gardenassist - Tumblr blog

gardenassist · 3 years

Link

In this article, we will explain How to Natural Pest and Disease Management? Gardening beginners. In a previous article, we reviewed in detail How to Planning, Planting, and Tending Your Garden?.

The organic gardener who adds compost to their soil, avoids toxins, and uses natural methods of pest and disease prevention will enjoy a healthier garden than those who reach for synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

However, even the most vigorous plants are sure to have occasional issues with pests and disease. Before you reach for a quick fix, take time to identify the problem and learn how to deal with it as naturally and safely as possible.

Try the least toxic solution to avoid killing the beneficial insects and microbes so important to plant health. Keep your vegetables, fruits, and herbs free from stress to help prevent serious damage.

When a problem does arise, it will be easier to treat if your garden is a healthy ecosystem instead of a monoculture dependent on synthetic chemicals.

THE BEST DEFENSE IS A HAPPY PLANT

Every plant needs sunlight, water, and nutrients to support photosynthesis, the process by which they create simple sugars to fuel their growth. If any of these basic needs are not met, plants become stressed and release chemicals that attract pests to an all-you-can-eat buffet.

We’ve already discussed the importance of feeding beneficial soil life with compost to encourage healthy root systems and uptake of available nutrients. Keep in mind that applying too many fertilizers or pesticides (even some natural ones) reduces root growth and destroys helpful insects and microbes, leaving your plants more susceptible to drought, pests, and disease.

Your garden must also have enough water to support plant growth without waterlogging the soil or leaching nutrients. Water only when needed and keep leaves dry to prevent fungal diseases. For the same reason, space plants properly to allow air circulation around leaves.

Keep your garden healthy and plant a wide variety of crops and landscape plants and you’ll have fewer issues with pests and disease.

HOW TO BUILDING YOUR GARDEN’S NATURAL DEFENSES

As your second line of defense against pests and disease, provide habitat to attract your natural allies: the insects, arachnids, birds, toads, and bats that pollinate crops and patrol your garden, happily gobbling up pests.

Include sources of food, water, and shelter, as well as places to rear their young and, in time, you could have an army of beneficial creatures in residence.

Predatory and Parasitic Insects

Sometimes it seems that bugs are intent on destroying our gardens. However, there are plenty of beneficial insects and arachnids that consume those annoying garden pests. Predatory insects and spiders consume aphids, grubs, slugs, and thrips.

Parasitic species lay their eggs on a host to provide for their young. If you see a caterpillar with small white egg sacs on its back, leave it alone so the parasitic wasp eggs may hatch and patrol your garden in the future.

Here are some helpful insects and arachnids and the “bad guys” they control:

Attract these insects and spiders to your landscape by planting a variety of nectar-producing plants, providing water sources, and including habitat where they may lay eggs, overwinter, and seek shelter from their own predators.

Shallow pans of water or mud puddles are great sources of drinking water for birds and other helpful wildlife. Small insects usually get the moisture they need from dew or from the juicy insects and eggs they consume. Butterflies, bees, and larger insects benefit from a dish of wet sand where they can land and get a drink.

Place pieces of cut fruit—such as apples, bananas, and oranges—in your garden to provide insects with an “energy drink” that is helpful when they are migrating or when there are few food sources nearby.

Insectary Plants

Insectary plants provide habitat and a food source, such as pollen and nectar, for beneficial insects and arachnids that offer biological pest control in your garden. Include a wide variety of plants with small compound flowers (having many small flower-lets such as cilantro, dill, and yarrow) that attract predatory and parasitic insects.

Including some of these plants in your garden is a great way to encourage adult insects to come for the free food and stay to lay their eggs. Some species provide pest control during their larval stage, so be sure to attract the adults to lay their eggs near the pests you’d like to control, such as an infestation of aphids.

If beneficial insects visit your yard but don’t find a food source, water, shelter, or places to lay eggs, they will move on to look for a more suitable ecosystem.

Encourage them to stay by planting a border of wildflowers, herbs, and native plants. Provide a source of water and plant native trees and shrubs when possible. Check out the table of insectary plants for common species that provide food for these helpful creatures.

Pollinator Plants

Flowers that provide food sources for pollinators are an important part of a healthy garden. Pollinator plants increase visits from bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds that flit from flower to flower, drinking nectar and transporting pollen as they go.

Some of our most important food crops won’t produce a harvest without pollination. Happily, many insectary plants also attract pollinators, so you can encourage all sorts of beneficial creatures by choosing a variety of species from our pollinator and insectary plant lists.

In addition to the small, nectar-rich compound flowers in the insectary list, include tubular flowers that attract hummingbirds as well as bees and other pollinators. Coral bells, foxglove, and heirloom petunias are great choices.

Keep in mind that hybrid flowers are usually bred to delight the human eye instead of feeding pollinators. Select heirloom and native flower varieties that produce nectar and pollen over showy petals.

Be aware that using systemic insecticides on plants can kill pollinators when they sip the insecticide-laced nectar. Never use these poisons on any plant, even if you don’t intend to eat the plant.

Best Planting Practices for Insectary and Pollinator Plants

There is an art to attracting beneficial insects to your home landscape and encouraging them to take up residence. Start by including as many different species of plants for them as possible.

Make sure there is a succession of nectar- and pollen-producing plants available throughout the gardening season so they need never leave.

Include several plants from each species so there is enough food in a small space to keep your beneficial creatures well fed. Planting in clusters of three, five, or seven plants also provides structural design, so you’ll enjoy these groupings almost as much as the wildlife will.

In addition, it’s helpful to put some space between species from the same plant family to prevent disease and pest problems. Beds of pollinator and insectary plants are very pleasing to look at.

Try incorporating them into a cottage garden, flower bed, or herb garden, or interplant them in your main garden. Many culinary herbs provide nectar for beneficial insects when they flower, so plant a selection of basil, borage, chives, cilantro, sage, and other herbs. Allow some plants to flower and your insect helpers will find them, too.

Toads and Other Helpful Creatures

In addition to beneficial insects, a variety of other creatures provide natural pest control in the garden. Bats, birds, frogs, opossums, salamanders, and toads can all put a big dent in pest populations.

Although some birds can be a nuisance by digging up newly planted seeds and eating your fruit, many songbirds search all day for caterpillars, flies, and grubs. Bats flit about at night, catching gnats, mosquitoes, and moths.

Frogs, salamanders, and toads all feast on flies, larvae, mosquitoes, and slugs. Opossums are notorious for searching out grubs, slugs, and ticks, but keep in mind that they also like to raid compost bins for kitchen scraps. Provide trees and shrubs in your landscape for birds to perch on and nest in.

Birdhouses and bat houses are a great investment for your garden; just be sure to site them properly and clean them yearly. Toad houses and cool, moist spots attract toads and salamanders for a siesta in the heat of the day.

Provide a small pond or other source of water for frogs, salamanders, and toads to lay their eggs or they will leave in search of breeding grounds elsewhere.

HOW TO NATURAL PEST AND DISEASE CONTROL

Even the most robust garden is susceptible to occasional damage from harmful insects, microbes, and fungi. Keep your garden healthy and productive by preventing problems before they occur and checking regularly for symptoms of pests and disease.

When an insect or disease becomes a problem, be ready to handpick the pests or treat the plants with a nontoxic solution quickly, before your harvest is affected.

Keep in mind that not all organic or natural means of pest control are safe for beneficial insects, and some can even be detrimental to our own health. Always read the labels of purchased pesticides and be meticulous about following the directions.

Handpicking

Handpicking insects off plants is the safest method available to gardeners because it allows you to kill only pests and leave the good guys alone, without any side effects.

This method works well for slow-moving insects, such as Colorado potato beetle larvae and cabbage worms. By picking insects off by hand, you can collect a sample in a jar, research the species, and determine whether it’s a threat to the health of your plant or actually beneficial.

If you’re squeamish about removing the insects, put on a pair of garden gloves and grab a jar of soapy water before you head out for handpicking duties. Flick the pest into the soapy water to drown.

For gardeners who also keep poultry, ducks love to eat slugs and guinea fowl consume ticks and other creepy crawlies. Chickens tend to do more damage to veggies than pests, so keep them out of the garden.

What are Pest Control Sprays? INSECTICIDAL SOAPS

Insecticidal soaps are a popular option for organic control of soft-bodied pests, such as aphids, mealybugs, and whiteflies.

These sprays kill insects by coating their bodies with a soapy residue that suffocates them. Purchased products are more effective than homemade versions; however, the cost and plastic waste can be a concern for home gardeners.

Make your own insecticidal sprays with common household ingredients and test on one or two leaves of affected plants to check for safety. Don’t use dish soap with degreasers, disinfectants, fragrances, or moisturizers that may harm plants and beneficial microbes.

Here’s a recipe for homemade insecticidal soap:

1 teaspoon plain dish soap

1 quart water

Place ingredients in a clean spray bottle and shake vigorously before spraying plants. Insects must be completely coated for best results.

You may also create your own spray to treat powdery mildew:

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 or 3 drops plain dish soap

Place ingredients in a clean spray bottle and shake vigorously before spraying plants. Do not apply insecticidal soaps to plants that are stressed by drought, in full sunlight, or under hot conditions.

Do not spray the plants with other pesticides until the soap is washed off, and use this concoction sparingly to prevent a buildup of salts in the soil from the baking soda (sodium bicarbonate).

GARLIC SPRAY

Researchers have found that garlic interplanted with cabbage helps reduce damage from diamondback moths by repelling adults from laying eggs on plants.

Although much information about the effectiveness of garlic spray as a pest repellent is anecdotal, this homemade remedy may help prevent damage to brassicas and other crops by repelling aphids, cabbage worms, spider mites, and even rabbits.

Here’s how to make your own garlic spray pest repellent:

1 quart (4 cups) water, divided

3 or 4 garlic cloves

1 to 2 teaspoons plain dish soap

Blend 2 cups of water and the garlic in a blender on high. Add the remaining 2 cups of water and the dish soap and mix thoroughly.

Strain this mixture through several layers of cheesecloth to remove bits of garlic that could clog your sprayer. Before you spray the entire plant, test this mixture on one or two leaves to make sure the plant is not adversely affected.

The soap in this spray will kill insects by coating their bodies, so avoid spraying beneficial insects and pollinators. The dish soap also acts as a sticking agent to coat leaves with the garlic compounds, increasing the effectiveness of its repellent qualities.

HOT PEPPER SPRAY

Safely repel mammals such as deer, squirrels, and rabbits by planting hot peppers around the edges of your garden or in beds prone to damage. Hot pepper spray offers another option for small spaces with damage from these cute pests.

The active ingredient in hot peppers is a compound called capsaicin. This chemical also repels some insects; however, it’s unlikely to remove infestations.

Here’s a recipe for hot pepper spray:

1 quart water

2 tablespoons crushed red pepper or cayenne pepper flakes

1 teaspoon plain dish soap

Combine the water and crushed red pepper in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to sit overnight. Strain the liquid through several layers of cheesecloth to remove solids that might clog your sprayer.

Add the dish soap and shake vigorously before spraying. Test this spray on a few leaves before applying to the entire plant.

Always wear a mask and gloves when handling this spray and be careful not to breathe in the fumes or get it in your eyes. To deter more pests, add 2 cloves of crushed garlic to the liquid before heating.

Row Covers and Other Barriers

Floating row covers (protective lightweight, breathable fabric covers) are a great way to keep flying insects from laying eggs on your cabbage, summer squash, and other vegetables.

Protect crops with row covers after the plants have sprouted but before the pests show up in your garden. Make sure the edges of the material are weighted down to keep the cover from blowing in the wind.

For crops that require pollination, remove the cover to allow pollinators to do their job, or hand-pollinate the flowers yourself, then reposition the row cover or leave it off.

Brussels sprouts and broccoli do not need to be pollinated to provide a harvest, but peppers, pumpkins, and summer squash (to name a few) do. Waxy coatings on leaves, such as hot pepper wax, also work by creating a barrier that pests can’t chew through to reach their meal.

Cardboard collars around seedlings prevent cutworms from killing your little plants at their most vulnerable stage. Recycle paper towel tubes or aluminum foil into barriers around your seedlings for this purpose.

Traps and Baits

These forms of control lure pests to their untimely death with a color, food, or scent they can’t resist. Pheromone traps include a natural hormone that attracts specific insects looking for mates.

These traps are often used to alert gardeners to the presence of mating insects so they may be controlled with insecticides. Use natural solutions whenever possible.

Yellow sticky traps are helpful for reducing whiteflies; you can make your own by coating yellow paper with petroleum jelly. Reduce thrip populations with white sticky traps.

Keep in mind that beneficial insects can inadvertently be killed in these traps, too. Slugs can cause a lot of damage to your garden, especially overnight.

You can try a cup of beer sunken with the top at ground level to entice these pests to their demise, or purchase an organic slug bait if the infestation is severe.

This product is usually composed of a small dose of iron phosphate mixed into pellet form with tasty wheat gluten or bran that slugs love to eat.

Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous earth (DE) is a powder made from the shells of tiny marine creatures called diatoms. It works by causing microscopic cuts in soft-bodied insects, slugs, and snails. Always wear a mask when using DE to prevent irritation to your nose, throat, and lungs.

Create a natural barrier by sprinkling DE around plants to protect them from cutworms, flea beetle larvae, and slugs. Treat insects on leaves and stems by misting the plant with water then dusting immediately with DE so the powder sticks.

