The right tray for starting, growing, and harvesting microgreens, whether you grow a tray at a time or run a microgreens business.
These shallow 1020 germination trays are the same style used on commercial microgreen farms, and they work just as well for home growers. The low profile lets you cut your greens right at the base for cleaner harvests, higher yields, and beautiful presentation on the plate or at market.
Built to the standard 1020 format, these measure 21 1/8" x 10 3/4" across the top edges and stand just 1 1/4" deep, so they drop straight into any setup where your current 1020 trays already fit.
Why drainage holes are a must, not a maybe
Trays with drainage holes are essential for drainage and preventing mold. Excess water is the number one cause of failed trays. When water pools around the roots, you get damping off, root rot, and fungal growth that can wipe out a crop overnight.
The holes solve this two ways. They let excess water escape and drain after seeding, misting, or top watering, and, more importantly, they let you water from the bottom once sprouts are growing, which keeps the leaves dry and dramatically cuts your mold risk.
How to grow microgreens in these trays
Microgreens are one of the fastest, most forgiving crops you can grow. Most are ready in 7 to 14 days from seed. Here is the full process professional growers rely on, using a simple stack of three trays.
1. Set up your trays. Nest this tray with drainage holes inside a solid tray with no drainage holes. Early on, you water from the top and the solid bottom tray simply catches any runoff. Later, once the greens are growing, that same tray holds the water for bottom watering. The matching base is our 1020 Microgreen Trays with No Drainage Holes, double-thick and rigid so it holds water without flexing.
2. Add your medium and seed. Fill the tray with drainage holes with about an inch of growing media. Our Seed Starting Mix is a great fit, or you can use coco coir or a hemp mat. Level it, mist lightly so the seeds do not bounce, then scatter your microgreen seeds evenly across the whole surface. Seed densely, but avoid clumps and thick patches. Overcrowding is the most common cause of mold. Give the seeds a light misting so they sit in good contact with the media, without pooling water.
3. Cover for germination (the blackout step). Seeds sprout best in the dark, so cover the seeded tray to block out light and hold in humidity. Growers do this a few different ways, and all of them work:
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Weighted cover. Set a second tray with no drainage holes over the seeds and rest a light weight on top, just enough for gentle, even pressure. This improves seed-to-media contact and helps the seed hulls pop off cleanly. Popular for larger seeds like sunflower and pea. i liek this
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Flipped dome, no weight. Flip a second tray with no drainage holes upside down over the tray to make a dark air pocket, with no pressure on the seeds. A good choice for small or delicate seeds.
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Unbleached paper towel. Lay a sheet or two of unbleached paper towel right over the seeds and mist the towel to keep it damp. Simple and effective, especially for small seeds. Use unbleached only, since bleached towel can leave residue on a food crop. You can watch the sprouts lift and push the towel up, which is your cue to remove it.
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Stacking (for scale). Growers running many trays at once stack them on top of each other during germination to save space and black out a whole batch in one go.
Keep the covered tray on a dark shelf and mist lightly twice a day. Most crops germinate in 2 to 4 days. Watch them closely once they get going, and uncover as soon as the sprouts are up and pushing against the cover. Leaving it on too long traps moisture against the young greens and invites mold, and the sprouts have no room to grow, so they end up bent, flattened, or pale and leggy instead of standing up strong.
4. Move to light. Once you have uncovered your sprouts, move the tray somewhere bright: a sunny window or a shelf under grow lights both work well. This greens them up and gets them growing upright. From here they grow fast, so keep them lit and watered.
5. Switch to bottom watering. Once your greens are up, water from below to keep the canopy dry. Lift the tray with drainage holes up from one end, add water to the tray with no drainage holes below, then slowly lower it back down. Start with a small amount, check the media after 15 to 20 minutes, and add more only if it needs it. Pour off any water that has not been absorbed. Top watering after germination is the fastest way to invite mold and damage tender stems, so bottom watering is the preferred method from here on.
6. Harvest. In about 7 to 14 days, once the first true leaves appear and the greens stand roughly 1.5 to 3 inches tall, cut them right at the base with a sharp knife or scissors. The shallow tray is what makes this fast and clean, letting you cut low for maximum harvestable weight.
Between crops, empty and wash the trays, sanitize top and bottom to clear out old roots, and start each new grow with fresh media. The trays themselves are built to be reused for many cycles.
Features at a glance
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Drainage holes for proper aeration and safe bottom watering
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Shallow 1 1/4" depth for easy, close-to-the-base cutting and maximum harvestable weight
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Standard 1020 (10" x 20") format, 21 1/8" x 10 3/4" across the top
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Durable and reusable for many grow cycles
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Works with soil, coco coir, and hydroponic grow mats
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Suitable for microgreens, wheatgrass, and fodder
Who it's for
Home growers dialing in their first tray, hobbyists growing fresh greens year round, market gardeners scaling up, and commercial operations that need durable, standardized trays that stack and store efficiently.
Growing at scale? Email us at admin@optimizeorganics.ca if you need larger quantities of these trays and we will be happy to help.
