Answers to the most frequently asked questions from our customers here in the shop
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Both variants are one and the same plant, only the harvest age is different. Sprouts are around 3-8 days old and Microgreen are around 8-20 days old. Of course, the limit cannot be set exactly to the day, but you can say it roughly like that. The type of cultivation plays a major role: sprouts are grown on a pure water basis and do not require any soil or other substrate. Microgreen , on the other hand, are ideally grown on good organic soil , as the small plants also need nutrients from the soil after about 8 days.
Good potting soil is recommended because it does not contain too much fertilizer. Too much fertilizer in the first few days is rather unfavorable for healthy growth. Of course, you can Microgreen on other substrates: examples of this are hemp fibers or coconut fibers. For the perfect result, a little liquid fertilizer should be mixed into the irrigation water after 10 days at the latest.
There are no major differences in the ingredients, only the chlorophyll content is higher in Microgreen due to more daylight. Therefore you can say that Microgreen are a little bit “healthier”.
Both Microgreen and sprouts are very easy to grow if you choose the right seeds and follow a few principles.
Microgreen and sprouts have many advantages - one of which is that they hardly require any space. There are always a few window sills free, and you can place sprout jars almost anywhere in the apartment - even in a one-room apartment without a garden!
Both types of seeds are set in just a few minutes after soaking and require a few seconds of care once or twice a day - nothing more!
As a beginner, the best options for growing Microgreen are peas and small seeds such as alfalfa, broccoli, radishes or radishes. These varieties are easy to handle.
Please note that you soak the pea seeds for between 8 hours and 12 hours before spreading them on your seed tray. The smaller seeds do not need to be soaked beforehand.
Most children love mild varieties that they can easily hold. Peas and sunflowers are therefore ideal. Both have a rather mild taste. The pea tastes like fresh pea pods and the young sunflower has a slightly nutty taste. Its structure is rather strong compared to other varieties. Small, gross motor children's hands can easily hold them without them getting muddy.
| Germinating seeds | Soaking time in hours | Time to harvest in days |
| Organic golden linseed | – | 7-11 |
| Organic germinated field beans “Fava bean” | 12 | 14-20 |
| Organic germinated adzuki beans | 12 | 10-16 |
| Organic germinated alfalfa seeds | – | 7-10 |
| Organic germinated basil seeds | – | 14-20 |
| Organic germinated basil red seeds | – | 14-20 |
| Organic germinated fenugreek seeds | – | 7-11 |
| Organic sprouted broccoli seeds | – | 7-10 |
| Organic germinated buckwheat seeds, unpeeled | 12 | 7-14 |
| Organic germinated dill seeds | – | 16-20 |
| Organic germinated peas | 12 | 8-14 |
| Organic germinated fennel seeds | – | 14-20 |
| Organic germinated kale seeds “Black Mandingo” | – | 7-10 |
| Organic germinated kale red | – | 7-10 |
| Organic germinated chickpea seeds | 12 | 8-14 |
| Organic germinated kohlrabi seeds | – | 7-10 |
| Organic germinated coriander seeds | – | 14-20 |
| Organic germinated coriander seeds (split) | – | 14-20 |
| Organic sprouted cress seeds | – | 6-10 |
| Organic sprouting chard seeds | 8 | 14-20 |
| Organic germinated seeds Mizuna | – | 7-11 |
| Organic sprouted carrot seeds | – | 16-20 |
| Organic germinated mung beans | 12 | 8-14 |
| Organic germinated radishes | – | 7-11 |
| Organic germinated radishes red | – | 7-11 |
| Organic germinated radish seeds (Daikon) | – | 7-11 |
| Organic germination seeds rose clover (crimson clover) | – | 7-10 |
| Organic germinated beetroot seeds | 8 | 14-20 |
| Organic germinated red lentil seeds | 8 | 8-14 |
| Organic germination seeds Red Amaranth | – | 8-12 |
| Organic germinated red clover seeds | – | 7-10 |
| Organic germinated red cabbage seeds | – | 7-11 |
| Organic sprouted rocket seeds | – | 7-10 |
| Organic germinated chives | – | 12-20 |
| Organic sprouting celery seeds | – | 16-20 |
| Organic germinated mustard | – | 7-10 |
| Organic germinated mustard “Red Giant” | – | 7-11 |
| Organic sprouted spinach seeds | – | 14-20 |
| Organic germinated sunflower seeds | 8-10 | 8-14 |
| Organic germinated wheat seeds | 12 | 8-12 |
| Organic germinated onion seeds | – | 12-20 |
In order for the cultivation of Microgreen to be as successful as possible, a room temperature of 18-20'C and no direct sunlight are recommended. You should cover them for the first 3 days, just don't forget to water them. For example, a piece of wood or another tray is suitable for this. The goal is to store moisture in the soil for as long as possible.