This method kills aphids, Colorado potato beetle larvae, and other soft-bodied insects. You’ll need to reapply after rain or irrigation washes away the last application.

Keep in mind that DE can also kill beneficial insects, such as bees and lady beetle larvae, by causing lacerations to their bodies. To avoid eliminating garden helpers, do not apply DE to flowers where bees are likely to be affected or to any plants where beneficial insects may be present.

Milky Spore Disease

When Japanese beetles and their grubs are causing serious damage to your turf or garden, consider using milky spore disease to reduce their populations. This disease is caused by Paenibacillus popilliae, a type of bacteria that attacks only Japanese beetle grubs.

A powdered form of the bacteria is applied to your lawn or garden soil when temperatures are between 60°F and 70°F. The bacterium infects the gut of a Japanese beetle grub and turns it to mush. Infected grubs will have a brownish or reddish color and should be left in the soil to infect the next generation of grubs.

Milky spore bacteria may remain viable in the soil for several years after application. Treating your entire lawn can be costly and the bacteria doesn’t affect adult beetles.

These beetles are able to fly several miles to find sources of food, so treating your lawn won’t prevent damage from adults. Use this biological pest control when grubs are causing damage to your lawn and to reduce future populations.

Beneficial Nematodes

Nematodes are tiny, unsegmented roundworms that live in the soil and feed on plants, insects, or animals, depending on the species. Dormant beneficial nematodes may be purchased at garden centers or online in a powdered form to mix with water and spray onto your garden soil or lawn.

Nematodes enter the body of a grub, caterpillar, or other insect through the mouth or another opening. It then secretes a toxic bacterium that kills the host and allows the nematode to feed on its body. There are many different species that live at different soil depths and feed on a variety of hosts.

If armyworms, cutworms, Japanese beetles, root worms, or other grubs and larvae are a problem in your garden, beneficial nematodes are a safe, organic option to control them. Be sure to follow the directions on the package for the best results.

Natural Doesn’t Always Mean Safe

Choosing an organic insecticide over a synthetic chemical product doesn’t necessarily mean there aren’t any harmful repercussions for your health or for the environment.

The term “insecticide” describes a compound that kills insects, even if the compound is extracted from natural materials.

Rotenone, a naturally occurring insecticide made from several species of tropical plants, is now recognized as harmful to humans and other mammals and has been implicated in the development of Parkinson’s disease.

Other natural or certified organic pesticides to use with caution include (but are not limited to):

copper sulfate

neem oil

nicotine

pyrethrins (or their synthetic alternative, pyrethroids)

sabadilla

spinosad

Although these products are less toxic than many synthetic pesticides, they may kill beneficial insects, and the runoff from overapplication can pollute waterways and cause crustaceans, fish, and other wildlife to die. Some of these products also cause health issues for humans when they are not used properly.

0 notes

gardenassist · 3 years

Link

In this article, we will explain How to Planning, Planting, and Tending Your Garden?. In a previous article, we reviewed in detail What is Glorious Soil? Gardening For Beginners

Now that you have a lovely spot for your garden with healthy soil and plenty of sunlight, you’re probably anxious to dig in and start planting. There are so many possibilities for delicious fruits, nutritious vegetables, and aromatic herbs to raise for your table that you might feel a bit overwhelmed by the choices.

With a bit of thought and planning, you can eliminate the crops that won’t do well in your growing conditions and focus on planting the best foods for your space that also suit your tastes.

Once you’ve decided on what to grow, you’ll need to know how to read a seed packet, successfully sow your seeds, and decide whether to start or buy your seedlings. Maintaining your garden includes controlling weeds, irrigating crops, and knowing when to harvest the bounty.

Tidying up your garden is also an important step to reduce disease and prepare the soil for another crop. Let’s find out more!

DECIDING WHAT TO GROW

As you look through seed catalogs, you might get confused by the many crops, varieties, and descriptions listed. To keep things simple, consider planting the crops best suited to your climate, growing conditions, and space, as well as those that are most expensive to purchase or are the most productive and nutritious for your investment.

Above all, be sure to choose the foods you enjoy eating most! Make a list of all the veggies, herbs, and fruits you enjoy, then narrow your list down as you read this section.

Match Plants to Your Climate

Choose the best crops for your area to reduce disease and pests caused by stress. Check the USDA Plant Hardiness Map to find your growing region and the Old Farmer’s Alamanac website in the Resources section to find the average date of your last frost in spring and first frost in fall; these dates will guide the process.

When choosing plants, it’s also important to know if they are annuals, biennials, or perennials:

Annuals

produce a harvest and seeds in their first year. Biennials produce vegetative growth the first season, then flower and produce seed the second year. In general, these crops are harvested in the first year (e.g., beets and carrots).

Perennials

take several years to produce, but they continue to grow and fruit for many years.

Here are some handy tips for choosing your crops and planting times:

Choose perennials the USDA Plant Hardiness Map indicates are hardy in your area.

Cool season crops grow best between 40°F and 75°F and bolt (go to seed) in higher temperatures.

Warm season crops do not tolerate frost and grow best at 75°F or warmer.

Start seeds indoors or in a cold frame (unheated enclosure with a transparent lid that protects from cold while allowing sunlight) to extend your growing season.

Make sure crops are planted early enough so they can mature before your first frost.

Match Plants to Your Site

Keep sunlight requirements in mind when planning your garden. Some plants like full, hot sun all day whereas others need shade to prevent bolting or wilting in hot weather.

A plant that needs full sun should have bright, direct light for 6+ hours per day.

A plant that needs part shade will do best with bright, direct light in the morning and evening with shade during the hot part of the day.

Additionally, some plants like a moist, rich soil, whereas others need a loose, sandy bed. Allow enough space for each crop to reach their mature size when planting or thinning.

Consider the Return on Your Planting Investment

When time or space is at a premium it is especially important to choose the most productive crops for your investment.

Of course, you’ll want to plant the foods you enjoy eating, but also consider how much you can expect to harvest and which store-bought crops come with the most packaging or pesticide residue.

For example, if you love fresh salads, you’ve probably noticed how much plastic is used to package lettuce and spinach. You can grow a lot of healthy greens in a small space, saving money and reducing household waste.

Avoid Monocultures

To reduce pests and disease, plant a diversity of crops rather than large blocks of all one species or plant family.

Some members of the same plant family are susceptible to the same insects or fungal infections, which is why keeping these crops separated helps slow the spread. Interplanting vegetables, herbs, and fruits with a variety of flowers and other plants that attract beneficial insects and birds is key to managing an organic garden naturally.

Think Through to Harvest

As you’re planning, think about the foods you enjoy eating fresh and those you purchase frozen, canned, dried, or pickled. Will you have the time and know-how to put up some of your harvest for later? The easiest way to preserve your harvests is by freezing or dehydrating, but you can also make fresh-pack pickles without much fuss. Canning is a bit more involved, but this method creates shelf-stable food and is well worth the effort.

Getting Started

Check your list of plants to determine which should be started indoors , sown directly into your garden, and purchased as seedlings.

There are pros and cons to each method. The benefits of starting your own seedlings include:

The cost of a seed packet is often the same as one started plant.

There are more varieties to choose from, including heirlooms.

You control the pesticides and fertilizers applied to seedlings.

You can increase sustainability with recycled pots and homemade potting mix.

You may start only as many plants as you need.

The benefits of purchasing seedlings include:

Your purchase may support a local greenhouse.

You won’t need to buy special lights for starting seeds.

The process takes less time.

No special care is needed until you purchase your plants.

Starting Seeds Indoors

Raising your own seedlings can be as simple as sowing a few seeds in trays in a window or as complex as setting up a seed-starting system.

For the least expensive option, start seeds on a sunny windowsill just a few weeks before moving the seedlings outdoors.

For the strongest transplants, set up a full-spectrum LED grow light above your seedlings. A shelving unit fitted with light fixtures can house many seed trays. Seedling heat mats provide gentle bottom heat for speeding up germination, but you can set seeds anywhere with a temperature of 65°F to 80°F.

Cover trays with a sheet of clear plastic or another transparent lid to hold in moisture until the seeds germinate. Spritz the seedlings with a spray bottle of water only when the surface of the potting mix dries out, and use a small fan to mimic wind, encourage strong stems, and reduce “damping off,” a fungal disease.

Purchase seed-starting trays made from recycled plastic, reuse plastic yogurt containers or make newspaper pots to increase sustainability.

You’ll need a soilless seed-starting mix, or you can make your own from compost. When outdoor temperatures are warm enough for your seedlings, you’ll need to harden them off, meaning move them outdoors for a bit more time each day until they have acclimated to their new surroundings.

Start by placing them out of direct light for a few minutes and increasing exposure to sun and wind each day. Pay close attention to prevent sunburn, drying out, or freezing, and don’t plant them in the garden until the nighttime temperatures are warm enough for each crop.

Direct Sowing

Some crops grow best when sown directly into their garden bed. Read the directions on your seed packets for the best time to sow, how deep to plant seeds, how far apart to space them, and how much space to leave between seedlings after thinning (removing extra seedlings to provide the proper space between mature plants).

Some cool-season crops may be planted as early as the soil can be worked in the spring until several weeks before the last frost, whereas heat-loving crops should be sown once all danger of frost has passed. Check the average date of the last frost in your area to determine when to plant each crop.

Keep seedbeds moist by watering them gently each day. Even moisture is critical during germination and drying out could ruin your entire planting. Some seeds take two or three weeks to germinate, so be prepared to water them twice a day.

My Organic Garden Worksheet

WHAT METHODS DO I WANT TO TRY? Consider the pros and cons of each gardening methods you wish to try, thinking about where each could fit into the space you have available.

Sketch your garden, raised beds, or containers and their measurements to gain an understanding of your available space. Note the amount of sun each area receives to help choose the best crops for each spot.

HOW MUCH TIME DO I HAVE? Be realistic about your time commitment and don’t plant more than you can care for. It’s better to start with humble expectations and add to your garden later than to overestimate what you can maintain. Try blocking out time for your garden on a calendar to help you plan.

WHAT CROPS WILL I GROW? List the vegetables, herbs, fruits, and beneficial plants you wish to raise.

CROP CLOSE-UP

For each vegetable, herb, or fruit you wish to grow, list the best time of year to plant and whether you will start seeds indoors, direct sow, or purchase seedlings from a garden center. Consider how much you can use fresh or if you’ll have time to preserve the extras.

How to Read a Seed Packet

Most seed companies include a wealth of information on their seed packets, including whether the seeds were raised organically (these seeds aren’t treated with fungicides); if the variety of seed is an heirloom, hybrid, or an All-American Selection (or AAS, which are chosen for superior performance); and if the variety is resistant to any diseases.

There is some confusion about seeds that are hybrids versus GMOs (genetically modified organisms, with genetic material inserted in a lab setting into the plant’s DNA).

Hybrid seeds are not the same as a GMO and are created by cross-pollinating two or more varieties of the same species. An F1 hybrid is created by crossing two open-pollinated varieties (which breed true to type), and an F2 hybrid is created by crossing an F1 hybrid with an open-pollinated variety. Other important information to look for on your seed packet is the best time to plant, time to maturity (or days to harvest), time to germination (how long it takes seeds to sprout), how much sun the plant needs, how far apart to plant the seeds, and how far apart the plants should be after thinning. For the best results, follow these instructions closely.

Getting Enough Water

Keeping your garden properly irrigated is especially important when plants don’t have an extensive root system, such as when they are seedlings. You’ll need to check the soil moisture regularly in hot, dry weather and provide irrigation when needed.

On the other hand, if your soil is high in clay and the drainage is poor, make sure plants aren’t overwatered. Too much water is just as unhealthy as too little and can cause roots to rot and lose their ability to absorb moisture and nutrients.

The symptom of root rot is wilted leaves, the same as too little water. Always check the soil and water only when needed.

Contouring

This watering method has been used in rice paddies for centuries to hold water or direct its flow to a planting bed. Permaculture proponents use this technique in much the same way to reduce irrigation needs.

To put contouring to work in your own garden, you’ll need to study the lay of your land to see how water runs off and where it tends to collect. Situate beds or rows of plants to slow water runoff and reduce soil erosion.

For example, rows are planted across, rather than up and down, a slope that slows the flow of water and increases the absorption of moisture into the soil.

Irrigation Methods

Most gardeners need to water crops during periods of low rainfall, so it’s a good idea to plan ahead for irrigation. Watering a garden with a sprinkler wastes a lot of water and can cause fungal diseases. If you must use a sprinkler, do so in the morning so leaves dry off before nightfall.

Some better irrigation options are outlined here:

Use soaker hoses to water at the root zone and reduce evaporation.

Direct water to individual plants with drip irrigation.

Fill milk jugs with water, replace the cap, and poke a tiny hole in the bottom to water individual plants.

Hand-water with a hose or watering can to allow close inspection of plants as you work.

Save even more water by installing rain barrels on your downspouts, if rainwater harvesting is allowed in your area. Mulching and planting in slightly sunken beds reduces evaporation, and amending soil with compost helps the soil retain water.

If your area is prone to dry spells, choose plants that are drought tolerant when possible. Try using a blend of water-saving techniques to reduce irrigation needs.

Getting Down in The weeds

Gardeners spend a great deal of time waging war against weeds, which is understandable considering they grow like crazy and compete with our vegetables for water and nutrients.

However, there are ways to keep these unwanted plants under control without spending your entire summer weeding, cultivating, and spraying with toxic chemicals. Keep weeds to a minimum by removing them before they spread seeds in your garden beds.

