Microgreens Farming - Keeping it Simple.
The best thing you can always do for your microgreens business is to simplify it as much as possible. It can become easy to over-complicate it all, especially with all the conflicting information out there on how to do it properly, and this can happen whether you’re a beginner OR you’ve been microgreens farming for years. In today’s blog post I want to remind you of the simplicity of microgreens farming. It will make you calmer if nothing else!
I’ve been running my own microgreens farm in the UK since the beginning of 2017 and I’ve been teaching other people how to do it since 2019. No matter what challenges I come up against in my own farm, or what others I’m working with face in theirs’, the one principle I always come back to is:
KEEP IT ALL SIMPLE. Seed, compost, water and light. That’s all you need to grow deliciously nutritious food that people love to eat.
Remembering this is the key to moving forwards, reducing overwhelm and keeping everything running smoothly day to day.
As we come to the end of another unsettled year, one thing to remember in this business is ultimately you’re growing amazing quality food for people. That’s why we do it. And you can achieve this by just putting some seeds on a a tray of compost, watering them, give them light and they’ll grow. You then cut these a week or so later and supply them to people who want to eat them. That’s what I mean by simplicity.
My top 4 myth busters of microgreens farming (from first hand experience):
1. You don’t need special grow lights to grow microgreens.
You don’t artificial lights at all to grow microgreens! Sunlight is always the best source of light for all plants. But if you want to grow consistently, all year round in the UK, then your micros will need some help. When choosing lights to use for your microgreens growing, it’s very easy to get overwhelmed with colour temperatures, lumens, wavelengths and all other sorts of jargon you might come across.
In microgreens growing, you’re only growing plant shoots to seed leaf, or the one to two true leaf stage, so you don’t need a specialist wavelength to grow them well (unlike if you were growing to flowering stage). Therefore just a regular bright LED strip light will suffice. There are alot to choose from on the market and prices vary massively depending on the build and component quality, but ultimately you just need them to be daylight brightness (6500K) and skinny enough to fit on your grow shelves. One of my favourite UK microgreens equipment suppliers, Grow Sow Greener, offer a good range of inexpensive grow lights. I like the Barrina T5s.
2. Your grow room doesn’t have to be at a perfect temperature, ventilation and humidity level to grow excellent quality microgreens.
Firstly, if your grow room is at a constant temperature of 22C, 50% humidity, has an extraction and fresh air feed and a constant flow of air streaming through it, then you’re all set up to grow consistently great quality microgreens. And this is what you’re aiming for. BUT, and it’s a big but, your grow room conditions can fluctuate quite widely and you can still grow excellent quality microgreens commercially. I’ve spoken to and worked with quite a few people now who spend way too much time worrying about getting these conditions absolutely perfect and as a result can massively stall their first grows and setting up their business because of it.
You do need to think about temperature (as a minimum), especially in the winter and during germination. Finding a spot that’s 18C - 20C is great for germination. You can then grow your greens colder if that’s the only option, and just adjust your grow cycle times accordingly.
I did my first three winters of my business growing in the conservatory in our house. In the winter conservatories can get very cold, especially overnight! Then I heated it a bit during the day with a small fan heater. It wasn’t ideal, but it worked. My microgreens grew slowly, but they still grew well and I was still able to sell them to high end restaurants. Experiment in your own space and tweak and adapt as you go. You can create an improved grow room further down the line if needed.
3. You don’t need expensive equipment to run a profitable microgreens business.
And you certainly don’t need to shell out a load of cash when you’re first getting started! Literally to get started you need - a seed tray (my first one was a lunch box I already had), some compost, some microgreens seeds, a warmish space and a windowsill. That was my first kit! Then as you progress and start to bring in revenue, you can then start to invest in a grow rack, larger seed trays and grow lights etc. All these things are still inexpensive and aren’t even needed til further down the line.
4. You can make a full time living from microgreens farming in the UK.
I went full time with my business once I’d started making £200/week in sales. I was quickly able to double that once I started working 4 days a week on the business and it’s continued to go from there. When I chat to people about what I do, particularly those working in the growing/gardening/market gardening industry, they’re usually surprised to hear that I make a full time salary from my microgreens business (just shy of £30K last financial year).
You can honestly make it work by properly learning the business, streamlining your systems and really focussing on your sales.
SEED COMPOST WATER LIGHT
The ‘keeping it simple mantra’ can be used as an over arching support for your whole business, but it’s especially important to remember if you have specific growing problems.
If growing problems arise, just always go back to basics first:
Seed - Are you using fresh, quality microgreens seeds?
Compost - Are you using fresh, dry compost, that hasn’t been sat for over a year at a garden nursery (ask them if you’re unsure).
Water - Don’t over or under water.
Light - 12 hours a day of bright light is sufficient.
Air flow - Keep air flowing through your grow room using fans. One standing oscillating fan in a small grow room is sufficient.
Temperature - Ideally around 22C.
Humidity - Use a dehumidifier if your room feels damp.
Now go get growing! And enjoy this incredibly simple, satisfying and rewarding process.
If running a simple and enjoyable food growing business sounds good to you, and something you’re keen to get going in 2023, then my 14-page Mini UK Microgreens Business Guide is a great way to find out how to do it.
Download now to get it sent straight to your inbox!
In your guide, you’ll get:
5 great reasons for starting a microgreens business in the UK right now
A basic equipment list
A step-by-step guide to growing and harvesting radish shoots and pea shoots, including UK pricing suggestions and profit margins.
A how-to guide to selling your microgreens to chefs, restaurants and your local community.