Especially when it comes to Microgreen , we don't make such a strict distinction between dark and light germinators. In numerous tests, we were able to hardly detect any differences when we germinated them in light or dark conditions. These differences play a larger role in horticulture, since the seeds no longer receive any light pulse once they are underground, for example if they are light germinators. We don't have this problem with Microgreen because the seeds are always exposed to enough light pulses during daily checking. That's why we don't specifically focus on light or dark germination when it comes to our seeds.
We recommend using a spray bottle to water in the first few days. In this case you can use the pressure sprayer from Keimgrün . From the 4th or 5th day it makes sense to water Microgreen To do this, simply place the pots in a bowl of water for 10-15 minutes so that they can supply themselves with water.
The frequency depends on the room temperature. We recommend starting with once a day. However, at higher room temperatures it is also necessary to water them twice a day. You can easily check by watering your Microgreen in the morning and checking in the evening whether the soil is dry or still moist.
The selection of trays (bowls) should also be taken into account. It is important to ensure that excess water can drain out of the trays. This means overwatering can easily be avoided.
The seed coats usually fall off on their own. Simply let your Microgreen grow for a few days longer. If, despite all this, some of them still stick, you can put them briefly in water. The seed coats then float to the surface.
By keeping the soil airtight, fungus gnats cannot settle. Please make sure that you always seal and store your soil airtight. To prevent this, some customers briefly heat their soil in the oven.
No, coconut soil has no nutrients.
We would only use the soil once because the seeds draw nutrients from the substrate as they grow.
In addition, the root and seed remains remain in the soil after harvest. These can lead to diseases, such as mold. Larger seeds in particular, such as those from peas or sunflowers, are very massive, which makes further cultivation on them very difficult.
You can also grow Microgreen in the garden or on your balcony in summer. However, you should note that your small plants will burn quickly on very hot days and in direct sunlight.
When sowing directly into the bed, you should always put a small layer of soil over the seeds so that you protect the seeds from animals and the weather.
When growing in a sprout glass, we recommend starting with few seeds. For smaller varieties such as brocolli and alfalfa, a maximum of 2 tablespoons is sufficient. Direct sunlight should be avoided and the room temperature should be around 20'C, although sprouts are not quite as sensitive to temperature.
When choosing seeds, it is important to ensure that they are germinable and organic seeds. The germination rate should be very high - because seeds that cannot germinate quickly start to mold in the sprouting jar.
In addition, some varieties produce slime and are therefore not suitable for growing in sprouting jars. These are the following:
We have had the best experience when you prepare the varieties separately. Seeds are a natural product, so the soaking and growing times can change slightly depending on the batch. Therefore, you cannot make a 100% statement about which varieties you can always plant together. In general, similarly sized seeds with the same germination time can be combined well in the sprouting jar.