You can also plant your crops densely to reduce competition and use mulch to prevent weed seeds from germinating. With this combination, you’ll find it much easier to keep your garden relatively free from unwanted plants.

Mulching

Significantly reduce your weeding duties and reduce moisture loss with layers of mulch between rows and plants. Create your own compost to mulch small plants and consider using a chipper or shredder to create mulch from your own yard waste.

Keep weeds down between beds or rows by covering these bare areas with clean straw, free cardboard, or wood chips. Make sure any bales of straw brought into your garden are free of thistle seed and that the straw wasn’t sprayed with persistent herbicides.

Wood chips may be available for free from landscaping companies, offering an affordable and sustainable option. Keep in mind that as wood chips break down, they tie up nitrogen in the soil, so you may need to use more fertilizer.

Reduce weeds in planting beds by mulching with compost, straw, shredded leaves, or another mulch with a fine texture. To prevent fungal problems, don’t pile mulch over seedlings or newly seeded beds or against the stems of plants. It’s better to add an inch or two of mulch at a time around plants instead of adding thick layers all at once.

Density Plantings

Spacing your plants closely helps them by shading sprouting weeds that rob them of moisture and nutrients. Be careful not to plant your crops too closely, which reduces air circulation and encourages the spread of disease.

Another option is to plant shorter crops that like a shady spot where they can keep weeds at bay without interfering with taller crops. Interplanting two or more vegetables or herbs together can be helpful to both crops. Some good combinations are tomatoes surrounded by spinach.

Spinach is a low-growing crop that may be seeded densely, shading out weeds without competing with the tomatoes. As your tomato plants fill in, they will shade the ground around the time your spinach crop is harvested.

Pinching, Pruning, or Staking

Many plants are more productive when their growth is directed by selectively pinching, pruning, or staking. For example, tomatoes produce side shoots that take energy away from flowering and fruiting on the main stem. By pinching off these suckers, you’ll increase the number of ripe tomatoes harvested.

Pruning the inner branches of fruit trees allows more sunlight to reach the fruit, increasing sugar content. Staking vines keeps fruit off the ground and prevents rot.

Pinch flower buds and side shoots easily when growth is tender to increase the vigor of the plant.

For example, basil will produce more leaves when flower buds are removed. Pruning mature growth also keeps plants from taking over an area and directs energy to the best branches; however, this technique requires pruners or a pruning saw. Grape vines, fruit trees, and other woody plants require annual pruning.

PINCHING

Try growing microgreens or sprouts in your garden or indoors over winter. These nutritious greens are clipped for salads or stir-fries. Once they are clipped, they usually won’t regrow, so plant frequently for a continual harvest.

Staking plants may be as simple as using a tomato cage or bamboo stakes. Wire fencing will support a row of peas or pole beans, but grapes need a heavy-duty trellis or fence to support their vines.

Harvest

A well-planned bed may produce vegetables, fruits, and herbs throughout the season. Be sure to harvest these goodies as they ripen, because some plants will shut down future production if you don’t keep them picked. Plus, you don’t want your veggies to end up tough or overripe.

Check plants daily for any vegetables or fruits that are ready to use. The best time of day to harvest is after the dew dries in the morning (to prevent spreading fungal spores on wet leaves) and before the heat of the day (when some veggies may wilt).

Harvest tomatoes and melons before watering to prevent cracking. Pick string beans every two or three days. Use a knife to cut squash and eggplants from the plant.

Here are a few tools and supplies that make harvest easier:

Basket or bowl to hold the harvest

Gloves to protect your hands from thorny plants

Kitchen shears or a knife for cutting tough stems

Jar of water for keeping herbs or flowers fresh

Garden Cleanup

Removing spent plants from your garden helps reduce pests and disease. At the end of the season after a fall frost, a cleanup is required. A cleanup is also required when a crop is finished.

Compost all organic matter (unless it’s diseased), and prepare the bed for your next planting. With a bit of care and planning, you may be able to plant several successive crops in one row or bed.

Sow seeds every week or two for an extended harvest, or follow up a cool-season crop with warm-season vegetables. Remove spent plants, add compost, and plant another crop to make good use of your space.

If you’ll be replacing one crop with a related planting (plants from the same family, such as legumes), cleaning up the first crop is especially important. Better yet, follow up with an unrelated crop.

In this scenario, each growing season you could potentially plant three successive crops in one space. One of my favorite succession plantings is a crop of early beets, followed by string beans, with a final sowing of kale in the fall.

For gardeners in frost-free zones or areas with only a light freeze, be sure to do a thorough cleanup and practice plant rotation to prevent the buildup of pathogens in the soil.

THE NEXT TIME AROUND: CROP ROTATION

Rotating crops might sound complicated, but it’s easy if you keep track of your garden layout each year.

To reduce problems with disease, pests, and nutrient deficiencies, raise different crops (from different plant families) in each garden bed following this schedule:

Year 1: legumes to build soil fertility (alfalfa, beans, peas)

Year 2: heavy feeders (greens, pumpkins, sweet corn)

Year 3: medium feeders (flowers, peppers, tomatoes)

Year 4: root crops (beets, carrots, potatoes)

Although this plan is ideal, many gardeners plant only one type of vegetable or they have a small space, making it difficult to rotate their crops. Fortunately, there are some ways to overcome these issues.

To “rotate” a container garden, you may either switch the crop grown in each pot or sanitize the pot and refill it with fresh potting mix each year.

Sanitizing and putting in fresh soil may also be used in small raised beds; however, the cost of refilling beds with fresh soil can be considerable. Try marking off the bed using the square-foot method and keep meticulous track of which crops are grown in each space to help plan your rotation schedule.

Another option is to plant a straw-bale garden and add the straw to your hot compost pile at the end of the season to kill most pathogens.

0 notes

gardenassist · 3 years

Link

n this article, we will explain What is Glorious Soil? Gardening For Beginners. In a previous article, we reviewed in detail how does your garden grow?.

Healthy, productive gardens start with soil that’s rich in organic matter and teeming with life. Most plants (and the beneficial microbes that boost the plants’ nutrient uptake) do best in soil with a pH range from slightly acidic to neutral.

Although some crops, such as blueberries, prefer a more acidic soil pH, others, such as asparagus, prefer a more alkaline soil.

You may need to loosen compacted soils, add amendments to improve water retention in sandy beds, or make heavy clay more friable. Adding organic matter in the form of compost and mulch is one of the best investments you can make to improve the productivity and health of your vegetables, herbs, and fruits.

Get your garden off to the best start by improving the soil, and you’ll harvest greater yields of nutritious food.

The Composition of Soil

Soil is a pretty amazing substance made up of sand, silt, clay, organic matter (humus), pockets of air and moisture, and a myriad of insects, fungi, and microbes. To the untrained eye it might seem that soil is just “dirt,” handy for retaining water and a good place for roots to grow.

However, the organic gardener would be wise to view this component of their garden as the foundation for a successful harvest. Many gardeners grow frustrated working with less-than-ideal soil.

Heavy clay has tiny, plate-like particles that are easily compacted and prone to waterlogging. The relatively large particles in sandy soils allow water to drain quickly, leaving plants susceptible to drought.

Between these extremes are silty soils with medium-size particles. The best soil makeup for gardening is composed of a balance of these basic soil types and is referred to as loam. Loamy soils have the ideal space between particles for the air and moisture necessary for healthy root systems.

In addition to having a balanced structure, truly healthy soil is home to countless organisms that convert humus and minerals into nutrients needed for plant growth.

Many of these beneficial microbes form symbiotic relationships with plant roots, making it possible for nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, and a host of micronutrients to be absorbed and put to good use by vegetables, herbs, and fruits. When synthetic pesticides are applied to crops, this web of life is disrupted.

I’ve compared the soil of a conventional agricultural field with the soil in my organic garden and the difference is undeniable. Soil with pesticide residue is nearly devoid of life, but my garden soil is home to a thriving ecosystem of helpful creatures. Without these beneficial organisms, plants require increasing applications of fertilizer to produce a harvest.

Not only is it less expensive to care for your plants by improving your soil structure and encouraging beneficial organisms, it’s also much better for the environment and our bodies alike.

Testing Your Soil

Get your garden off to a good start by testing your soil pH, water drainage, and potential lead contamination. These tests will help you avoid problems and increase your harvests. You may order a pH or lead contamination test kit online or have your soil tested at the local extension office.

Collect a sample by removing the sod and taking soil from several spots in your garden bed. Mix what you’ve gathered and fill the container for testing. If there is lead contamination (a common problem next to old homes, industrial sites, and roadways), don’t raise food in the existing soil.

Instead, plant vegetables and herbs in containers or in a raised bed with a base to prevent plants from absorbing this dangerous metal. The majority of plants grow well with a soil pH between 5.5 and 7.0, and the pH may be adjusted according to the test kit directions.

If your only option for a garden space is a paved area, you may build raised beds there, as long as water can drain away. Fill the raised bed with soil or potting mix, or use sheet mulching or a lasagna garden to create new soil. The mulch will take longer to decompose because it isn’t in direct contact with the soil.

Soil Preparation and Areation

Well-aerated soil has plenty of air pockets for holding the moisture and gases needed by roots and beneficial microbes. Soil that is compacted or heavy in clay doesn’t have enough air pockets and doesn’t drain well, potentially causing root rot and poor overall growth.

To determine if your soil needs aeration to improve drainage, dig a hole 1 foot deep. Fill it with water and allow to drain overnight, then fill again. Press a yardstick into the bottom of the hole and check every hour for the drainage rate; the ideal range is 1 to 3 inches per hour.

If water drains too quickly, add lots of compost to retain moisture. If it drains too slowly, aerate the soil by double digging and amending with plenty of compost, or consider planting perennials in a permaculture garden to slowly improve soil structure over time.

Amending the Soil

Adding organic matter to the soil each year boosts fertility and increases the number of beneficial microbes that, in turn, feed our plants.

Soil amendments may be purchased from garden centers or created for free by composting leaves, wood chips, manure, grass clippings, and kitchen waste.

We’ll learn more about the alchemy of composting “garbage” into rich, black soil in the “Composting”. To keep your garden truly organic, make sure the materials used to amend your garden are free of herbicides or other toxic chemicals.

Livestock manure is great for soil fertility, but make sure the animals were not treated with medications that could kill microbes or be absorbed by your veggies.

By working organic amendments into your garden over time, you can improve poor soil structure, adjust the pH, and repopulate beneficial organisms even after years of herbicide and pesticide applications have left you with barren soil.

Double Digging

Quickly loosen and aerate your garden soil by double digging your beds. To do so, dig up and remove 8 to 12 inches of topsoil and set on a tarp or some cardboard off to the side. Next, dig up and remove another layer of soil about 8 to 12 inches deep and set aside, separate from the topsoil.

Place the topsoil in the bottom of the bed, with the sod-side down. Combine the rest of the soil with plenty of compost and shovel this mixture back into the bed. This technique is a great way to loosen compacted or clay soil.

Double-digging your garden beds allow you to plant quickly, improves drainage, and introduces organic matter for healthy plant roots. If your soil is very sandy, tilling in compost or starting a lasagna garden will improve water retention.

Planting Diversely

Perennials, shrubs, and trees absorb minerals from deep beneath our topsoil. As these plants shed organic matter in the form of decaying roots, leaves, and twigs, they provide nutrients to fuel the growth of shallow-rooted crops, including many of our vegetables and herbs.

Take advantage of this natural cycle by planting a diversity of perennial crops, then compost plant debris into homemade fertilizer.

Improve the soil in annual beds by rotating crops and including legumes to fix nitrogen in the soil. Work composted leaves into the soil each year to add organic matter, unless the leaves came from plants that were diseased.

Tilling

Tilling can help prepare your garden; however, there are downsides to this technique. Although the top layer of soil is turned and the sod is shredded, grass and weed roots may grow back, making maintenance difficult.

In clay soils, the tines of a rototiller also create a compacted zone below the tilled layer. Overworking sandy soils can cause nutrients to leach away. Instead, add plenty of compost and reduce tilling.

Because wet clay soils are easily compacted into dense layers with few air pockets necessary for root health, always allow them to dry out before tilling and do so sparingly.

Making Sustainable Choices

Keep your garden environmentally friendly by choosing sustainable soil amendments. Most potting mixes are composed of peat moss, vermiculite, and perlite (heat-treated volcanic glass that is lightweight and absorbent).

Peat bogs are endangered ecosystems that are destroyed when harvested so a more sustainable choice would be compost or coconut coir.

Vermiculite and perlite are both mined and heat-treated in an energy-intensive process, so consider replacing these products with horticultural sand, composted sawdust, or finely ground bark mulch. The best way to ensure that soil amendments and potting mixes are sustainable is to make your own.

Compost your own yard waste, kitchen scraps, and other organic matter, or choose eco-friendly amendments such as organic compost, kelp meal, composted manure, or coconut coir (rinse well to remove natural salts).

Soil Enrichment

Gardeners can provide many of the nutrients needed by vegetables and fruits just by adding sufficient quantities of organic matter to their soil to feed the beneficial microorganisms that feed our plants. However, sometimes there just aren’t enough nutrients in the soil and you’ll need to supplement with organic fertilizers.

Many fertilizers contain only the macronutrients needed by plants: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). The label lists them as N-P-K and includes the percentage of each respective nutrient. Some organic fertilizers also have trace amounts of micronutrients.

