The 10 Microgreen Varieties We Grow

The Ten Varieties We Grow

What each one tastes like, how hot it is, how fast it grows, and what to put it on. Grown in rotation on Johns Island so something is always at peak.

Grown on Johns Island · Delivered from James Island · Across the Lowcountry

The MicroGreens Farm grows ten varieties on Johns Island, South Carolina: arugula, broccoli, cabbage, cantaloupe melon, cat grass, kale, mustard greens, pea shoots, radish and sunflower. Pea shoots and sunflower are the mildest and sweetest. Mustard and radish are the hot ones. Radish is the fastest, ready in six to ten days.

Sunflower shoot microgreens with thick broad leaves at The MicroGreens Farm, Johns Island SC — Sunflower, pea shoots, a purple-stemmed tray, and cat grass.

Pea shoot microgreens with tendrils growing in a tray, Johns Island SC — Sunflower, pea shoots, a purple-stemmed tray, and cat grass.

All ten, compared

Variety	Flavour	Heat	Ready in
Arugula	Peppery and nutty, with a medium heat	Medium	8–12 days
Broccoli	Mild, fresh and almost neutral	None	8–12 days
Cabbage	Mild and sweet, with pink to magenta stems	None	8–12 days
Cantaloupe Melon	Cool and faintly sweet, like melon near the rind	None	8–12 days
Cat Grass	Grown for cats to chew, not for your plate	n/a	7–10 days
Kale	Mild, sweet and faintly earthy	None	8–12 days
Mustard Greens	Sharp and building — the hottest we grow	Hot	7–10 days
Pea Shoots	Sweet and properly crunchy, like a fresh pea	None	8–14 days
Radish	A crisp, clean peppery heat	Medium-hot	6–10 days
Sunflower	Nutty, sweet and thick with a real snap	None	8–12 days

How to choose, if you have never bought these before

Start with pea shoots or sunflower. Both are sweet, thick and crunchy, and neither tastes remotely like the bitter green people brace themselves for. They are also the two that get eaten straight off the tray.

Add one with heat second. Radish for a clean pepper, mustard if you want something closer to wasabi. These are the ones that change a dish rather than decorate it.

Keep broccoli or kale as the everyday tray. Mild enough to put on eggs, soup or a sandwich daily without thinking about whether it fits.

Cabbage is for when it needs to look good — pink stems, mild flavour. Cantaloupe melon is the curiosity, worth ordering once just to see. Cat grass is for your cat, not your plate.

Every variety

Arugula Broccoli Cabbage Cantaloupe Melon Cat Grass Kale Mustard Greens Peas Radish Sunflower

Questions about varieties

Which microgreens taste the best?

Sunflower and pea shoots win most taste tests, because both are sweet, crunchy and mild. Radish and mustard are the ones people love once they know they like microgreens at all. Broccoli and kale are the mild everyday choices you can add to anything.

Which microgreens are the spiciest?

Mustard greens first, then radish, then arugula. Mustard has a sharp wasabi-like heat that builds; radish is a clean pepper that arrives and clears; arugula is more nutty-peppery than hot. Everything else we grow is mild or sweet.

Which microgreens grow the fastest?

Radish, at six to ten days. Mustard and cat grass follow at seven to ten. Most of the brassicas take eight to twelve days, and pea shoots can run to fourteen depending on how large we let them get.

Can I mix varieties in one order?

Yes. Most subscriptions are a mix, and mixing is the point — one mild, one with heat, one for crunch covers almost everything you would cook in a week. Tell us what you liked and did not and the next one changes.

See Living Tray Prices

Or order cut greens from $6 · 843.212.6932

Twenty questions answered · Charleston delivery · how we grow it

New: nine recipes, one per variety — shrimp and grits with pea shoots, South Carolina mustard sauce, sunflower shoot salad and six more.