Possible combinations:
| Germinating seeds | Soaking time in hours | Germination time in days | Recommended quantity in tablespoons (750ml glass) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organic germinated adzuki bean seeds | 12 | 8-12 | 3-4 |
| Organic germinated alfalfa seeds | 8 | 7-10 | max. 1 |
| Organic germinated fenugreek seeds | 8 | 4-8 | 2-3 |
| Organic sprouted broccoli seeds | 8 | 4-8 | 1,5 |
| Organic sprouted buckwheat, peeled | 4 | 1-3 | 10 |
| Organic germinated peas | 12 | 3 | 8 |
| Organic germinated green lentil seeds | 12 | 3-5 | 6-8 |
| Organic sprouted kale seeds | 8 | 5-9 | 2 |
| Organic germinated chickpea seeds | 12 | 2-5 | 6 |
| Organic germinated kohlrabi seeds | 8 | 5-9 | 2 |
| Organic germinated corn | 12 | 3-5 | 3 |
| Organic germinated seeds Mizuna | 8 | 5-9 | 2 |
| Organic germinated mung beans | 12 | 4-7 | 3 |
| Organic germinated seeds Pak Choi | 6-8 | 5-9 | 2 |
| Organic germinated radishes | 4-6 | 5-10 | max. 2 |
| Organic germinated radishes red | 4-6 | 5-10 | max. 2 |
| Organic germinated radish seeds (Daikon) | 4-6 | 5-10 | 2-3 |
| Organic germination seeds rose clover (crimson clover) | 8 | 5-9 | 1-1 |
| Organic germinated red lentil seeds | 12 | 2-5 | 6-8 |
| Organic germinated red clover seeds | 8 | 5-9 | 2 |
| Organic germinated red cabbage seeds | 8 | 5-9 | 2 |
| Organic germinated wheat seeds | 12 | 2-3 | not specified |
| Sprout mix “salad” | 12 | 3-4 | 2 |
| “Vitamin” sprout mix | 6-8 | 7-10 | 2 |
| Organic sprouted seeds Quino | 4 | 1-2 | 2-3 |
The soaking and germination times are approximate guidelines.
The duration may vary depending on the season, temperature and humidity. You can find detailed instructions on the general procedure in the sprout jar here.
The following varieties germinate better in the dark in the first few 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. Just rinsing them initially may not be enough for them to start germinating.
Basically, it doesn't hurt the seeds if you soak them for 1-2 hours too long. However, for some varieties this can reduce the germination rate. So if you feel like your current batch isn't germinating well, it may be due to the soaking time. Please check this to rule out this cause.
The sprouts should ideally be watered twice a day, otherwise there is a risk that they will dry out and germs may form. To water, simply rinse the glass or sieve with water, shake it a little and then let it drain again.
If your sprouts have black spots, it's most likely mold. I would advise you to throw them away and thoroughly disinfect your sprout jar. You can use vinegar essence, for example.
If your sprouts are furry, you need to clarify whether they are microroots or mold. Both can form quickly, especially in warm temperatures. You can find out how you can tell the difference between the two in our blog post Sprout mold or microroots .
If the sprouts start to get smelly and mushy, it's usually due to too much moisture. Our tip: Make sure to always pour off the moisture carefully after watering and ensure there is sufficient ventilation.
Depending on the variety and personal preferences, the germination time varies greatly. Climatic conditions also play a role in growth. Germination days are reduced on warm summer days. As a rule, there is no such thing as too long or too short. If you are unsure and don't yet know at what stage you can harvest your variety, it's best to follow our germination tables. The taste of your sprouts may change depending on their germination stage.
Both Microgreen and sprouts are incredibly delicious and suitable for a variety of recipes. Of course, it always goes on bread or in a salad. However, if you are looking for new inspiration, please take a look at our Instagram profile . You can also find many other 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 surface of the water when rinsed.
Before the seeds are offered in our online shop, the manufacturer or Keimgrün carries out a microbial test at an independent laboratory. There the seeds are tested for harmful pathogens such as e. coli bacteria or salmonella are examined. Each batch gets its own batch number, which can also be found on every label. This ensures traceability of the origin at all times.
In principle, sprouts can be eaten raw, but some varieties such as peas, chickpeas and adzuki beans have phasin. A large part of it is broken down during germination, but large quantities should not be consumed raw. It is therefore advisable to blanch or cook bean sprouts before eating.