Consider using these fertilizers sparingly and only when needed. Applying too much fertilizer leads to sparse root systems that leave plants susceptible to drought and disease.

Natural Fertilizers

Choose organic fertilizers with low percentages of the macronutrients (5 percent to 15 percent) to make burning the roots and disturbing microbes less likely. Keep in mind that:

nitrogen fuels green leafy growth,

phosphorous spurs root development, and

potassium supports flowering and fruiting.

Before you fertilize any plant, determine its nutrient requirements. For example, salad greens are leafy plants and need more nitrogen, seedlings and new transplants benefit from phosphorous to stimulate rooting, and tomatoes are fruiting plants and won’t produce a crop without potassium.

Organic fertilizers are available online and in most garden centers. Common ingredients include bat guano, bone meal, blood meal, fish emulsion, kelp meal, mushroom compost, organic compost, and worm castings.

Those who practice a vegan lifestyle may wish to avoid fertilizers with animal byproducts, such as bone meal. Although these ingredients may be renewable, they aren’t humanely produced.

Rock phosphate (phosphorous) and greensand (potassium) are both mined from nonrenewable sources. The good news is that many nutrients are commonly present in soil but must first be converted into usable forms for plants by beneficial microbes.

So, the cheapest and most sustainable source of fertilizer for our plants may often be coaxed from existing soil just by feeding the microbes with compost.

Soil – Building Plants

One of the most important groups of plants for building fertile soil is legumes, which includes alfalfa, beans, clover, peanuts, peas, and vetch.

Their value lies in the ability to “fix” atmospheric nitrogen in the soil into a form that plants can absorb and utilize. If you examine the root system of a legume, you’ll find small nodules filled with beneficial bacteria called rhizobia, which convert nitrogen into usable ammonia and, in turn, receive sugars from plant roots.

Another way to build soil with plant materials is to raise cover crops and green manures, such as rye, oats, wheat, or those lovely legumes we’ve already discussed. These materials are planted in empty beds to reduce erosion, prevent weeds, and fertilize the soil when they are tilled under and composted back into the soil.

Soil Mixes and Potting Medium

Raising vegetables and other crops in containers and raised beds requires a suitable potting medium or soil mix to fill them. Most potting mediums contain no soil at all and are instead formulated with peat moss, perlite, vermiculite, and maybe some compost.

A few companies are switching from peat-based formulas to more sustainable choices, such as coconut coir, so check the label before you buy. You can save money and increase sustainability by starting a lasagna garden to build your own soil, or filling beds with homemade potting mix.

To make your own mix, combine equal parts coconut coir, compost, and composted wood chips and leaves for a general mix, or replace the composted wood chips with horticultural sand for root crops. In a pinch, you can use plain compost mixed with a little sand.

If you decide to purchase a ready-to-use potting mix, keep in mind that it may contain synthetic fertilizers to feed plants. Another common additive in potting mixes are water retention crystals that absorb and hold excess moisture until plants need it.

This combination sounds like a great way to keep plants hydrated; however, these crystals may contain cancer-causing compounds (primarily a problem when inhaled) and are best avoided in an organic garden.

Another option is to combine topsoil with compost to fill your containers and raised beds, but keep in mind that purchased topsoil may come from herbicide-treated farmland.

In the past, I have purchased topsoil containing so much herbicide residue that seeds would not germinate, and seedlings transplanted into this soil died soon after.

Saving a little money on a bag of topsoil ended up setting back my garden bed by a full growing season.

Soil and the Raised Bed

Determine how much potting mix or soil you’ll need to fill a raised bed by measuring its length, width, and depth (in linear feet) and plugging those numbers into the following equation:

length x width x depth = cubic feet of soil or potting mix needed

For example, with a raised bed 4 feet by 6 feet by ½ foot deep, you’ll get 4 x 6 x .5 = 12.

So, you’d need a total of 12 cubic feet of soil to fill this raised bed. Keep in mind that 1 inch is about 0.08333 foot.

For a bed that’s 4 feet by 6 feet by 8 inches, you’d need to multiply 8 inches by 0.08333 to find the depth in feet, like this: 8 x 0.08333 = 0.66664 feet

Round up to two decimal points (0.67 feet) to plug into the equation: 4 x 6 x 0.67 = 16.08 cubic feet If you have trouble determining how much soil you’ll need, check out the Gardener’s Supply website for a handy calculator app

Composting

Composting is the process of converting organic waste into humus with the help of beneficial soil organisms and is a great way to reduce household waste and create nutrient-rich soil for your garden.

Although many waste materials can be composted, some contain pathogens or attract vermin. Never include feces from predators (such as cats and dogs) in compost because of the danger of parasites.

Dairy products, fatty or oily materials, and meats attract rodents and should also be avoided. Citrus peels contain a compound that kills insects, so don’t add many. If you compost manure from livestock, make sure the animals weren’t treated with worming medications or antibiotics.

For the best results, use the following ratio: 2 parts brown matter (wood chips, straw, and leaves, for example) to 1-part green matter (including fresh grass clippings, kitchen waste, and weeds), and layer with garden soil to introduce beneficial bacteria to the mix.

Cold composting

Cold composting generally takes at least six months. Layer 2 parts brown matter with 1-part green matter, and top with soil. Water the materials and add new layers as you have organic waste available. Because cold compost piles are allowed to break down slowly, the heat created during decomposition is minimal and will not kill weed seeds and pathogens.

Hot Composting

Hot composting can take as little as 1 month. The pile is turned often, accelerating decomposition and encouraging the growth of bacteria, which, in turn, increases the amount of heat released during decomposition to kill weed seeds and disease spores.

To get started, build a pile at least 3 feet by 3 feet. Layer 2 parts brown matter to 1-part green matter and top with garden soil.

Continue building layers until the pile is at least 2 to 3 feet tall. Lightly water and use a compost thermometer to check the internal temperature every 2 to 3 days. When the temperature reaches 110°F to 140°F, turn the pile and add more water, if needed.

The materials should feel damp but not soggy. When your compost is brown and smells like soil, it’s ready to use.

Troubleshooting Your Compost Pile

If the compost is too wet and has a bad odor

Add only enough water to keep compost damp. If a handful of compost feels wet, add more brown matter and turn the pile to reduce odor and absorb excess water.

If the compost stinks but isn’t overly wet

Adding too many acidic or high-nitrogen materials (especially grass clippings, coffee grounds, and other kinds of kitchen waste) creates low-oxygen conditions that lead to the growth of anaerobic bacteria and a stinky pile. Work in more brown materials, such as straw or dry leaves, and turn the pile to counteract the high nitrogen content.

If the compost doesn’t break down quickly or get hot

The pile may be too dry, there may be too much brown matter, or beneficial organisms may be lacking in your soil. Reach into the center of the pile to see if it feels damp. Water the pile if it feels dry. If moisture levels aren’t the problem, try adding more green material or add a compost activator (product containing beneficial bacteria) to the pile and turn it to incorporate these additions.

If rodents are attracted to the compost

Don’t add meat, fat, or dairy products to your pile. Rodents also enjoy vegetable peelings, eggshells, and other kitchen scraps, so you may need to work these items into the very center of the pile to deter mice, or try a worm-composting system in an area where rodents can’t reach it.

If the compost gets too hot

In some cases, a compost pile can produce so much heat that beneficial microbes in the center die. Make your compost pile smaller, turn the pile more often, or add more coarse materials to create pockets of air in the layers that will help reduce the temperature.

0 notes

gardenassist · 3 years

Link

When most people think of a garden, they envision neat rows of vegetables. However, a single-row garden layout doesn’t make the most efficient use of space, nutrients, or time.

Plus, not every home gardener has enough land to plant a space-hungry single-row garden. For very small spaces, your best choice might be a container garden on a sunny patio.

If your soil is poor, consider implementing the sheet mulching method or a raised-bed garden. Space-saving ideas include using a biointensive garden or wide-row garden for in-ground, planting in a square-foot system, or raising vegetables vertically.

If you have trouble bending down to pull weeds and pick vegetables, a raised-bed garden, such as a keyhole (a circular raised bed with a narrow, wedge-shape path to a central composting system), could work well for you. As we go into a bit more detail in this article, consider which of these methods might best suit your specific needs.

Garden Setup and landscaping choices.

Container Garden

Raising plants in containers is a great way to increase your gardening space and take advantage of a sunny deck or rooftop. Containers should have drainage holes to prevent root rot and a saucer to catch run-off water.

Containers made from recycled plastic or another waterproof material will reduce moisture loss in sunny locations. Grow bags (breathable polypropylene fabric bags filled with potting soil) are another fantastic option for raising vegetables and herbs.

If planning a container garden on a rooftop or terrace, bear in mind that containers + soil + plants + water can get heavy.

Use a quality potting soil mix and follow these steps for planting:

Place gravel in the bottom of the pot to improve drainage.

Add potting soil.

Plant seedlings and gently tamp down the soil to remove air pockets.

Water thoroughly and protect from direct sun until the plants become acclimated.

Best Choices for Vegetable Container Gardens

Many crops work well in containers, including species that are naturally compact or space-saving varieties such as miniature carrots, baby beets, patio tomatoes, and even bush pumpkins. You can raise strawberries, dwarf blueberries, and miniature fruit trees (including citrus) in pots with a bit of extra care.

Protect perennial plants from temperature extremes and bring tropical fruits indoors during cold weather. Include herbs or edible flowers to attract pollinators.

Here are a few suitable plant varieties for growing in containers:

Apple: Babe Dwarf and Garden Delicious (plant both for pollination)

Basil: Fino Verde

Beet: Early Wonder

Blueberry: Top Hat

Carrot: Thumbelina

Cherry: Compact Stella (self-pollinating)

Chives: Common Chives or Garlic Chives

Cilantro: Long-standing (bolt resistant)

Citrus: Dwarf Dancy Tangerine or Dwarf Valencia Orange (self-pollinating)

Corn: Golden Miniature

Cucumber: Bush Whopper

Dill: Compatto

Eggplant: Early Black Egg

Kale: Prizm

Lettuce: Tom Thumb

Melon: Green Machine

Peach: Bonanza Miniature (self-pollinating)

Pepper: Baby Belle

Potato: Lady Finger

Pumpkin: Wee Be Little

Spinach: Space

Strawberry: Seascape

Summer squash: Balmoral

Swiss chard: Barese

Tomato: Patio

Winter squash: Jersey Golden Acorn

In ground garden

Many gardeners choose a traditional in-ground garden to raise food at home. If you have a sunny spot with decent soil and good drainage, consider switching a section of your lawn to an in-ground garden.

In windy, dry, or hot climates, the ground will stay cooler and moisture won’t evaporate as quickly compared with raised beds or containers.

As an added bonus, start-up costs of planting directly into your in-ground garden are usually minimal. Among the planting styles to consider are biointensive single-row or wide-row gardens.

BIOINTENSIVE GARDENS

The biointensive method focuses on building soil fertility and successive plantings. To create a biointensive garden, begin by double-digging compacted soil or simply turning over already loose and friable (easily crumbled) soil.

If your climate is cold and wet, the beds may be slightly raised by mounding the soil and leveling them with a garden rake. This style of raised bed uses no lumber or other materials to hold the soil in place.

In hot, dry climates, the garden beds are slightly sunken to retain moisture. In any case, each bed is planted into the native soil and amended generously with compost.

Mulch is applied between plants to reduce weeds and feed the soil. Every time a crop is harvested, more compost is added to increase soil fertility and a new crop is planted.

SINGLE-ROW GARDENS

A single-row garden is laid out in rows that are one plant wide with walking paths between rows. This design makes envisioning your garden layout easy but requires the most space and leaves a great deal of soil open for weeds to fill in.

WIDE-ROW GARDENS

The wide-row method allows gardeners to increase their harvests by reducing the amount of space dedicated to walking paths. Unlike the single-row system, in which the width of the row depends entirely on how large each crop grows, a wide-row system dedicates about 4 feet for the width of each row or bed.

The largest crops may be planted down the center and allowed to fill in the row. Medium-size crops, such as cabbage or tomatoes, are planted in a double row with 1 to 1½ feet between the plants and a walking path down each side of the double row.

Spinach, leaf lettuce, and other small plants are usually sown by broadcasting (sprinkling the seeds across the entire wide row) to fill in the space. By reducing the number of paths and spacing the plants closely, you can raise more crops in your available space, use less water and fertilizer, and reduce weed growth. Mulching the paths further reduces maintenance and increases soil fertility.

Lasagna Gardens and Sheet Mulching

Lasagna gardening refers to building plant beds with layers of brown and green matter that break down into compost as your plants grow.

To build a lasagna garden, start by loosening up the soil with a garden fork, covering it with a layer of cardboard or newspaper, then layering brown materials (straw, leaves, etc.) 3 inches thick, alternating with green materials (composted manure, kitchen waste, etc.) 1 inch thick, watering well, then topping off with 2 to 4 inches of soil.

Seeds or seedlings are planted in the soil and may need extra irrigation until the layers fully compost. This method is a wonderful way to improve fertility, start a new garden bed easily, and actually create new soil.

Sheet mulching is basically the same idea; however, you’ll cover the soil with cardboard, then add layers of mulch and allow them to break down. The following year, this bed will be ready to plant.

Raised-Bed Gardens

For gardeners dealing with poor or wet soils, a raised-bed system may be a good option. In this method, a raised structure is built or purchased and filled with soil or a potting mix.

