How to Grow Chinese Cabbage Microgreens

Chinese cabbage microgreens grow indoors year-round, with no season to wait for. Keep the room around 65 to 75F and, once sprouted, set the tray on a bright windowsill or under a grow light. Sowing a fresh tray on rotation every week or so keeps a steady supply of mild, fresh cabbage greens on hand.

Fill a shallow tray with an inch or two of moistened seed-starting mix or coconut coir and level it. Chinese cabbage is a small brassica seed and needs no soaking: sow the dry seed densely and evenly across the surface with minimal overlap, and don't bury it. Mist well, then cover the tray or set it in the dark for 2 to 4 days to germinate. Once the seeds sprout, uncover and move the tray into bright light. A tray with a fine medium gives far better results than a sprouting jar for this small seed.

After germination, water from the bottom to keep the foliage dry and discourage mold. Give the tray 10 to 16 hours of bright light a day, keep good airflow, and hold the temperature around 65 to 75F. Keep the medium evenly moist but never soggy, and keep trays and tools clean so the greens grow healthy and even.

Chinese cabbage microgreens are usually ready in about 8 to 12 days, once they reach 1.5 to 2.5 inches and the cotyledons have opened. Cut just above the soil with clean scissors, taking the whole tray at once. They do not regrow after cutting, so compost the roots and medium and start a fresh sowing. Store the greens dry and unwashed in an airtight container in the fridge, and rinse only before use.

Chinese cabbage microgreens have a mild, fresh cabbage flavor with a slightly sweet note, making them easy to add to almost anything. Scatter them over salads, sandwiches, wraps, and grain bowls, fold them into slaws, or use them as a fresh garnish on soups and stir-fries. Like other brassica microgreens they are nutrient-dense, delivering concentrated vitamins and beneficial plant compounds in tiny leaves.

• Mold vs. root hairs: fine white fuzz on the stems near the seeds is normal root hairs and disappears when misted. Slimy or cobweb-like growth spreading across the soil with a sour smell is mold; improve airflow, water less, and sow thinner.
• Damping off: seedlings collapse at the base in cool, damp, still air. Use clean trays, good airflow, and avoid overwatering.
• Leggy or pale greens: too little light. Give 10 to 16 hours of bright light or a grow light after uncovering.
• Uneven germination: usually uneven sowing or moisture. Spread the dry seed evenly and keep the surface consistently damp.
• Seed hulls stuck on leaves: mist and gently rub, or use a light weighted blackout cover so the hulls drop off.