Taking a holiday whilst running a microgreens farm
Is this even possible?! With the short grow cycles and the weekly harvesting and delivering we do as microgreens farmers, it can look like it’s impossible to take any time off this business. But it is possible (and I’d argue, it’s essential) to take regular time away from your farm throughout the year. You just need to be organised.
4 Reasons why you absolutely should take regular breaks from your microgreens farm:
It will do your head in if you don’t! As enjoyable as it is growing and selling these tiny plants every week, doing it for 52 weeks of the year non-stop will start to grind you down physically and mentally and at best, you’ll start to get sick of it. Something you absolutely don’t want to be feeling in this business.
Stepping away from your business for a bit (and it only has to be a few days, not necessarily a two week mega holiday!), will give your brain chance to see and think about other things. Ironically, it’s during this ‘down time’ that you come up with your best ideas for your buisness! You’ll then return refreshed and motivated.
It’s really easy to completely immerse yourself in your microgreens business (which isn’t a bad thing!), but if you’re in this mode constantly, then you become a microgreens bore for your friends and family!….plus, joking aside, you’ll feel you have a richer, happier life when you allow time to spend on more than one obsession / passion/ interest :)
Physically, it’ll give your body a break. Depending on your phyical ability, this doesn’t tend to be an issue when you first start out. But when you’re established and growing lots of trays a week, it can become physically demanding. This can include standing for hours harvesting, carrying compost, carrying filled trays, decanting trays after harvesting, lots of smaller repetitive movements. I’ve never done so much strectching in my life before I started my microgreens farm! Your body will thank you for a complete rest from doing the same tasks for a while.
So, how to do it….
Firstly, if you just want to take long weekends away, then you can absolutely design your work timetable so you have work free weekends every week! The only tasks I need to do after Thursdays at my farm are water and plant on Saturdays (1 hour of work tops). A few years ago, I trained my mum up to water and plant and gave her a key to my Grow House! So whenever we fancy going away Thursday to Sunday, she just pops in on a Saturday morning and everything ticks over nicely. This is a great option!
Do you have a neighbour who can do this for you? A friend who lives close by or family member?
If you want to take a longer time away, then you have 3 options:
Keep your farm running as normal and have someone else do all the tasks.
Don’t supply whilst you’re away but keep the growing and planting going so they’re ready to harvest as soon as you get back.
Close down altogether for the time you’re away.
OPTION 1 - Keeping your farm running as normal whilst you’re away.
The huge advantage of this option is that you’ll be able to continually supply your regular customers and there won’t be a drop in your revenue whilst you’re not there.
To make this happen, you’ll obviously need someone (or several people depending on the size of your operation), to be fully trained up to be able to carry out all the tasks required. This can be your fully fledged regular employees who are on payroll, someone you’re paying adhoc to help you out just on the days you’re away or a friend or family member who might volunteer to nip in and do the jobs for you. If you choose this option, then don’t under-estimate the number of unfamiliar tasks you’ll be asking someone else to do. Make sure it’s someone you absolutely trust to do a good job. Especially the growing, harvesting and packing side of things.
OPTION 2 - Don’t supply whilst you’re away, but keep the growing and planting going (my preferred option!).
If you want to go on holiday for longer than a few days (whether that’s actually going somewhere else, or just taking a break at home), then you’ll need to do the following:
Training - Properly train someone up who can plant, water, take trays out of germination and keep an eye on your grow room’s temps and humidity for you on the day’s you’re away. Again, depending on the size of your operation, this doesn’t necessarily have to be everyday. As an example, when I go on holiday in a couple of weeks for 7 days, my mum will be popping in to do all these tasks 3 times during this time. My neighbour is also happy to pop in each morning to empty the dehumidifiers (draining your dehumidfyer into your sink or a drain via a pipe means this task isn’t needed - I just don’t want to pay for the extra electricity to keep it going constantly!).
Automation - Following on from that point - automate as much as you can! Do this all the time too, not just when you’re going away. Heating can be on a thermostat (try and keep your room between 18C and 22C), dehumidifyers can be on a humistat (between 40% and 60% is ideal) and have your grow lights on a mechanical or digital plug socket timer (12 hours on, 12 hours off works well). Automated watering is a little more complicated. I prefer to hand water for best crop results.
Customer communication - make sure you’ve told your customers in plenty of time if you’ll missing any collection/delivery days. Be clear on dates in plenty of time, then remind them a few days before you go and again when you get back.
Alter planting numbers in the lead up to you going away. If you’re missing any supply dates, then remember you don’t have to plant for that day! Work back from your supply date the number of days your crops take to grow, then don’t plant on that day!
Inventory - Check your consumables stock before you go away. Make sure you have enough compost/seeds/packaging/labels etc for whilst you’re away (if needed) and for when you get back. You’ll definitely relax more on holiday knowing you’re fully stocked up!
OPTION 3 - Close down altogether for the time you’re away.
This is a good option if you’re new to microgreens farming! Knowing how and when to do all your daily tasks is one thing when you first start out, training someone else to do it whilst you’re away is even tougher and may not bode well for a relaxing holiday! Just be aware when you close down altogether, then you’ll have to factor in another week to 2 weeks of no sales, as no crops will be ready.
Once you gain more experince in running your operation, you’ll be in a better position to organise either Option 1 or 2, so you can mantain more weeks of revenue (if you want to!).
6 years into my microgreens farm, Nell’s Urban Greens, I now usually take:
✔️ Long weekends thoughout the year.
✔️ Usually 2, week-long holidays a year.
✔️ Full close down for 3 weeks during August and 2 to 3 weeks over Christmas and the New Year.
This creates a great balance for me. I graft hard and produce and sell as much product as I can during supply times, then this revenue ties me over during the holidays. During all my years of microgreens farming, I’ve been acutely aware how important these breaks are for me. It makes me generally happier and a better business owner as a result.
One of the many beauties of this type of business is you can adapt it to fit your life and needs. Maybe not 100% all the time, but it is super flexible.
And finally, a huge question connected to this topic that can be of a concern:
Will I lose customers if I take a week(s) off?
Firstly, it’s doubtful you will lose your customers if you’re just missing one or two supply days. If you’ve already built a great relationship with them AND you’ve been consistently and reliably supplying them for a while, then they should be fine without your greens for while. Just make sure you give them plenty of notice when you won’t be delivering - especially with restaurants. Also, if you’re working with the right places (lovely, supportive independents, who value what you’re doing and love your product), then holidays shouldn’t be an issue. Just have the conversation. They’ll probably be happy for you :)
Now get that holiday booked! :)
If you want to get your own microgreens business up and running, then my FREE UK Microgreen Business Starter Guide is a perfect place to start!
It will teach you how to grow your first 2 microgreens crops AND how to sell them to your customers!
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.