Raised beds Warm up faster in spring and don’t freeze as quickly in fall. In hot, dry climates it’s usually better to plant at ground level or in a sunken garden to keep roots cool and reduce moisture loss. For gardeners with mobility issues, a raised-bed system could make tending vegetables easier.

There are also “table”-style gardens, which resemble a cross between a raised bed and a container garden, that allow people in wheelchairs to grow vegetables independently.

When planning a raised-bed garden, allow enough space to walk around the beds, and don’t make the beds more than 3 to 4 feet wide, so you can reach the center.

Determine the layout of your beds, build the sides, and line the bottom with cardboard or newspaper to help kill grass before adding soil. Consider repurposing old bricks instead of purchasing lumber for the sides.

For another sustainable option, consider raised-bed kits made from recycled plastic, available from some garden supply companies. A keyhole garden is basically a circular raised bed with a central compost bin.

This type of garden works well for heavy feeders such as greens and herbs. The compost in the center leaches nutrients into the soil throughout the growing season and may be worked into the bed at the end of the season.

When designing a keyhole garden, don’t make the circle so large that you aren’t able to reach the center of the bed.

Keep in mind that the compost bin in the center is key to establishing a healthy soil ecosystem, so this feature shouldn’t be eliminated.

Another “key” feature of this type of garden is that the path makes it easy to turn your compost and work it into the bed.

Some newer keyhole-garden kits are basically a U-shape raised bed with no composting system included.

You could customize such a kit by adding your own compost bin to increase the soil fertility.

However, the circular design of the original keyhole-garden layout is designed around the compost pile and makes it easier to distribute the nutrients throughout the bed.

Square-Foot Gardens

Square-foot gardening combines a raised-bed system with custom spacing requirements for different crops. A bed is built and filled with equal parts organic compost, vermiculite (a heat-treated mineral that is lightweight and absorbent) or fine bark mulch, and coconut coir or peat moss (we’ll discuss why peat moss isn’t a sustainable choice in next article).

A 1-foot-by-1-foot grid is laid out over the bed to guide your planting. Large plants (such as zucchini or tomatoes) are generally planted in a 2-foot-by-2-foot square (or larger), and smaller crops such as scallions or spinach are planted in a grid of nine plants in a 1-foot-by-1-foot space.

Each plant is given enough room to reach maturity without leaving extra space where weeds can fill in and compete with crops.

This compact planting scenario requires less maintenance compared to a traditional single-row system. The “soil” mixture is friable, is great for plant roots, and retains moisture without causing root rot.

Fertilizer runoff into paths between rows is no longer an issue when planting intensively. In addition, this system is great for setting up an “instant garden” when you wish to get started quickly.

Straw-Bale Gardens

Another option for an easy planting space is a straw-bale garden. In this method, straw bales are placed in a sunny spot and soaked with water several weeks before planting, to begin breaking them down.

Situate the bales with the cut-end facing up and remove enough straw from the center of the top of the bale to create a shallow trench.

Fill the trench with soil and plant with seeds or seedlings. Keep the straw well watered to speed up decomposition and keep plants hydrated. The rotting straw will nourish your plantings and makes a great soil amendment.

Vertical Gardens and Vertical Stacking

Gardeners with limited space can produce more food by “growing up.” The simplest way to make use of vertical space is by training crops on a trellis or arbor instead of letting them sprawl.

Vertical gardens are great for such crops as cucumbers, pole beans, and grapes. You can also raise food in a vertical living wall planter.

In this twist on container gardening, a planter system is securely attached to a sturdy wall, filled with potting mix, fitted with an irrigation system, then planted.

Creating your own from an already designed plan is an option, or you can purchase one that’s ready-made. Consider this method for small varieties of herbs and salad greens, or choose plants that grow well in a hanging planter, such as strawberries.

Vertical Garden

Vertical stacking is another technique in which plants with different heights and light requirements are raised together to make better use of space. Tall plants that need full sun work well with shorter, shade-tolerant crops that cover the soil and help reduce weed growth. Some vertical stacking combinations that work well include:

sweet corn and pumpkins

sunflowers and lettuce

tomatoes and spinach

In another vertical-stacking method, a tiered planter provides space to raise vegetables, herbs, and strawberries.

Choices include strawberry pots with planting holes in the sides, planters with stepped planting boxes, or tiers of window box–style planters on metal racks.

Edible Landscaping

If you’re having trouble working a vegetable garden into your backyard, consider adding edible crops to your decorative landscaping.

In addition to creating a lovely and delicious landscape, you’ll also provide a diversity of plants to attract beneficial insects. Choose colorful salad greens, herbs, and pretty vegetables and fruits to dress up your landscape as well as your dinner plate.

Here are some fantastic choices for edible crops that will look right at home in a flower bed:

Artichoke

Bright Lights Swiss chard

Cayenne pepper

Cherry tomato

Chives

Freckles lettuce

Opal basil

Red Russian kale

Scarlet runner bean

Seascape strawberry

Variegated sage

Other options include blueberry bushes, dwarf fruit trees, and a host of perennial and annual herbs, vegetables, and fruits.

Check to see which plants are suitable for your growing conditions, and be sure to include a variety of different heights, textures, colors, and blooms that provide visual interest as well as food for your table (not to mention the butterflies, bees, and birds you wish to attract to your garden).

PICKING THE METHOD THAT WORKS FOR YOU

Given the many different gardening methods to consider, deciding which one is best for you might feel a little overwhelming.

Start by setting the location of your new garden, assessing your growing conditions, and determining how much space you can dedicate to growing food.

Think, too, about how much time you have to set up and maintain your garden. Additionally, what are your gardening goals? Which crops do you enjoy eating and how much of each can you put to use? There’s a lot to think about, so let’s dig in!

How Much Space Do You Have?

You’ll need to take a survey of your property to determine the best location for the fruits, herbs, and vegetables you wish to plant.

Having a large, sunny garden space is ideal; however, in the absence of this space sometimes edible plantings must be worked into shady spots or around other complications.

If you have a small yard, consider spaces around your patio, in the foundation plantings around the home, and between the sidewalk and street as potential planting areas. Perhaps there is a community garden nearby where you may rent a space.

When planning, be sure to take into account the mature size of trees and shrubs, and consider adding a bed for shade-tolerant crops such as lettuce, peas, spinach, and beets.

Siting and Sizing Your Garden

Start your eco-friendly garden out right by selecting the best location and making good use of what you already have. Here are some handy tips:

Choose a spot with 6+ hours of sun a day.

Site your garden near the home and a faucet for easy maintenance.

Check soil health, structure, and drainage.

Avoid underground utilities or septic fields.

Keep in mind that replacing some of your lawn with a garden can increase biodiversity and reduce the time and gas needed to mow. Alternatively, consider growing food in containers on a sunny deck, rooftop, or balcony.

Raised beds are a great option for an area with poor drainage or rocky soil. Many edible plants are attractive enough to tuck into a flower bed if you have a small lot. Another consideration is how much space to plan for your garden. The answer depends on the amount of food you need and which crops you’ll grow.

One bed of about 12 square feet should be plenty for a single person. For a family of four to eat fresh produce in season and preserve some for winter, you may need to cultivate 96 square feet, or more.

Some vegetables need a lot of space (e.g., winter squash and pumpkins), whereas other crops produce an abundance of food in a small space (e.g., tomatoes and pole beans).

Use the “My Organic Garden Worksheet” to make a list of the crops you wish to grow and to estimate the amount you’ll need.

Keep this list handy when you read the guide to common vegetables, their average yield, and how much space they require.

How Much Time Do You Have?

You don’t want your garden to take up every extra minute of your day, so think carefully about how much time you can dedicate to this project.

Are there certain seasons when you go on vacation? Need to take children to soccer practice every weekend? Have a maxed-out schedule because of other obligations? Consider these types of questions.

Be realistic when planning the size of your garden so you don’t get overwhelmed. It’s better to start small and add to your plantings when time allows. Plan ahead for time spent weeding, watering, pruning, checking for insects, and harvesting.

Use time-saving techniques, such as mulching to prevent weeds and installing drip irrigation (system of hoses or pipes that drip water onto the soil next to a specific plant) to reduce watering responsibilities.

Locate beds close to the house, if possible, to reduce time spent walking to and from the garden to harvest and maintain your plantings.

Method Mash-Ups

If you can’t decide which garden methods would work best for your specific needs, don’t worry! There’s no reason you have to stick with just one.

Instead, use a combination of different systems according to your space and growing conditions. For example:Install a trellis for climbing crops as a backdrop for a bed that mixes insectary plants with colorful salad vegetables and herbs. Turn a large, sunny backyard into a wide-row or biointensive garden with a compost bin and potting shed nearby. Use the sheet mulching technique around sprawling pumpkins and squash. Grow vines on an arbor over part of your patio, with vertical stacking containers of strawberries and herbs and large pots for miniature blueberries in sunny areas.Use square-foot spacing techniques in an in-ground garden rather than a raised bed.

Of course, these ideas are just a sampling for putting your outdoor space to work for you. Pay careful attention to each area of your yard and look for micro-climates that have more sun, while avoiding areas that are windy or more susceptible to frost, and choose the best gardening technique for each spot.

0 notes

gardenassist · 3 years

Link

In this article, we will illustrate the most common microgreens which considered highly healthiest and profitable In a previous article, we reviewed in detail six important things you should be known before you start selling your microgreens.

1. Sunflower

Sunflower microgreens are probably the most popular on the market. They are usually easy to grow and only take 7-10 days to mature. However, they can sometimes have problems with germination, certain diseases, and husk shedding.

For these reasons, they are not among the most recommended microgreens for beginners. Growing these microgreens in the soil is recommended while growing them hydroponically is more difficult.

Sunflower microgreens are excellent in sandwiches, soups, salads, scrambled eggs, and wraps. Both the leaves and the stems are edible.

Try adding them to a sandwich to get the typical flavor of the seeds, but with the freshness and beauty of microgreens, or accompanied by cheese to add that extra touch that never hurts.

2-Pea

Pea microgreens are also very common and are one of my favorites. They are easy to grow in soil and take about 8-14 days to mature. They can also be grown hydroponically and produce a good yield.

Pea microgreens have a slightly sweet taste, with a bitter aftertaste. In the kitchen, they can add a pleasant touch of freshness to dishes to which they are added, giving a milder character and adding rich and natural flavors to any dish.

They are great in salads or even quickly sauteed with some garlic, soy sauce, and ginger. These peas are ideal for adding a touch of freshness and color to salads, as well as soups and stews.

3-Broccoli

Broccoli grows very quickly and is one of the easiest microgreens to grow. If you have the optimal conditions, such as the right temperature, water and growing medium, these beautiful and tasty microgreens can be ready in as little as six days. It can be grown in soil or hydroponically and is perfect for beginners.

It is a robust and substantial microgreen that has a fresh, mild cabbage flavor. They are also popular for their health benefits as they are a great source of sulforaphane. It is an excellent choice as a base for any salad made with microgreens.

4-Basil

Basil is an excellent microgreen that can be grown for commercial purposes. All cooks know and use basil because it is an ingredient they use in pasta, salads, and many sauces.

Basil is the main ingredient in Genovese pesto. Therefore, you can sell it quickly because there is a good demand and cooks love to have an extra fresh product. It can be grown in soil, but hydroponics is preferable.

Basil seeds are mucilaginous, which means that when the seeds get wet, a gel-like substance called mucilage forms. As such, mucilaginous seeds require a little more care and observation than other microgreens.

Because the seeds become sticky with the slime gel, they are often described as difficult to grow. They may not be the best choice for beginners.

5-Cress

Cress microgreens grow well in soil or hydroponically. There are several varieties, and it is a fairly well-known plant among microgreens enthusiasts. Its cultivation requires less water than most other microgreens.

Thanks to its distinctive flavor, watercress can be used in numerous recipes; add watercress to egg mayonnaise sandwiches, salads, and soups, or use it to garnish canapés and grilled dishes.

It can also be used as a base for sauces and condiments to pair with fish, especially salmon, shrimp, and shellfish in general. They are often combined with ginger to obtain a mixture of, especially spicy flavors.

6- Radish

Radish microgreens are among the easiest microgreens to grow indoors and also among the fastest-growing. They are suitable for any cultivation (in soil or hydroponic). Under certain conditions, they can be ready to harvest as soon as six days after planting.

Radish microgreens have mild sweet and spicy notes. They can make a colorful and tempting ingredient in your vegan or vegetarian sandwiches, but they’re also perfect for adding to salads of all kinds.

They are incredibly juicy, and for this reason, they can become a natural condiment for various preparations (risotto, sandwiches, pasta). They can be added to salads to give them a stronger flavor, and they go perfectly with a crab salad along with cucumbers. Finally, many use them to give appetizers an extra touch.

7-Arugula

If you’re just getting started growing microgreens, growing arugula microgreens is a great way to start. It’s a popular plant with chefs and hobbyists alike, with a spicy, nutty flavor that will jazz up most dishes. It also grows very quickly (both in soil and hydroponically) and can typically be harvested in about ten days.

Arugula is one of the most popular microgreens because of its distinctive spicy, nutty, almost tart flavor that develops into a bitter and spicy taste. Arugula microgreens are delicious raw because when cooked, they lose their characteristic spiciness.

Perfect for summer pizzas, omelets, chips, pasta, or rice. Its bitter taste makes it ideal to be combined with many other ingredients, including other microgreens such as arugula, peas, sunflowers, and red chard.

