Growing Microgreens in a North-Facing Studio: A Conversation
“I don’t have a sunny window.”
“That’s fine.”
“It’s north-facing.”
“Still fine.”
“It’s winter.”
“Also fine.”
That’s how this experiment began.
I have a glass-top table in my studio. A north-facing window. No grow room. No shelves of lights. Just a little square of space and a question: Can you really grow food indoors without turning your house into a greenhouse?
So I asked someone who knows
“Start with this,” she said. “Microgreens don’t need full sun. They need light. They’re harvested young. You’re not growing tomatoes.”
“Will they get leggy?”
“They might lean. Rotate the tray. If they stretch dramatically, add a simple clamp light. Not a system. Not a project. A light.”
I can handle a light.
“What do I actually need?” I asked.
“Shallow tray. Potting soil. Seeds meant for microgreens. Spray bottle. That’s it.”
“No special equipment?”
“You’re growing baby plants for ten days, not managing an orchard.”
That felt manageable.
“Which seeds?” I asked.
“Radish or broccoli. They’re forgiving. Fast. They make you feel successful.”
Success in ten days? Sold.
Here’s what I was told to do:
Microgreens growing on my glass top table by a north-facing window
Moisten the soil lightly and spread it about an inch deep in a tray. Scatter the seeds thickly — not piled, but close. Press them gently into the soil. Mist. Cover the tray for two or three days until they push upward.
“No burying?”
“No burying.”
Once they sprout, remove the cover and set them in the window.
“Water from the bottom,” she added. “Set the tray in shallow water for ten minutes. Mold is the only real enemy.”
“That and my own overthinking,” I said.
She laughed. “Yes. That too.”
“And then?”
“You wait. Seven to ten days. When they’re two or three inches tall and have their first true leaves, cut them just above the soil.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
No chickens. No coop. No compost piles. No acreage.
Just a tray of green on a studio table.
“But is this really homesteading?” I asked.
“Is it food you grew yourself?”
“Yes.”
“Then yes.”
I thought about that.
The sourdough resting in the refrigerator. The milk on the counter waiting to become yogurt. The soap curing on the rack. And now — a tray of greens in winter light.
It’s not dramatic. It’s not photogenic farmland. It’s quiet cultivation.
Food grown within the circle of what I can steward.
“And if they fail?” I asked.
“Then you adjust the light and try again. Seeds are cheaper than regret.”
So we begin.
A north-facing window.
A glass table.
A shallow tray of soil.
And the audacity to grow something anyway.
HOW TO MAKE A TOTALLY HOMEMADE SANDWICH WITH MICROGREENS
Check out our Recipes page for how to make sourdough bread, homemade mayonnaise, and homemade mozzarella. Yum!
