In this article I’ll show you the process of growing broccoli, radish, and alfalfa microgreens in an AeroGarden, using the AeroGarden microgreens kit.
I like growing blends like this in large part because different microgreens have different nutrients. The nutrients in this particular blend are sulforaphane, protein, fiber, iron, calcium, folate, potassium, magnesium, vitamins, AC&K and omega 3, and Omega 6 fatty acids.
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Pro tip: To grow microgreens in an AeroGarden, you need to use the AeroGarden Microgreens Kit, which you can get here, on Amazon.
I also like sprouting and microgreen mixes because the flavors balance each other out. As an example, in this case both broccoli and radish microgreens have a pretty strong flavor. In contrast, alfalfa microgreens are mild and sweet. I enjoy this blend far more in smoothies compared to using just broccoli or radish microgreens alone in a smoothie.
You can purchase this blend here, through True Leaf Market. It’s actually a sprouting seed mix. Since I grow microgreens hydroponically, I often purchase sprouting seeds because I know they should grow well in water.
Pro tip: To learn more about what microgreens grow well in water, check out my article, The Top 10 Hydroponic Microgreens.
Growing Broccoli, Radish and Alfalfa Microgreens in an AeroGarden
Without further ado, let’s get into growing broccoli, radish, and alfalfa microgreens in an AeroGarden using the AeroGarden microgreens kit.
Adding Water
I go through the process of using the AeroGarden Microgreens Kit in detail in this article, so I’ll just briefly touch on some of the basics in this article.
The first step you need to do when growing anything, including microgreens in an AeroGarden is to add water to the fill line.
When growing most things in an AeroGarden, you also add nutrients to the water. With microgreens, nutrients are optional. As you’ll see later in this article, I typically wait until day 5 to add nutrients. I used tap water without nutrients when I filled the basin.
Growing Medium Options for Growing Broccoli, Radish and Alfalfa Microgreens
When you purchase an AeroGarden Microgreens Kit, it comes with felt growing medium. In my experience, the growing medium works fine for most microgreens. But it’s a little on the pricey side, and it’s also sometimes out of stock.
Because of that, I came up with my own, reusable hydroponic growing medium. You can read all about it in this article AeroGarden Growing Medium Alternatives.
I decided to try the window screen growing medium for this particular grow.
Adding the Broccoli, Radish and Alfalfa Seeds to the AeroGarden
In general, when growing microgreens in an AeroGarden using the AeroGarden microgreens kit, I’ve found that about a teaspoon of microgreen seeds per side is about right.
So I sprinkled about a teaspoon of seeds on each side, and used my fingers to spread them out.
I had a problem that I didn’t anticipate, and that is that the alfalfa microgreen seeds are small enough that at least some of them immediately fell through the screen.
I tried a couple of things to get around this problem.
The first thing I tried was doubling the screen, using two layers of screen on each side. Unfortunately, that didn’t work very well either because the holes were in the same basic position, so a lot of seeds still fell through.
I then got the idea to first wet the screen, because then the water on the screen would keep the seeds from falling through.
That’s how I proceeded with this, and overall if worked fine.
Pro tip: In spite of it working okay, after this particular grow, for small seeds, I reverted to using either the AeroGarden felt (which I don’t like much, due to cost) or the Handy Pantry Micro mats. The Micro mats work well, and are quite a bit cheaper. You can get them here on Amazon, or here from True Leaf Market.
You can read my review of the Micro mats in this article, Using Handy Pantry Microgreen Growing Mats in an AeroGarden.
Day 2 of Growing Broccoli, Radish and Alfalfa Microgreens
OK, this is the morning of day two of the three-part salad mix blend that I got from True Leaf Market. I actually bought these seeds about 3 years before growing them in my AeroGarden, so I am happy with the growth, especially considering the age of the seeds.
Healthy Microgreen Roots
This early on, there’s not really much, if any green in these broccoli, radish and alfalfa microgreens, but you can see that there is a lot of healthy root growth.