8. Cilantro/Coriander

Coriander is a well-known plant, very good to eat and beautiful to look at. It is not one of the easiest or fastest microgreens to grow, as it can take up to 28 days before you can harvest. It is better to choose soil growing for this microgreen, as hydroponic growing can be very difficult.

Cilantro microgreens are suitable for raw preparations, especially as a garnish, as they wilt with prolonged exposure to heat. They have a bright, sweet, and spicy flavor without the soapy, bitter character that mature cilantro can develop.

Micro-cilantro leaves are most commonly used in Mexican, Indian, Thai, and Chinese cuisine and can be placed on eggs and egg rolls to add a bright flavor to lobster and crab, mixed with polenta or even chopped into a sauce.

Coriander microgreens go well with avocado, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, coconut milk, citrus fruits, ginger, mint, lemongrass, chilies, yogurt, chicken, white lamb fish and only need to be added at the final stage of a dish.

9. Amaranth

Amaranth is a microgreen with amazing color and flavor. It grows quite quickly, both in soil and hydroponically. Growing it in soil, however, is a bit easier.

It can be ready to harvest as soon as 12 days after sowing. It does not like cold weather, so it is best to grow it in a warm enough place. It can also suffer if exposed to too much direct light.

This microgreen has a robust flavor, similar to mustard, but much less pungent. Thanks to its tart but pleasant flavor, it can be eaten raw in fresh salads and pairs well with carrots, cucumbers, and radicchio. Its striking colors make it a great side dish or a delicious addition to any salad.

10- Beet

Growing beet microgreens requires special care and is therefore suitable for advanced growers. You can still put up with this extra work because these plants have many good qualities: Color, mild beet flavor, and concentrated nutrient content.

These microgreens are incredibly rich in vitamins K, A, and C. They are also rich in protein, fiber, and antioxidants. Beet microgreens are easy to digest, so they are good for your health and are in demand in the market. They can only be grown in soil and take at least twenty days to ripen.

Thanks to their blood-red color, they are especially good for livening up delicious salads and adding sparkle to them. You can use them as a garnish to sandwiches or as an ingredient in numerous dishes, such as in savory pie with beets and spinach.

It is always recommended to use raw red chard microgreens to prevent their nutritional properties from being lost during cooking.

11-Borage

Borage is a moderate to easy microgreen to grow, but with a little patience, you can get great results. Borage microgreens add flavor profiles to salads, soups, and sandwiches.

Young leaves with a unique flavor are an intriguing addition to a variety of dishes. In addition to great flavor and tender texture, they also contain many nutrients. Young borage leaves and stems have a pleasant taste and smell like fresh cucumbers with an aftertaste of cantaloupe.

You can add them to sandwiches, salads, meat, fish, and vegetables or use them to season sauces and decorate plates.

12-Cabbage

Cabbage is one of the most popular microgreens in the world. It has a pink stem, dark green leaves with purple edges, and veins.

Cauliflower microgreens are easy to grow both in soil and hydroponically. It can be ready for harvest as early as 12 days after sowing It is rich in vitamins and mineral salts, boosts the immune system, and (as researchers found) significantly lowers triglyceride and cholesterol levels.

They protect against cardiovascular diseases. Its taste is delicate and sweet: it is excellent for enriching salads, sandwiches, pasta or risotto.

13-Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi is often called German turnip. It belongs to the same family as cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower. It grows quite quickly, both in soil and hydroponically.

Kohlrabi microgreens can be grown in as little as 2 weeks. They are ready to eat as soon as the first leaves appear and have lavender stems with green leaves.

Kohlrabi microgreens taste similar to turnips, which may be where the name comes from. They are sweeter and a great addition to any dish. You would probably describe them as more of a sweet broccoli flavor. They offer a super high vitamin C content, so they have a slightly sour taste.

Great for eating in salads, garnishing pizzas, or as a topping for various types of focaccias. Excellent, simply wilted in a pan, for garnishing canapes with liver and butter or canapes with seafood and raw garlic.

14-Trunip

Traditionally grown alongside carrots, beets, and parsnips, turnips are one of the oldest and most popular root vegetables around and one of the easiest to grow in both soil and hydroponics.

The high levels of nutrients in turnip microgreens can help prevent many diseases by reducing the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke or high blood pressure.

Turnip microgreens have the right concentration of flavor, nutrients, and a pleasant and intense aroma. They have a taste like a spicy kale or spinach. They are pleasing to the eye and ideal to complete any dish.

15-Onion

Growing onion microgreens is easy but somewhat slow with a maturity time of 15 to 21 days. It is recommended to grow these microgreens in soil.

One great thing about onion microgreens is that you can get a second and third cutting from your first planting. Unlike most microgreens, the growth is from the bottom, not the top. The yield will be lower on the second cutting, but we think it’s worth saving for another harvest.

Onion microgreens are a rich source of various micronutrients, especially vitamins and minerals. Some of the lipophilic vitamins are much higher in microgreens than in mature plants, and the vitamin E content of microgreens is forty times higher.

In addition, microgreens are an excellent source of several bioactive compounds. Since onion microgreens are delicious, they can be used in salads, sandwiches, and soups as an additional ingredient. It does not contain gluten and lactose and can be used by vegetarians and vegans.

16-Fennel

Fennel microgreen is easy to grow in soil and takes about 8-14 days to mature. It can regrow, so you can get a second and third cutting from your first planting It is widely known for its licorice (anise) flavor, along with its sweet and peppery notes.

It became famous in upscale restaurants in America in the 80s and 90s, adding a finishing touch to many dishes. Fennel microgreens are great as a garnish for savory or sweet dishes; they are thin, green, and tender and have a slight anise flavor, making them a great garnish for Italian or Indian dishes.

The special taste of micro fennel vegetables makes them ideal for summer salads or centrifuged.

17. Mustard – Spinach (Komatsuna)

This vegetable, which belongs to the Brassicaceae family, is cultivated in Asian countries. Especially in Japan for centuries. It has a mildly spicy flavor and is rich in nutrients.

Mustard Microgreens, like most brassicas, grow quickly and consistently under the right conditions. It grows quite quickly, both in soil and hydroponically. It can be ready for harvest as early as 12 days after sowing.

Its flavor is slightly bitter and peppery, adding a subtle note to dishes raw and cooked. “Komatsuna” microgreens can also be enjoyed by adding them to fried foods, pasta dishes, and pizzas.

Either way, using “Komatsuna” Microgreens in a salad mix with other vegetables, in a sandwich or lightly sautéed, are a very nutritious as well as a tasty food source.

18-Mizuna

Mizuna is a green leafy vegetable native to East Asia, also called Japanese mustard. Part of the genus Brassica, mizuna is related to other cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and Brussels sprouts.

It can be grown in soil or hydroponically and can be harvested as microgreens after 8 to 12 days or as baby greens after about 25 days.

It has dark green, serrated leaves with thin stems and a peppery, slightly bitter, and sour taste like arugula. Although it is often grown for salad mixes, it can also be enjoyed cooked or pickled.

19-Nasturtium

Nasturtium is a trendy ornamental plant that also finds its uses in the kitchen. Its flowers, leaves, and seeds are edible and valued for their medicinal properties. Nasturtium microgreens are easy to grow in loamy soil with moderate water and plenty of light.

They do not grow easily in hydroponic growing media. It is possible, though very difficult.

They have a peppery flavor and aroma and are delicious in many recipes including salads, sandwiches, eggs, and meats. They are becoming a popular addition to sushi as they have a similar spiciness to wasabi.

The tasty and healthy young nasturtium leaves and sprouts contain vitamin C, beta-carotene, and lutein. They show anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.

20-Tatsoi

Tatsoi Microgreens are another variety in the long list of brassicas. Like most brassicas, they are very easy and quick to grow, both in soil and hydroponically. Under the right conditions, they can be ready to harvest as soon as 12 days after sowing.

Their taste is similar to cabbage but spicier. They have an aromatic and spicy flavor but are more tender and sweeter. They are perfect as a side dish to dishes of all kinds, such as grilled lunches or even your favorite dishes.

The tatsoi micro vegetables are also used to make fresh and very nutritious salads, perhaps along with other micro vegetables such as red mustard or mizuna. Sometimes they are used to enrich vegetable soups or to add an extra aromatic touch to sandwiches.

0 notes

gardenassist · 3 years

Link

In this article, we will explain six important things you should be known before you start selling your microgreens. In a previous article, we reviewed in detail step-by-step How-to Marketing Microgreens?

BRANDING

Branding is one of the most intimidating things about starting a business. Branding is not just about making a product and giving it to someone you know or selling it. You need a brand around your product, and sometimes that’s not so easy to do.

But what is branding? Quite simply, a product is what you sell, a brand is the perceived image of the product you sell, and branding is the strategy to create that image.

A unique brand can significantly impact your bottom line by giving you a competitive advantage over your competitors and helping you attract and retain customers at a much lower cost. First, understand your target audience, mission statement, and the unique qualities that make up your business.

Once you can say with confidence that you’ve mastered these steps, it’s time to move on to one of the more exciting parts of branding – visual design. We’re talking here about your logo, color palette, typography (fonts), iconography, and other visual components.

Logo

First, you need a logo. A logo is a symbol made up of text and images that identifies a business. A good logo is the cornerstone of your brand. It helps customers understand what you do, who you are, and what you value. You will use or print your logo on all promotional materials, communications, labels, products, stationery and vehicles.

If you are good with graphics software like Photoshop, you can create your logo. First, however, I recommend that you contact a professional graphic designer.

You can find many of them on a website called Fiverr, an online marketplace for freelance services with cheap providers from all over the world.

Fiverr is very affordable because it has people from all over the world who have all kinds of skills, from graphic design to website design to marketing and advertising.

When you choose a designer on Fiverr, you probably want to jump right into their portfolio, but first, look at how they present and market themselves. Logo designers live and die by their portfolios, and their past work will likely be the essential factor in your decision.

While some designers are generalists who work in various styles, many have a distinct voice and style or even focus on a single industry. And once you’ve decided on the perfect designer, you can contact them, and in no time, you’ll have your logo.

Marketing Informational Materials

To sell your microgreens well and get your brand noticed, you need to create printed promotional materials.

Flyers, business cards, brochures, catalogs, tablecloths with logos for farmers markets, t-shirts, hats, etc. are all part of your branding strategy.

Getting your brand out there on every medium available is extremely important because it helps position you in the marketplace and makes you recognizable. Once again, this assignment may not be easy for you because you don’t necessarily know how to create marketing informational materials.

Not everyone knows how to design a brochure or knows how to create a flyer, and that’s not surprising.

Again, I recommend using Fiverr to find professionals who can do the work for you. The most important thing is that you know what message you want to convey to the public.

Then all you have to do is explain your ideas to the graphic designers and oversee their work. It would help if you also relied on a reputable print provider.

There are likely printers in your home that are capable of doing the job. You can certainly look around and inquire about their services and prices.

However, you can usually find better prices on the internet than in physical printing companies in your area. Just do a simple Google search to find many.

Vistaprint is the best online business card printer I’ve tested, thanks to its combination of excellent print quality, good design tools, and low prices. The company also prints promotional items such as mugs, posters, and even tablecloths.

Because Vistaprint offers such a wide variety of products, prices vary depending on the service. For example, Vistaprint offers glossy or matte business cards starting at 15 cents each ($15 for 100) and matte invitations starting at 72 cents each ($75 for 100). You can get a quote for your Vistaprint order by using the quote calculator on the company’s website.

To get an accurate estimate, here’s what you need to know:

– What product you want

– The size and style

– Any special features

– The quantity you need

You can test a possible design at Vistaprint by visiting the website and viewing the available templates.

PRICING

The pricing decision is one of the most important ones you will have to make. As we have seen in previous chapters, you can get 8 to 12 ounces of microgreens (depending on the variety) from a single tray.

Typically, you will not sell the whole trays, as it is best to do this business on a smaller scale.

The standard weight of a package of ready-to-sell microgreens is about 2 ounces (although much depends on the type of packaging), so you could pull 4 to 6 packages from a tray to sell.

The average price for a 2-ounce pack is about $3. You can decide if you want to sell each pack at a higher or lower price.

For example, some micro-greens producers sell each 2-ounce box for $ 7, and others sell for $2. The price of the product depends on many factors.

First and foremost, you need to consider the cost that you will incur. In the previous sections, I have already presented you with a general break-down of the costs. As we have seen, the variable cost of producing a tray of microgreens is around $4.

However, cases can vary, and only when your business is up and running will you be able to estimate your actual costs.

In addition, microgreens differ from each other. Seeds have different costs. The time to harvest can be longer or shorter.

Packaging can be more or less expensive, depending on what you choose. All of these things have a significant impact on the final price you choose, so it’s not possible to offer a one-size-fits-all solution.

But there is one more important thing to con-sider. You can’t set a price by looking only at your costs. Of course, the cost is essential, but it’s even more important to understand the acceptable price for the typical customer you’re trying to sell your product to.

Once again, you can’t ignore a careful analysis of your target market. Are there other vendors in the market? What prices are they charging? To whom are they selling their microgreens? To whom do you want to sell your products? These are all questions you need to ask yourself when setting your price.

If you sell your microgreens to people looking for a high-quality product with a well-crafted package and care about their health, you can get a higher price.

However, suppose you only go to restaurants that use microgreens essentially as a raw material and don’t pay too much attention to the packaging or other elements. In that case, you’ll have to lower the price.

