Practical tips on integrating a profitable microgreen production into an already established production farm.

1. Microgreens
Tiny profitable plants
Jenny Jackson, Jenny Jack Farm, Pine Mountain Georgia

2. -3 Season, 3 acres diverse veggies,
fruit, herbs, and Microgreens
-1-30’x72’ Propagation house, 2-
30’x96’ high tunnels, 2-100’ Caterpillar
Tunnels, & 1-30’x100’ “Mootel”
-Growing primarily for 150-175
member CSA
-Also sell through our On Farm Market
& A local restaurant
Jenny Jack Farm, Pine Mountain Ga

3. Labor
● Jenny & Chris Full-Time
● 2 full time employees
● 4 Part time workers
● 1 CSA work share
We pay between $11-$14
Per hr. depending on experience
This will be our first year
Without apprentices.

4. Why Grow Them?
● Nutritionally Dense
● Customers love them
● Available every week
● Train an employee to manage
● Good use of greenhouse space
● Good Profit Margin (for veggies!)

5. Nutritional Facts
Research from University of
Maryland and USDA in 2012,
published in the Journal of
Agricultural and Food Chemistry
found the following:
Vitamin C, vitamin K, and vitamin
E levels were highest among red
cabbage, garnet amaranth, and
green daikon radish
microgreens.

6. Nutrition Facts
Red cabbage microgreens:
6 x vitamin C
69 x vitamin K
40 x vitamin E

7. Nutritional Facts
A typical microgreen can contain
40X the nutritional value of its
mature self
Most concentrated nutrients
found in cotyledons

8. Microgreens vs Sprouts
● Sprouts are newly germinated seeds
that are harvested just as the seed begins
to grow and before their leaves develop.
● Seed and stem consumed
● Usually sprouted in water and harvested
within 3 days
● Potential breeding ground for
bacteria/fungus because high moisture
and no sunlight
● Microgreens grow from sprouts, and
they have leaves.
● Stem and leaves consumed, not the seed
● Can be grown in water, soil or another
medium such as coconut coir
● Generally less chance for contamination
because grown as other plants, in sunlight
and moderate moisture

9. Growing Trays
We started with the cheap plastic
20 row

10. Growing Trays
Cheap Trays: good to start
with to see if you want to
stick with micros, but don’t
last long.

11. Growing Trays
Once we were sure we’d keep
growing micros and wanted to
increase production, we invested in
metal baking pans.

12. Growing Trays
● Full size, 18” x 26”
aluminum “Baker’s Mark”
brand
● Purchased from
Webstaurant, $6 each for
perforated, $5 each non
perforated *plus shipping,
which is about $1.40 per tray
for us when purchasing 24 at
a time.

13. Growing Trays
● More efficient seeding and
harvest
● Easier to sanitize and
handle
● Perforated for seeding into;
Non Perforated to place on
top of stack so more
mature tray will not root
through.

14. Growing Trays
● Paper Pot Trays another
option
● $5 each with Small Farm
Works
● Rigid, durable plastic, but
still plastic…...one of mine
came cracked from
shipping with our paper pot
transplanter

15. Seed Sources
● High Mowing- **Kale,
Diakon, Arugula,
Broccoli
● Johnny’s- Red
Cabbage, Monogerm
Cilantro

16. Seed Selection
Based on research of most
nutritious, growth rate, flavor and
color.
● Spicy Mix: Diakon,
Arugula, Purple Sprouting
Broccoli, Red Cabbage,
Red Russian Kale
● Mild Mix: Red Cabbage,
Red Russian Kale, Purple
Sprouting Broccoli

17. Growing Medium
After watching you tube videos, tried a few things:
1. Coir only- failure
2. Homemade potting mix- too much time
3. Biodegradable grow mats- dried out too easily

18. Growing Medium
Also tried re-using potting mix but got poor germination most likely due to
contamination. Possibility if you can sanitize it and add fertility

19. Growing Medium
Used Coast of Maine for a
couple of years, but quality
decreased and had to start
adding extra fertility
Did comparison of COM,
Vermont Compost and Dirtcraft.
No observable difference, so
we’ve settled on Dirtcraft
because it is closest option that
is less expensive than Vermont
Compost,, and its coir based
instead of peat moss

20. Growing Medium
Purchase Dirtcraft
“Gravity” mix in totes now
to save $ and cut down
on plastic bags used.

21. Growing Medium
Start with soil very moist, but not so
wet you can squeeze water out of it.
Want it wet enough so seeds can
germinate without having to unstack
trays to water again
Big scoop is more efficient for filling
trays with soil than heaping it by hand
8 ft. Table next to potting soil tub for
spreading out to seed

22. First Step:
Sanitizing!
Very, very important with
microgreens!
Contamination can ruin your
crop, and seed is expensive so
you don’t want to lose trays
We use Sanidate, a food grade
concentrated hydrogen peroxide
solution

23. Sanitation
Dip trays in diluted sanidate before sowing (½ oz. per gallon)
Spray seeds with diluted sanidate after sowing, before stacking to prevent mold.
If any mold appears after trays are unstacked, we spray plants with sanidate

24. Sanitation
Example of something that would NOT
Be sprayed, but removed by clipping
With scissors before harvesting rest
Of the tray. Too far gone.