When you're happy with the stage of growth, rinse them thoroughly again. They should then 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 refrigerator for 2-3 days.
If you're happy with the size of your sprouts but don't want to eat them all at once, you can safely store them in the fridge. An airtight container is suitable for this.
We recommend rinsing the sprouts again beforehand and then letting them drain well, or using a salad spinner. They should be kept dry in the fridge.
| Germinating seeds | Soaking time in hours | Germination time in days |
| Organic golden linseed | 15 minutes. | 8-10 |
| Organic germinated alfalfa seeds | 8 | 7-9 |
| Organic germinated basil seeds | – | 9-10 |
| Organic germinated basil red seeds | – | 9-10 |
| Organic sprouted broccoli seeds | 8 | 5-10 |
| Organic germinated kale seeds “Black Mandingo” | 8 | 6-10 |
| Organic germinated kohlrabi seeds | 8 | 6-10 |
| Organic sprouted cress seeds | 15 minutes. | 4-10 |
| Organic germinated seeds Mizuna | 8 | 7-10 |
| Organic germinated radishes | 8 | 7-10 |
| Organic germinated radishes red | 8 | 7-10 |
| Organic germinated radish seeds (Daikon) | 8 | 7-10 |
| Organic germination seeds rose clover (crimson clover) | 8 | 7-10 |
| Organic germinated red clover seeds | 8 | 7-10 |
| Organic germinated red cabbage seeds | 8 | 7-10 |
| Organic sprouted rocket seeds | 15 minutes. | 4-10 |
| Organic germinated mustard | 15 minutes. | 7-10 |
| Organic germinated mustard “Red Giant” | 8 | 7-10 |
The soaking and germination times are approximate guidelines. The duration may vary depending on the season, temperature and humidity.
Unfortunately, the seeds have most likely dried out. This can happen quickly, especially when the air is dry or on very hot summer days. Therefore, we would recommend that you cover the seeds and check and spray them every day.
In addition, we would change the location - perhaps the colder kitchen worktop instead of the windowsill.
You can also soak the seeds for a few hours beforehand so that they can soak up water.
With the exception of the well-known variety of cress, kitchen paper is less suitable because it dries out too quickly and most seeds do not receive enough moisture before germination begins.
If this is missing, they dry out and hardly or not at all germinate. The cress germinates quickly and therefore also works on kitchen paper.
We therefore recommend substrate, hemp mats or a cress sieve for cultivation.
We offer two different types of broccoli in our online shop. There are the smaller seeds, broccoli rapa, and the slightly larger seeds, broccoli calabrese. We would like to briefly compare the differences to you so that you can find the right variety for you.
Broccoli rapa:
Broccoli calabrese
Keimgrün seeds are solid organic seeds that have undergone little cultivation. This means that as many of the valuable vitamins and other ingredients as possible are still contained in the young plants.
Perfect: dark, 15°C, humidity below 35% and packed airtight! Since we know that these requirements usually cannot be completely met, just try to get as close as possible, even then you will be able to enjoy the seeds for up to a year.
Theoretically yes. In practice, the seeds for Microgreen are not bred in the same way as the seeds for commercial horticulture. That's why you shouldn't expect a large, compact head from broccoli, for example, or a large tuber from radishes. Breeding is expensive and not necessary in our case. On the contrary: the unbred varieties are usually much better in terms of ingredient and vitamin content. The bred variants are usually only bred for properties that are important for trade; vitamins and ingredients play a relatively minor role. When it comes to sprouts and Microgreen , only the first 20 days of growing the plants and the valuable ingredients are important. That's why we do it all the better with unbred seeds, which are therefore also cheaper.
Basically, every batch at Keimgrün is subjected to an incoming inspection. Above all, germination is tested there, but also visual inspections are carried out to check for pests, foreign bodies or other irregularities. Before the seeds are offered in the online shop, the manufacturer or Keimgrün also carries out a microbial test at an independent laboratory. There the seeds are tested for harmful pathogens such as e. coli bacteria or salmonella are examined. Each batch gets its own batch number, which can also be found on every label. This ensures traceability of the origin at all times.