Also, a restaurant may ask you to deliver an entire tray of microgreens every week. For these customers, you need to make a reduced price.

Your price choice depends on how you want to position yourself in the market, your costs, and how much your customers are willing to spend.

Of course, the price can make or break your profit margin, but I can tell you with certainty that the business is almost always profitable.

PACKAGING

Packaging is one of the fundamental factors affecting the sale of any product, and microgreens are no exception to this rule. Truth be told, in the case of microgreens, the packaging is even more important than for many other consumer products.

The target customers of these types of products are susceptible to environmental issues, so they will carefully evaluate the product you are selling and the way you have packaged it.

It is imperative that you know that everything you do in your business, including product packaging, impacts what can be called the “customer experience”.

Think of a customer who buys your product and takes it home but can’t open it because the packaging isn’t cleverly designed. Or think of a customer who opens the package, finds that it looks good, it smells good, but then finds that the box can’t be closed again.

Continuing with examples, think of your customer noticing that your product’s packaging is made of non-re-cyclable and environmentally harmful materials.

All of these factors can negatively impact the customer experience, create dissatisfaction, and hurt your business at the end of the story.

So what alternatives are available to you? The bulk distribution uses a lot of paper and cardboard. These materials can also be recycled and are therefore suitable from an environmental sustainability point of view.

The problem is that sometimes they are not strong enough to support the weight of a seedling containing moist soil.

On the other hand, there is also plastic packaging, but these are to be discarded in my opinion (although they are very cheap), as they are not very nice to look at and, above all, not environmentally friendly.

In any case, the choice of packaging depends a lot on the customer you want to target. Evaluate your market well before choosing your packaging.

For example, a restaurant might accept a product packaged in plain plastic trays without any problem.

If you sell produce at farmers markets, you may opt for even more straightforward and homier packaging. In this case, your customers will love to see that your product is handmade, and you can package it that way.

Many vendors who work at farmers markets bring the seedlings to the market, cut them in front of the customer, and put them in an envelope when they sell them.

However, if your product is destined for grocery stores and needs to be displayed on the shelves, you will certainly need to develop something more sophisticated. You also need to pay attention to design and labeling.

Transportation is also not to be underestimated. If the product is to be transported or shipped, you will need to opt for a sturdier packaging, and you may need to pack your already packaged product in a second container designed for shipping.

Bottom line: assess your market well first. Packaging has a significant impact on the perceived value of your brand, and making the wrong packaging choice can hurt your image. In conclusion, my advice is not to focus too much on saving on this element. An investment of a few cents in packaging can exponentially increase the perceived value of the product.

LABELLING

Labels are an essential thing in your business: you can’t have a product without labels. But most importantly, labels are a great marketing communication tool. There is much information you need to put on your labels.

If you have an organic certification that you’ve worked hard for, be sure to include it. Even if you are not certified organic, but you use organic seeds and soil, you can show that on your labels. Your microgreens are certainly pesticide and herbicide-free.

Point this out, even if you are not certified organic, if you are 99%, your customers will want to know. Here’s a sample list of information you could put on your labels:

Brand Name and logo

Product name

Product image

Certified Organic

Pesticide & Herbicide Free

Organic seed and soil Contact information

Call to social media

Weight

Harvest date

Place of business

Washed or not

Info on product use

Another thing to keep in mind is that each microgreen you sell is different and therefore needs another label. So, the best advice I can give you is to list all your products in an excel file.

I suggest that you create an excel file and put all the products that you have in your catalog in it. Next to the name of each product, you need to enter the information about the product: the photo, the weight, the instructions, etc.

Then you can provide this Excel file to the person who will create your labels, or you can upload them directly to websites like Avery, which I’ll talk about in a moment.

You can create labels using Canva, which is a free online graphics editor. It doesn’t have many features, but it’s simple and easy to use.

Many microgreen growers create their labels using the Avery app (avery.com). The site is elementary to use: You can register, choose the size of your label, select a template (among the many available), and create your project.

If you want, you can also import all the information from an Excel file. When you’re done, you can download the label file to print at home, or you can have it printed directly.

How much you spend on labels depends on how many you order, whether you print fullcolour or black and white, and what type of printing you use (DIY laserjet/inkjet, buy a specialized label printer, or hire a professional printer).

If you buy labels from Avery, the cost can be relatively high. For example, when producing a thousand labels, the price can vary from 20 to 40 cents.

Avery is very expensive compared to a laserjet/inkjet printer, and I don’t advise you to use it for an extended time.

A professional label printer can cost upwards of $ 1,500, but that’s an expense you can recoup over time, as printing a single label cost much less with this type of product (about 4-6 cents, depending on the size).

Barcodes

Barcodes are another thing to consider, especially if you want to sell your microgreens in grocery stores. Barcodes allow businesses to distribute and sell their products in a variety of point-of-sale scenarios. Before you can begin selling your products, you will need to purchase a barcode for each product you wish to trade.

There are tow main types of barcodes:

1- UPC, which stands for Universal Product Code, is a 12-digit bar code used primarily in Canada and the United States. Retailers add UPCs to every item they sell to track their product inventory.

2- EAN originally stood for “European Article Number”, which is the bar code used by retailers outside North America.

The barcode issue seems complicated, but it’s straightforward: barcodes can be purchased on the Internet, and there are many websites where you can buy them, such as speedybarcodes.com/ or buyabarcode.com.

Usually, you can buy both the UPC (for the US and Canada) and EAN (for the rest of the world) formats of your numbers for the same price. The price varies depending on the quantity. If you buy only 50 barcodes, they will cost you $0.7 each, but if you buy 1,000, they will probably cost you only $0.15 each.

Once you purchase the barcodes from one of these sites, you will receive digital barcode images for all of your barcode numbers in JPG, PDF, and EPS formats. You can use the images to create your labels or print them directly onto your product packaging.

0 notes

gardenassist · 3 years

Link

In this article, we will explain step by step How to Marketing Microgreens? In a previous article, we reviewed in detail HOW TO SET UP A SMALL VERTICAL FARM s?

Now that you know what microgreens are and how to grow them, it’s time to think about marketing. Selling the product may not be your problem if your only goal is to grow your microgreens for your own use.

However, since you read this article, I suspect that you also want to start your own business. To succeed as a professional microgreen grower, it’s not enough that you’re simply good at growing your seedlings.

You will inevitably need to do some calculating, you will need to understand something about taxes, and most importantly, you will need to learn a little about marketing. Let’s say your business is the only one selling microgreens within a 200 km radius.

In this scenario, the consumer looking for microgreens would be forced to take the car and come to you to buy the product. He would not ask many questions about the price, quality, variety, etc., and he would definitely buy your microgreens for sale.

You would not have many other worries besides growing your microgreens. In some areas, the situation you are in is really similar to the one described because microgreens are still a very new product. Unfortunately, there are also areas where things are pretty different.

As competition increases, so does the price war and the exploitation of advertising. So why should consumers choose your microgreens over what others offer? It would be best if you used specific strategies to convince the customer to buy from you.

Nowadays, it is not enough to produce an excellent product; you must also communicate by creating a dialog that can engage the customer.

This is even more true because a small business like yours will never win the price war with big retailers.

You need to do marketing, and your marketing strategy should consist of several components that help consumers understand why they should buy your product and not another.

My microgreens are so good, but no one knows it

Many farmers feel forced to sell to wholesalers at inadequate prices. Many growers act only as producers, not traders or specialized sellers, so their primary obligation is to produce excellent products.

That thing that’s the farmer’s job consist of producing an excellent product. And they do that. The problem is that it is not enough to know how to make good products in today’s world. You also need to understand how to sell them.

It is the fundamental difference between the quality of the product (how good are the microgreens) and the quality perceived by the market (microgreens are good, but do your customers know that?).

Your microgreens can be the best on the market, but the consumer needs to know, and this is where marketing comes in, which is an entirely different field than microgreens production. It doesn’t matter if your microgreens are 100% organic, good for your health, reduce cancer risk, and so on.

You need to have a marketing strategy that uses the proper channels to get that message out! They can be very fresh products and therefore full of nutrients.

They can have been grown without chemicals, but the consumer does not have an analytical laboratory at home and therefore must believe in a promotional message that explains the quality of the products.

In summary, you need to be fully aware of your strengths and then launch a solid marketing campaign. Indeed, it is useless to produce quality products if no one knows it.

And it is marketing that bridges this gap. A microgreen producer must spend a large portion of his budget on marketing, which is often not the case because the producer focuses solely on producing quality products.

Generally, the average consumer does not recognize the difference between a microgreen and another type of product, often dwells on the price. The average consumer sometimes does not understand why he should pay $3 for an ounce of microgreen onions when he could buy ordinary onions at a lower price.

Sometimes consumer cannot see the value of microgreens for himself because he doesn’t know what they are. For this reason, it is crucial to make him aware that his choice of this product is essential not only to his palate but also to his health.

And this is where a professional marketing plan must come into play to educate the consumer by showing them the strengths of microgreens.

The importance of marketing planning

We have seen why the microgreens entrepreneur needs to invest in marketing, but how do you do it? Thinking about your entrepreneurial work from a marketing perspective means asking yourself a whole series of practical questions and then harmonizing them into a global strategy.

When thinking about your agricultural work in promotional terms, you need to: Know your current strengths and use them.

Also, understand your weaknesses and know if and how you can develop methods to overcome them. Study the market around you and analyze the needs to be met.

In the microgreens sector, it is possible to become a reference in terms of quality in a local area, but this does not mean that a strong marketing effort is not required.

Marketing is based on analysis, ideas, even intuitions. Still, it must not be improvised: It requires a strategic plan with actions to be implemented, with precise, measurable and repeatable times and costs. A simple, intuitive plan that can be modified and analyzed over time.

Without planning, you waste time and money: marketing for microgreens must be done professionally.

Marketing planning means understanding where and how to distribute the product (whom to sell it to), how to promote it, how to create a recognizable brand image, and how to price it. Don’t worry: I’ll tell you about all of these things in the following few paragraphs.

DISTRIBUTION

One of the first things you need to understand is where to sell your products. Your business will be a small business with a small, high-quality home production. Large-scale retail will not be your preferred distribution channel.

Large retailers usually want to be supplied by large producers who can supply large quantities of products at low prices. Similarly, we tend to rule out the possibility that you will want to sell your micro-vegetables overseas.

It is certainly possible (and some producers do) to export your micro vegetables to markets where prices to the end consumer are much higher than where you live locally. Still, it is a difficult road to travel. In all likelihood, you would be up against large producers, and you would not stop the competition.

For these reasons, the best way to distribute your microgreens is through the local market. But even in this case, you need to know that every market is different, and therefore you need to study your particular market well before making your choice.

Where to sell microgreens?

The main distribution channels are basically four: restaurants, grocery stores, direct sales, and farmers’ markets.

Restaurants

Restaurants are a great distribution channel for your microgreens. Especially if you live in a medium or large city, you can find many good customers in your area.

Many chefs use microgreens because they are a very fresh produce with a unique flavor. In addition, many restaurant owners prefer to buy their raw ingredients from small local suppliers rather than big retailers, even if they have to pay a little more.

This way, restaurants can tell their customers that they using only natural products locally grown and not contaminated by chemical fertilizers and preservatives (often used in industrial production).

Also, your product will always be fresher than what you can buy in big retail stores (if there are any) and have a longer shelf life.

As a result, restaurants will happily pay a higher price for these products as they charge their customers a price that reflects the high quality of what they offer.

Since not all restaurants are the same, you may be wondering what type of restaurant is best to offer your microgreens. It’s not an easy question to answer as things can differ from one area to another.

I certainly don’t recommend going to McDonald’s to offer your products, but it’s also not necessarily the case that you should only provide your microgreens at high-end restaurants. You could easily find many small restaurants that aren’t overly luxurious, but carefully select the raw ingredients they buy and might be interested in your offering.

So, for starting, I suggest you take a tour of the restaurants in your area and bring a price list and any marketing information materials you can show to prospects. It would also be a good idea to get some free, possibly well packaged, small samples of your microgreens.

That way, the restaurateurs can sample the product and see for themselves how good it is. I assure you that this is a great way to convince the customer. Don’t worry if you don’t get much success at first. For a business like yours, it is not necessary to have many customers.

Instead, you need a few good restaurant customers to break even. I know several small microgreen producers who manage to net $3,000 a week by targeting restaurants in their area.

Grocery stores

Grocery stores, like restaurants, can be an excellent outlet for your products. The principle of “smaller is better” applies to them as well. Mini-markets and corner shops are traditionally more interested in quality and less price-sensitive than supermarkets.

The owners of these stores like to source their goods from small local producers because they care about quality and always want fresh produce, which is not always possible.

If you want to have this kind of customer, you need to personally introduce yourself to the shop owners and tell them about your products, how they are made and what benefits they bring. To this end, it is handy if you have product samples with you that you can give to the owner to test. Ideally, these products should already be packaged for sale.

Since you will almost certainly meet people who don’t know microgreens at all, I recommend that you also prepare an excellent general talk about microgreens.

And if you want, to be even more professional, you could hand the store owner a brochure outlining all the product’s benefits. Your job will initially be similar to that of a sales representative.

You will probably have to canvass many grocery stores before you find the right ones. But you don’t have to be afraid to talk to people. Always remember that all this work is necessary to start the business.

Once you have enough customers, things will be much easier, and you might even think about hiring representatives to do the work for you.

