How to grow Sunflower Microgreens
Updated October 2026
Sunflower microgreens are thick, crunchy shoots with a nutty flavor, grown indoors on a tray and cut about 7 to 12 days after sowing. Soak the seed, keep the tray dark and weighted for the first few days, then grow it in bright light. Because they grow indoors, you can sow them in any month anywhere in the country.
📖 Our full guide: How to Grow Sunflower Microgreens
Not to be confused with: These are young sunflower seedlings cut at the seed-leaf stage, not the garden sunflower grown for flowers and seeds, which has its own page.
Where to plant
Grow sunflower microgreens indoors at room temperature on a bright windowsill or under a grow light, with some air movement around the tray to prevent mold. The calendar is the same for every region: sow any month.
Choosing a variety
Use black oil sunflower seed sold for microgreens or sprouting, which is untreated and has thin hulls. Do not use treated garden seed, or bird seed, which is not cleaned or sold for eating.
How to plant
- Wash your hands and use a clean tray and tools.
- Soak the seed in cool water for about 8 to 12 hours, then rinse and drain.
- Fill the tray with 1 to 2 inches of moist potting mix, level it, and spread the soaked seed evenly so the seeds are close but not piled up.
- Cover with an upside-down tray and put a few pounds of weight on top. Keep it dark for 2 to 3 days, which presses the seeds into the mix and helps them root evenly.
- Once the shoots push up the cover, remove it and move the tray into bright light.
Watering and feeding
Water from below by setting the tray in a larger tray of water until the mix is moist, then let it drain. Keep the mix moist but never soggy; standing water and still air cause mold and damping off.
No fertilizer is needed for a crop this short.
Harvesting
Cut the shoots with clean scissors just above the mix about 7 to 12 days after sowing, when the seed leaves are fully open and green and before the first true leaves appear, which turn bitter. Brush off any hulls still clinging to the leaves. If hulls stick, a light morning misting and a few more hours of cover usually loosens them.
Rinse, dry well and store in a covered container in the fridge. They are best within a few days.
Using it
Eat them raw in salads, sandwiches, wraps and grain bowls, or as a crunchy topping on soups and tacos.
Pests and diseases
Indoors there are no real pests. Mold and damping off from overwatering are the only common problems.
Sunflower Microgreens is rarely troubled by pests.
Diseases to watch for
- Damping off Shoots collapse in patches at the base, often with gray or white fuzzy mold. Water from below, improve air flow and start the next tray clean.
Common questions
Do I need to soak sunflower seeds for microgreens?
Yes. Soaking for about 8 to 12 hours softens the hulls and gives faster, more even germination. Rinse the seed after soaking.
Why do I need to weight the tray?
A few pounds of weight on a cover tray for the first 2 to 3 days presses the seeds into the mix so they root firmly and come up evenly, and the darkness stretches the stems a little.
How do I get the hulls off sunflower microgreens?
Most drop off as the leaves open. For stubborn ones, mist lightly in the morning and keep the tray covered a few extra hours, or brush them off by hand before cutting.
When do I harvest sunflower microgreens?
About 7 to 12 days after sowing, when the seed leaves are fully open and before true leaves form, as later growth tastes bitter.
Can I use bird seed sunflower seeds?
It is best not to. Use seed sold for microgreens or sprouting, which is cleaned and intended for eating.
Sources we checked: Bexar County Master Gardeners (Texas A&M AgriLife): Growing sunflower microgreens; South Dakota State University Extension: Growing microgreens at home; Eden Brothers: Planting sunflower seeds (microgreens).
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