The shelf life depends primarily on storage. If stored perfectly (i.e. cool, dark, dry and protected from air) it will last at least a year, in most cases longer.
Keimgrün sources all of the seeds it offers from the EU, except for the red amaranth , which is propagated in America. We try to work as much as possible with regional producers and expand our range with germinated seeds from Germany. For example, we source our wheat , gold linseed and hemp seed regionally in Bioland quality. But since this is not that easy and, above all, takes a lot of time, we currently get the majority of our seeds from Italy and France.
The Keimgrün trays can be cleaned with an industrial car wash or a gastro dishwasher. They can withstand a washing temperature of 65-85 degrees.
Personally, we find the normal trays more comfortable for tall Microgreen with larger seeds, such as peas and sunflowers.
The Microgreen with small seeds, such as amaranth, beetroot or carrots. You can harvest or cut them better in the shallow bowls.
We can reassure you that the Microgreen are not able to release and absorb microplastics from the shells during the short time they grow (7-14 days). The trays offered are BPA-free.
Of course, we also believe that plastic is not the best material for growing Microgreen and sprouts for environmental reasons. That's why we've been looking for the perfect material that is also biodegradable for a long time. Unfortunately, there are not yet many natural alternatives that meet our requirements:
The selection is very limited, which is why the plastic probably won't be able to be replaced so quickly, especially for cultivation sizes that go beyond the size of the coconut shell... If you have any ideas about this, we would be very happy to hear !
Depending on the model, the trays are very large. Depending on the degree of contamination, we either clean our trays with water or brush off the remaining soil.
If it's summer and you have a garden available, the easiest way to use it is to use a garden hose.
This is difficult to do in winter or in an apartment. We then simply use the bathtub or fill a larger container with water, which we then put 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, if we already use plastic, is 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!
Since 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 from HIPS, a rubber-reinforced polystyrene, which is known to be denk when it comes into 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 longevity than other alternatives such as PP or PE with very little material expenditure. The addition of rubber to PS makes the material significantly more impact-resistant and tougher despite the thin wall.
The topic of sustainability is very important to us when it comes to packaging, which is why Keimgrün 's seed packaging is made entirely of sturdy paper. This means you get the entire range of loose seeds completely plastic-free. We are currently switching the small quantities in the starter packages to bags made of grass paper, so they will continue to 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 and pay attention to 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 from recycled polystyrene from packages that we received ourselves. The chips can be reused up to 10 times and are also completely recyclable.
According to the law, seeds do not have to have a best-before date. In our opinion, this does not make sense, as the shelf life of the seeds depends on several different storage factors: temperature, light, humidity, etc. Since we can only control these conditions in our warehouse, it makes little sense on our part specify a best-before date.
However, if you store our seeds properly, you can use them for up to a year without any major restrictions.
These are guideline values, as the germination of the sprouts depends on many factors such as temperature, humidity and light.
Our legend has the following meaning:
A line always means that the variety is not suitable for this device (1st line) or that it does not need to be soaked beforehand (2nd line).
Variety and product-related cultivation instructions
General growing instructions
Soaking times
You have decided on our Keimgrün Microgreen starter package – then you can get started. But you are still missing step-by-step instructions for each one
Pea as Microgreen reminds many of the pea pods from the field that you snacked on as a child. It tastes great as a salad base or on a buttered pretzel.
The difference between hulled and unhulled buckwheat is that hulled buckwheat has the seed coat removed. That's why you can use it as a sprout
We store our soil airtight. We therefore prevent fungus gnats from settling in our growing soil. Please make sure that you always seal your soil airtight
If your sprouts have black spots, it's most likely mold. I would advise you to throw them away and thoroughly disinfect your sprout jar. You can
If your sprouts are furry, you need to clarify whether they are microroots or mold. Both can form quickly, especially in warm temperatures. What you