25. Sanitation
Root hairs look at lot like mold spores.
Learn the difference!

26. Ventilation
Very, very important!! Esp in cloudy, humid weather
Keep fans running at night if watered late in the afternoon so water doesn’t sit on
leaves throughout the night
Air shouldn’t be blowing hard on trays so they don’t dry out so quickly though

27. ● Plastic Salt shaker used for smaller seeds- most brassicas
○ Shaker with smaller holes for arugula
● Mason jar with larger holes drilled for radish
● Cilantro so light that shaker does not work well- Only one sown by hand
Method of Sowing

28. Method of Sowing

29. Sowing
No seeds get covered with soil except CILANTRO, only one we’ve found that likes
to be covered.
Once sown:
1. Spray with sanidate
2. Stack 3 high
3. Carefully carry to greenhouse bench
4. Put SANITIZED non preforated tray on top, place older tray on top for weight

30. Rates for sowing
(per tray)
Arugula: 1 tbsp
Broccoli, Kale, Cabbage:1.75 tbsp.
Radish: 3 tbsp.
Cilantro: 4 tbsp.

31. Stacking
● Trays have to be stacked
because they need the
weight to germinate
properly
● We’ve found after 3, weight
is too much for bottom tray
to germinate well

32. Unstacking
Timing is critical!!
Typically 2-4 days
In cooler weather, we germinate
on heat mats set at 70 degrees,
so still have to be unstacked
within 2-3 days (bottom always
first to need unstacking)

33. Unstacking
● We put non perforated pans on top of stack (with mature tray on top)
● Others stacked directly on each other, so timing of unstacking super critical or
top tray can start to root through bottom tray.

34. Unstacking
If rooted through, lift tray
slightly, slide hand long
bottom of tray and rake
soil off roots and back
into the tray.
Place non perforated pan
between and let sit for
half day or so to give
disturbed tray chance to
re-root.

35. Unstacking

36. Stacking
Cilantro is only one that
does NOT get stacked.
Also, we NEVER spend
time removing seed coats
of cilantro, they fall off by
the time we harvest.

37. Watering
-- I like a fan nozzel for even watering
-- Often in cooler, cloudy weather only the edges
need water
-- Overhead, automatic sprinklers life changer for
leaving farm for a day and summer, when they
Need to be watered 2-3 times per day

38. Days to harvest
Spring/ early summer:
Radish- 5 days
Other brassicas- 7 days
Cilantro- 14-21 days
Purple Sango Radish

39. Days to harvest
Summer (when shade cloth goes on greenhouse) through Fall:
Radish- 7 days
Other brassicas- 10 days
Cilantro- 14-21 days

40. Days to harvest
Winter:
Radish- 10-12 days
Other brassicas- 14-21 days
Cilantro- 21-30 days

41. Harvest
Size: Older plants = more growth
and weight but have to watch to
be sure quality doesn’t decline
(tougher stem/leaves and
yellowing)
Radish CAN NOT get true
leaves, too fuzzy. Other
brassicas can but we don’t let
them get too big.
As big as I like Red Russian Kale micro true leaves to get
before harvest; any larger and they are more hairy/tougher.

42. Our harvest
evolution
● Started with scissors- only
a good idea if you are
growing for approx. 5
families and ok with carpal
tunnel syndrome
● Moved to a very sharp
knife: faster but dangerous
and kind of slow

43. Our Harvest
Evolution
Built a stand to fit over
harvest bin for more
efficient harvest
Microgreens can more
easily fall into harvest bin
after being cut.

44. Our Harvest
Evolution
● Hand held grass clippers: SereneLife
● Purchased from Amazon (sigh….)
● Have lasted for couple of years so far
● We keep an extra pair in case dead
battery or it just dies
● Blades can be sharpened
● Still potentially dangerous…...

45. Hand held Grass Clippers

46. Our Harvest
Evolution
Currently: The Greens Harvester
from Farmer’s Friend
Super Fast! About 30 seconds
per tray vs. Hand held clippers
which takes about 1 min. 20
seconds
Faster harvest critical in summer
especially!

47. Harvest
● Farmer’s Friend claims 3 seconds per tray (for smaller plastic trays)
● Metal baking pans are more than twice the size of smaller plastic trays
● 2 passes through harvester to get entire width cut.

48. Quick Cut Greens Harvester

49. Quick Cut Greens Harvester

50. Harvest
“Quick Stand” also sold by Farmer’s Friend
Pivots vertical so you can dump directly into bin
once the canvas basket is full

51. Post Harvest
Very fragile!
Keep out of direct sunglight and get into cooler as quickly as possible in warmer
weather
Only wash if we see soil has made its way into the greens
Always spin dry

52. Post Harvest
Spinner:
Removable basket
In a converted
Washing machine
---> kit from
dryyourgreens.com

53. Post Harvest
● Greens go into XL mesh laundry bags to be spun in washer converted to
greens spinner
● Spun 3 times, fluffing each time between
● Dumped onto towels to be packed into pint containers
- In warm weather, only a portion put out on towel; others kept in cooler

54. Post Harvest
● Pinted into plastic
clamshells
● Labeled
● Put directly into cooler
and transported in
coolers unless
temperatures below 50
degrees.

55. Post Harvest
7-10 day shelf life brassica micros
We cut the day of or day before delivery to ensure maximum shelf life
14-21 days for cilantro and pea shoots

56. Pea Shoots
Pea shoots
● 7 x vitamin C of
blueberries
● 8 x folic acid of bean
sprouts
according to Mother
Nature Network.

57. Pea Shoots
We use Organic Austrian
Winter Peas, buy by the
50 lb. bag from 7 Springs
Farm

58. Pea Shoots
- Not as popular as microgreens for our markets
- Longer shelf life: 3-4 weeks
Growing Process:
- Soak 8-12 hours in plenty of water
- Drain and Rinse, sow in black plastic trays (root down too quickly in
perforated baking pans)
- Do not cover with soil, stack for 2-3 days till germinated
- Harvest within 2 weeks, before stems start to get tough

59. Pea Shoots
About 10 days till harvest
Can get 2nd cutting, but not quite as tender as 1st
Yield: about 4 pints per black plastic tray

60. Profitability
Microgreen Cost Spreadsheet