Growing microgreens can be expensive; especially when you rely on specialist seed companies or commercial propagation suppliers. But what if you could buy viable planting material from your local supermarket or health food store instead?

In this post we reveal a powerful cost-saving strategy: using everyday grocery-store seeds, tubers, bulbs and rhizomes to start hydroponic crops. Many products sold for cooking or health foods are fully capable of germinating and growing when handled correctly.

This hack doesn’t just cut costs, it opens up opportunities for entirely new hydroponic business models.

Let’s break down how it works.

Using Store-Bought Seeds for Microgreens

Most health food stores sell grains, pulses, and seeds that, as long as they are unroasted, can germinate just like agricultural seed stock.

These commonly work extremely well:

• Spelt
• Wheat
• Buckwheat
• Mung beans
• Sweetcorn
• Peas

These can produce:

• Microgreens
• Shoots
• Even fully grown plants

And often at a fraction of the cost of specialist microgreen seed suppliers.

⚠️ What won’t work

• Roasted seeds (e.g., roasted hemp seeds, roasted peanuts)
• Treated seeds sold for snacking
• Seeds exposed to mold risk (e.g., loose peanuts that may contain aflatoxins)

If you stick to untreated, unroasted products, you can cut production costs drastically.

Beyond Seeds: Using Spices, Rhizomes & Vegetables for Propagation

It’s not just grains and pulses, you can use spices, bulbs, roots, rhizomes and tubers from the supermarket to propagate full hydroponic crops.

Below are some of the most viable options.

1. Turmeric (Curcuma longa)

Turmeric is sold as a fresh rhizome, and even imported rhizomes often retain enough vitality to regrow.

Why grow it?

• Higher curcumin levels when grown fresh and locally
• Premium crop for supplements and health markets
• Increasing culinary demand

Grow turmeric using the same methods as ginger—both belong to the ginger family (Zingiberaceae).

2. Ginger (Zingiber officinale)

Supermarket ginger almost always grows successfully when placed in a warm, humid environment.

Hydroponic tips:

• Needs high silicon
• Requires less calcium than many dicots
• Thrives in warm conditions
• Grows from rhizome sections with obvious “eyes”

Ginger and turmeric can be grown side by side with very similar nutrient requirements.

3. Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum)

Store-bought potatoes can be used for propagation, though there are caveats:

• They may carry viruses
• They may have been treated with sprout inhibitors

Seed potatoes (UK example: those grown virus-free in the Black Isle of Scotland) are preferred, but if cost-saving is your goal, supermarket potatoes can work.

Roots sprouting from “eyes” indicate viability.

4. Garlic

Supermarket garlic cloves are widely used for home growing and hydroponic trials.

Pros:

• Cheap
• Easy to propagate
• Works indoors, outdoors, or in hydroponics

Cons:

• Possible white rot contamination
• Can host viruses or mould
• May have been treated with anti-sprouting agents

Organic garlic gives the best chance of success.

5. Galangal (Alpinia spp.)

A relative of ginger and turmeric, galangal is a premium ingredient in Asian cuisine.

There are two main types:

• Greater galangal – commonly used
• Lesser galangal – rarer, excellent for niche markets and fine dining

Hydroponic galangal could be a lucrative specialty crop due to limited local supply.

6. Edo (Eddo) and Taro

These monocot tubers are staples in many cultures:

• Japan
• China
• The Pacific Islands
• Africa
• The Caribbean

Both can be propagated from supermarket tubers if they still have visible buds or islets. Organic options are best to avoid growth inhibitors.

7. Sweet Potatoes

One of the best hydroponic business opportunities mentioned in the podcast.

Hydroponics allows growers to:

• Start sweet potato slips early in the year
• Sell young plants before outdoor planting season
• Tap into a demand gap (e.g., UK growers struggle due to climate limitations)

A small hydroponic setup could provide hundreds or thousands of sweet potato slips for online sale, especially around February–April.

8. Yams

Several varieties can be grown from imported supermarket tubers:

• African yams
• Chinese yams
• Water yams
• Purple yams
• Caribbean yams

These crops serve cultural cuisines with strong demand—excellent for specialty growers.

Large commercial yam varieties are often cheap imports, so the best opportunity lies in rare or premium types.

Why This Hack Works So Well

Supermarkets and health food shops sell plant materials that:

• Are cheap
• Are widely available
• Are often viable for propagation
• Allow growers to trial new crops without large investment
• Provide competitive advantage by producing niche items rarely grown locally

For small to medium growers, this method can reduce propagation costs by 50–90% depending on the crop.

Best Crops for a Hydroponic Business

From all the options, Dr. Sharp identifies one standout opportunity:

💡 Sweet Potato Slips

A high-demand, low-supply crop ideal for UK growers (and similar climates).
Slips can be sold:

• Online
• To small farms
• To hobby gardeners
• At markets
• To CSA/veg box schemes

Healthy, popular, and profitable.

Final Thoughts

By using supermarket seeds, tubers, bulbs, and rhizomes as propagation material, hydroponic growers can:

• Reduce costs
• Experiment with new and exotic crops
• Create niche business opportunities
• Offer fresher, more nutritious produce
• Avoid reliance on expensive commercial seed suppliers

Whether you’re a small grower, a microgreen producer, or looking to launch a novel hydroponic business, this strategy offers huge potential.

For innovative fertilizers, biostimulants and biopesticides, visit Eutrema.co.uk

Article by Dr Russell Sharp

If you would like to keep up to date with subjects just like this, you can listen to both our podcasts! Links can be found bellow:

Hydroponics Daily Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hydroponics-daily/id1788172771

Cereal Killers Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cereal-killers/id1695783663