Avoid nightshade family seeds — they're toxic

Never grow or consume microgreens from the nightshade (Solanaceae) family. Their young shoots contain toxic alkaloids like solanine that cause adverse digestive and nervous system symptoms.

Plants to Never Grow as Microgreens

• Tomato shoots
• Pepper shoots (bell and hot peppers)
• Eggplant shoots
• Potato sprouts
• Rhubarb leaves (contain oxalic acid)
• Kidney beans (contain toxic lectins when raw)

Why It Matters

Mature nightshade fruits (ripe tomatoes, peppers) are safe to eat because alkaloid levels decrease as the plant matures. But at the microgreen stage, these compounds are concentrated and dangerous.

Tips

• General rule: if the plant's leaves are not normally eaten (only the fruit or root), do not grow it as a microgreen
• Stick to known-safe varieties from reputable microgreen seed suppliers
• This is confirmed by NC State University and USA Pickleball food safety research