longer to germinate because the seeds are larger
- their microgreens get a little bigger
The seeds from Keimgrün are seed-stable organic seeds, which are little cultivated. So as many as possible of the valuable vitamins and other ingredients are still contained in the young plants.
Perfect is: Dark, 15°C, humidity below 35% and packed airtight! Since we know that these conditions can usually not be fully met, just try to get as close as possible, even then you will enjoy the seeds for up to a year.
In theory, yes. In practice, however, seeds for microgreens are not bred in the same way as seeds for commercial horticulture. That's why you can't expect a big compact head from broccoli, for example, or a big bulb from radishes. Breeding is expensive and in our case it is not necessary. On the contrary, the unbred varieties are usually also much better in terms of ingredient and vitamin content. The cultivated varieties are usually only bred for properties that are important for the trade, vitamins and ingredients play a rather subordinate role. With sprouts and microgreens, however, only the first 20 days of cultivation of the plants and the valuable ingredients are important. Therefore, we go with the unbred seed, which is therefore also cheaper, the better.
As a matter of principle, every batch is subjected to an incoming inspection at Keimgrün . There, mainly the germination capacity is tested, but also visually inspected for pests, foreign bodies or other irregularities. Before the seeds are offered in the online store, a microbial examination is also carried out by the manufacturer or by Keimgrün at an independent laboratory. There, the seeds are tested for harmful pathogens such as e. coli bacteria or salmonella. Each batch is given its own batch number, which can also be found on each label. This ensures traceability of origin at all times.
Shelf life depends primarily on storage. With perfect storage (i.e. cool, dark, dry and protected from air) it lasts at least a year, in most cases even longer.
Keimgrün obtains all offered seeds from the EU, except for the red amaranth, which is propagated in America. We try to cooperate as much as possible with regional producers and expand our range with sprouted seeds from Germany. For example, our wheat as well as the golden linseed and the hemp seed we obtain regionally in Bioland quality. However, since this is not quite so easy and above all takes a lot of time, we currently obtain the majority of our seeds from Italy and France.
Trays & Growing Trays
The Keimgrün trays can be cleaned with an industrial washing line or a gastro dishwasher. They can withstand a washing temperature of 65-85 degrees.
We personally find the normal trays more convenient for tall microgreens with larger seeds, such as pea and sunflower.
The flat trays are great for delicate microgreens with small seeds, such as amaranth, beet or carrot. You can harvest or cut them better in the flat trays.
We can reassure you that the microgreens are not able to dissolve and absorb microplastics from the shells in the short time during which they grow (7-14 days). In addition, the trays offered are BPA-free.
Of course, we also believe that plastic is not the best material for growing microgreens and sprouts for environmental reasons. That's why we have been looking for the perfect material for a long time, which is also biodegradable. Unfortunately, there are not yet many natural alternatives that meet our requirements:
- Long-lasting in interaction with living earth
- Flat & with holes to avoid waterlogging
- Easy to clean
- Good value
There the choice is very limited, which is why especially for attachment sizes that go beyond the sizes of the coconut shell, the plastic will probably not be replaced so quickly... If you have any ideas about this, we would be very happy to hear from you!
Depending on the model, the trays are very large. We clean our trays either with water or brush off the remaining soil, depending on the degree of contamination.
If it's summer and you have a garden available, the easiest way is the garden hose.
In winter or in an apartment, this is hardly possible. We then simply use the bathtub or fill a larger container with water, which we then place in the shower.
For germ-free cultivation, we spray the trays with a hydrogen peroxide solution shortly before use. This can reduce the development of mold.
Our approach is, if we use plastic, to be able to reuse it as often as possible for the sake of the environment and to generate as little waste as possible. For this reason, we have chosen particularly durable material!
As the trays are intended for growing plants in soil, they do not necessarily have to be food-safe and are therefore not declared. However, our trays are made of HIPS, a rubber-reinforced polysterol, which is known to be safe for contact with food.
Yes our trays are BPA free.
The trays are made of the plastic HIPS (High-Impact-Polystyrene). This material has a higher durability at a very low material cost than other alternatives such as PP or PE. The addition of rubber to the PS makes the material significantly more impact-resistant and tougher despite the low wall thickness.
Packing questions
Sustainability is very important to us when it comes to packaging, which is why the seed packaging from Keimgrün is made entirely of sturdy paper. This way, you get the entire assortment of loose seeds completely plastic-free. We are currently converting the small quantities in the starter packs to bags made of grass paper, so for the time being they will still be delivered in glassine paper.
Do you have ideas on how we can make our packaging even more sustainable? Then we look forward to hearing from you!
To ensure that your order arrives safely at your home, we pack the products in the best possible way, using natural and biodegradable materials. We use recycled cardboard and paper, egg cartons and so-called "packaging chips". These are made from corn starch. In rare cases, we use packaging chips made of recycled polystyrene from packages that we have received ourselves. The chips can be reused up to 10 times and are also completely recyclable.
Within 9 to 60 months, the packaging chips decompose into CO2, water and humus without leaving any residue.
According to the law, no best-before date must be specified for seeds. In our eyes, this is also not useful, because the shelf life of the seed depends on several different factors of storage: temperature, light, humidity, etc.. Since we can only control these conditions in our warehouse, it makes little sense to specify a best before date from our side.
However, if you store our seeds properly, you can use them for up to a year without any major restrictions.
These are approximate values, as sprout germination depends on many factors such as temperature, humidity and light.
Our legend has the following meaning:
- the first line indicates the different growing tools: Cress sieve, sprout jar, tray with soil.
- the second line shows the soaking time of the seeds for the different growers
- the third row shows the growing time of the seeds until consumption
A dash always means that the variety is not suitable for this appliance (1st line) or that it does not need to be soaked beforehand (2nd line).