Microgreen Seeds that Fell Through
Some seeds fell through, since I used the window screen instead of the AeroGarden microgreens felt. However, when you consider how many seeds I started with, a very small percentage of seeds fell through. I just used a paper towel to pick up the seeds that fell through.
You can see that there are also some gaps where no microgreens are growing. Thankfully, that’s nothing to worry about. As you’ll see, those gaps will fill in as the microgreens continue to grow.
Broccoli, Radish and Alfalfa Microgreens, Day 4
At the beginning of the 4th day (so after 3 full days of growth), you can see that there’s a ton of condensation on the domes. While you can’t see it too well in the photo, the microgreens are growing up close to the top of the domes by this point.
Because of that, I decided to remove the domes. You can see below that the broccoli, alfalfa, and radish microgreens are doing really well in the AeroGarden.
A few places in the photo above you’ll see white “fuzz.” I remember the first time I saw this; I was concerned it was mold. But this is a common sight, especially when growing radish microgreens. The white fuzz is nothing more than root hairs, and nothing to worry about.
AeroGarden Microgreens, Day 5
In the image above you can see what the alfalfa, radish, and broccoli microgreen mix look like on day five, after four full days of growth. The taller microgreens are radish.
Remember when earlier that I mentioned gaps would fill in? You can see that they have. This is why while it’s ideal to spread the seeds as evenly as possible, in spite of some gaps, it all works out.
Changing the Water and Adding Nutrients
The instructions that come with the AeroGarden Microgreens Kit (Amazon) state that you need to change the water at least once a week.
The instructions also indicate that nutrients are optional, but may help the microgreens grow better. Nutrients may also increase the nutrients in the microgreens.
For those two reasons, when I grow microgreens in the AeroGarden, on the beginning of day five, I change the water. I also add in half the normal amount of nutrients. As an example, in the AeroGarden Harvest, you typically add 2 small capfuls of nutrients. With microgreens, I add one small capful (2 ml) of nutrients on day five.
Harvesting Broccoli, Radish and Alfalfa Microgreens, Day 9
Here’s how the broccoli, radish, and alfalfa microgreens look at the beginning of day nine of growing in an AeroGarden.
While the microgreens are growing well, when I spread apart the microgreens, you can see that some of the microgreens are much smaller than others. This is the biggest disadvantage of growing a mix. The radish microgreens grow a lot faster than the broccoli and alfalfa microgreens.
Pro tip: If you want the nutritional and taste benefits of the three-part blend, but don’t want the mixed grow rates, you can grow the alfalfa, broccoli, and radish microgreens separately. If you decide to grow the microgreens separately, but want to use them together, since radish grows so much faster than the broccoli and alfalfa microgreens, I recommend starting the broccoli and alfalfa microgreens on the same day. Then, about two days later, start the radish microgreens.
Using Scissors to Harvest AeroGarden Microgreens
I find using scissors is the easiest way to harvest the microgreens that I grow in my AeroGarden.
As you can see in the photo above, I gently pull back the microgreens, and then use the scissors to cut just above the growing medium.
Yield: From two teaspoons of the microgreen mix, I ended up with about two cups of microgreens, after eight full days of growth.
Cleaning the Reusable Microgreen Growing Medium
One thing that I really love about this reusuable microgreen growing medium is that it’s. . . reusable. In the image above you can see that I have it flipped over, and you can see the roots. I just use my fingers to pull out the rest of the microgreens and roots. I then wash it with hot, soapy water, and let it air dry to be used again.
Read this article to learn how to make this reusable growing medium for the AeroGarden microgreens kit.
Recommended Resources
Here are the resources that I personally use and recommend.
- AeroGarden Microgreens Kit (Compatible with AeroGarden Harvest)
- AeroGarden Microgreens Kit (Compatible with AeroGarden Bounty)
- True Leaf Market is where I buy all of my sprouting and microgreen seeds. They generally have better prices than other places, and they have GREAT customer service.
- 3 Part Salad Mix – is what I used in this, purchased from True Leaf Market.
- If you prefer to plant the seeds separately: broccoli, radish, alfalfa – also from True Leaf Market.