Farmer’s markets

The Farmer’s Market is a relatively new format of conscious shopping, a good compromise between healthy eating attitudes and the need for fair consumption.

Therefore, Farmer’s Markets are a modern reinterpretation of the old fruit and vegetable markets, where producers brought their products to the square for direct sale.

In these contexts, small producers can sell local products directly and present themselves to consumers. For a producer of microgreens, this type of market can be an additional opportunity. Still, there may be difficulties related to where you live, so you should assess your situation on a case-by-case basis.

Therefore, if you are in a city where there is a farmer’s market, I recommend visiting it to see if there are already other producers of microgreens and (possibly) take note of the prices they apply.

In some cases, going to a farmer’s market can be risky because you need to carry a supply of a product, you’re not sure you can sell. So, you run the risk of wasting some of your produce. However, farmers’ markets provide you with an excellent communication opportunity.

They allow you to introduce yourself to your audience and make yourself known in your area. So, my advice is to go to these markets, but with the same spirit with which you would attend a fair. It would help if you thought of it as a promotional initiative.

During these events, you will find potential customers that you can approach for your direct marketing initiatives, which can bring you excellent profits, as we will see in the following section.

Direct sales

The last option available to you to sell your microgreens is direct sales. Warning: this is not a low-interest option.

It may be the system that can bring you the most profits. Microgreens manufacturers who have developed this selling system usually require the customer to sign up for a small subscription for the weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly delivery of a particular product.

As you can imagine, this system has significant advantages for you, as you can produce only the quantities you are sure to sell (or rather, only those you have already sold). As I said, to find your first subscribers, you can use the word of mouth that comes from your presence at farmers’ markets.

But there are also many other local events you could attend and many different ways to promote yourself. For example, you could take advantage of Social Networks.

Among other things, Facebook allows you to create ads that are only shown to people who live in your area and have specific interests.

For example, you could target only people who live in your area and are interested in organic food, health, and conservation. Over time, you could build a mailing list or WhatsApp group to communicate all your future initiatives.

Direct selling is not as difficult as it may seem. Considering that you are targeting a mainly local market, it will not be complicated (and not too expensive) to take care of product distribution.

As long as your business is limited (both quantitatively and geographically), it is better to avoid mailing (with the associated costs and risks).

If your turnover is not very big, you can personally take care of the delivery of the products. It’s enough if you have an ordinary company car and schedule one delivery round per week. Or you can choose even more original solutions.

For example, some manufacturers I know have bought a cargo e-bike to deliver microgreens to their regular customers in the city. The bike is also a great advertising tool because it’s evident and consistent with the values that a company producing microgreens represents.

I’m sure many people who see your bike will become curious and call the company. The typical promotional formula involves delivering a mixed cassette of different types of live or cut microgreens. But, again, the more you pay attention to the details, the better your chances of success will be.

For example, you could use only reusable containers or provide informational materials along with the plants to showcase your business and product. If you use a well-thought-out mix of strategies, I am confident that you will find the correct number of regular customers and make excellent profits from your business.

#selling microgreens

0 notes

gardenassist · 3 years

Link

In this article, we will explain step by step HOW TO SET UP A SMALL VERTICAL FARM s? In a previous article, we reviewed in detail the common problems which might you facing in your microgreens journey.

Good Agricultural Practices

There are some certification programs you can take voluntarily, even if they are not required by law. Your customers will likely be interested in your on-farm food safety measures.

They might ask you if you have a GAP audit. This type of certification is also advantageous from a marketing perspective because if buyers are familiar with something, it’s probably GAPs.

Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) are voluntary guidelines for farmers to reduce the risk of microbial contamination associated with foodborne illness on their farms. The guidelines are based on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance at Minimizing Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Produce.

This is probably the most common certification you can get as a small farmer. Your state’s Department of Agriculture conducts GAP audits, and there is a fee. Farmers must pay for GAP audits. Some states, such as Minnesota, have a cost-share program for GAP certification.

If you choose to go this route, you can receive a 75% reimbursement for the cost of the GAP audit. If you choose to do this audit, the Department of Agriculture will send staff to your location to do the inspections.

They will inspect your farm to make sure you have good refrigeration, an excellent wash station, that you keep your area clean, that you clean your trays, that you sanitize things, that you don’t use rusty old knives for harvesting, that you wash them every time and other things like that.

I know the fact of undergoing inspections might be intimidating to you. Still, I also have to say that as long as you follow good practices as you would in your kitchen (you safely handle food, like you would if you were eating it yourself), you usually won’t have any problems.

Having this kind of certification, while not mandatory, can be very useful, both to have greater personal peace of mind and to better sell your microgreens.

HOW TO SET UP A SMALL VERTICAL FARMs?

The great thing about microgreens is that you can develop a large growing area vertically in a small space. So, if you have an empty room in your house or a closet or garage, you can certainly think of using it for this activity.

In any case, you will need some shelving system or vertical growing rack. With a vertical growing rack, you can grow more microgreens and use less space and water.

As a result, you can save energy, optimize space, improve safety, and maximize profits. Particular grow racks for growing microgreens are available at specialty stores. Most of them are great, and if you have a reasonable budget, I recommend buying them.

The problem is that the price of professional microgreens grow rack can quickly go over $1,000 or even $2,000 (like the one shown in the picture). You may not have that kind of money, but don’t worry, the solution exists.

You don’t need any special equipment or investment to build an indoor grow rack. With chrome wire shelves, indoor grow lights, and fans, you can safely build microgreens grow rack in your home. For easy setup, you can find everything you need on Amazon.

Shelving system

The first thing you need to build your microgreens grows rack is a shelving system on which you will place the trays containing your plants.

You don’t necessarily have to buy shelves that are designed for growing microgreens. Instead, you can use the same frames that are used for closets, garages, or offices.

Chromed wire shelving is better than sheet metal shelving because it allows for better transpiration between tiers.

For example, a 48 x 72 x 24-inch four-tier shelf costs only about sixty dollars if you buy it on Amazon.

Led Grow Lights

The second thing you will need to build your professional grow rack is lighting. In this case, I recommend buying LED grow lights. LED grow lights provide indoor plants with full-spectrum sunlight replacement. It is a perfect option for growing microgreens.

There are all kinds of them on Amazon. For example, a package of 8 LED grow light costs only $60 and includes 8 X 10 WATT grow lights with everything you need to assemble them.

You can install the lights yourself in minutes. Plug in the 10-watt lights with the included power cords with triangular plugs to hold them firmly to the ceiling of any shelf without cable ties.

Usb Fans

Microgreens can easily grow in a windowless room, but you need to provide the seedlings with some air for the best results. For this purpose, commercial racks have built-in fans.

These are used to properly aerate microgreens, as they need air between the leaves to grow. You can quickly solve the problem by getting cheap fans.

I recommend you buy the same USB fans that are used for PC cases. They are very economical, quiet, and usually have three speeds. The price for a USB fan is about $10, and you will need one for each shelf. You can find a lot of them on Amazon.

You can attach them to the shelves with zip ties and plug them into a USB outlet.

Microgreen trays

As we’ve already seen, trays are used to house the substrate and seeds. Therefore, it would be helpful if you have some planting trays and some watering trays.

A planting tray or container needs to have soil holes to allow extra water to drain through and large enough to absorb water into the soil medium when it is dry. A watering tray must be larger than the planting tray, or it must be possible to slide the planting tray into it.

In addition, of course, the watering tray must be solid to hold water, and the sides must be high enough so that water does not overflow when the planters are placed in the watering tray. The standard size for trays is 10 x 20 inches, and the price is about $3 each.

You can put up to 16 trays on a shelf with four compartments, as the one described. That means you should buy 16 planting trays and 16 watering trays for a total cost of about $96 (=32 x $3). Microgreens trays are reusable, so you only have to pay this cost once.

Cost estimates

In summary, building a grow rack like the one described would cost you about:

Profit estimates

If you put together two or more grow racks like the one described in the previous section, you can build your vertical farms.

To understand how much you can benefit, I suggest you start asking yourself these questions:

How many trays of microgreens can you put in a grow rack?How many grow racks can you put in your space? How much production would you have in a month?

For example, let’s say you use the same rack described in the previous section (48″ x 72″ x 24″). As we have seen, you could fit twenty 10×20 trays in this rack. In a 60-square-foot room, you could easily put four racks. You would then come up with a total of 64 10×20 trays.

The production cycle of microgreens averages two weeks, so your production capacity would be 128 trays per month. We said that the average retail price for a tray of microgreens is between $12.5 and $18.8.

This means that the monthly production value of a growing system like the one we just described is between $1600 (= $12.5 x 128) and $2406 (= $18.8 x 128). That’s not bad at all, especially considering you could put more grow racks in a slightly larger space and increase production exponentially.

To give you an example, in a 70-square-foot room, you could quickly put six racks. You would then come up with a total of 96 trays, a production capacity of 192 trays per month and a production value between $2400 (=$12.5 x 192) and $3609 (= $18,8 x 192).

To understand how much you would earn, you must also consider the costs associated with producing microgreens. These costs (aside from the fixed costs of the grow racks) are for the trays, seeds, soil, electricity, water, and labor.

A detailed estimate of all these costs would take too long now, but you can reasonably assume an average cost per tray of about $4.

That brings your monthly cost to $768 (= $4 x 192). So, if you include these costs as well, you could end up with a net margin of between $1632 (=$2400-$778) and $2841 (=$3609 – $768) Now consider that some microgreens, such as broccoli or sunflower, grow much faster than others.

If you decided to grow only these, your monthly production capacity would double, giving you 384 trays per month. Your potential monthly profit would range from $4800 (= $12.5 x 384) to $7219 (= $18.8 x 384).

Your monthly variable production costs would be $1526 (= $4 x 384). Ultimately, your net profit margin would be between $3264 (= $4800 – $1526) and $5693 (= $7219 – $1526).

#vertical farms

0 notes

gardenassist · 3 years

Link

Introduction

In this article, we will illustrate the common problems which might you facing in your microgreens journey. In a previous article, we reviewed in detail the best methods to growing your own microgreens.

Do microgreens keep grow back after cutting?

Unfortunately, most microgreens do not grow back after harvest. This is because microgreens have only one set of leaves. After harvest, the plants can no longer absorb the sun’s rays and therefore die.

A few exceptions to this rule: microgreen shoots, such as peas, beans, and lentils, may regrow a few times. After harvesting, if the stems continue to be watered, sometimes a second plant will resprout.

However, when they do regrow, they lose some of their flavors. Therefore, it is not recommended to reuse the same plants if you are growing microgreens for commercial purposes.

Finally, the cost of the seeds is so low compared to what you can get from selling the seedlings that it is worth planting new microgreens every time.

Common problems and how to solve them

As we have seen, microgreens are an ideal crop for small indoor gardeners. They are fast, productive, and with only a few inches of well-lit space – they can be grown quickly on a warm, sunny windowsill or incorporated into a high-tech hydroponic system.

Their short shelf life makes them a good candidate for local markets and restaurants, as they are best used within two to three days of harvest.

However, it takes some skill to cultivate these seedlings at high densities and maintain quality after harvest, and some problems may arise during operations.

Clumpy microgreens

I already told you that an essential part of growing your microgreens is planting the seeds, which you must adequately space in the trays.

You need to leave the right amount of space between each seed. Unfortunately, it can be challenging to get an even distribution, and this can lead to problems.

If the roots are too close together, they can clump together. This problem is even more significant with mucilaginous seeds.

The problem occurs when the plants sprout because if you haven’t left enough space, one plant could uproot the other. Not only can this bring dirt, but it can also make harvesting difficult.

In addition, the plants that emerge from these clumped seeds are often very inconsistent in growth. When sowing slime seeds, you should take extra care to distribute the seeds evenly in the tray. In some cases, it is advisable to reduce the number of seeds per tray to avoid seed clumping.

Uneven growth

Sometimes microgreens may not grow evenly across the tray. For example, you may have well-grown plants on one side of the tray and much shorter ones on another side of the tray.

A lack of light usually causes this problem. Seedlings naturally grow better in the part of the tray where there is lighter, and worse where there is less light. This problem can occur especially if you are not using LED lights (which illuminate the entire tray evenly).

Limited sunlight can cause one area to grow better and taller than another. You will need to provide artificial light to the shorter side or rotate the trays regularly so that light falls on all the microgreens.

Mold

Several fungal pathogens can develop and grow in germinated seeds, especially in the moist, high-density conditions in which microgreens are grown, and this can pose a contamination risk.

Mold is one of the main problems you may face when growing your microgreens. Before you understand how to combat it, you need to be able to recognize it. First, you need to be able to distinguish mold from root hairs.

White, fuzzy hairs grow on the roots of microgreens, but they are not mold. Mold is a fungus that comes in a variety of forms. Mold on microgreens appears as a net-like material that is typically white or yellow.

Some types of molds are blue/gray with round particles. Mold feels slimy and has a characteristic odor. It can form on the microgreens, on the soil around the microgreens, and sometimes underground on the roots.

Mold kills or stops the growth of microgreens. However, it is a problem that you can solve. Generally, high quality, viable seeds, sown in a clean system at the right temperature for germination and optimum moisture germinate quickly with few problems.

If you find that the soil you grew the microgreens is contaminated with mold, you can transplant them into new soil, which almost always solves the problem.

To prevent mold even before it forms, you can disinfect the seeds. Some growers use this with hydrogen peroxide. This chemical removes all bacteria from the seeds and ensures that there are not many complications.

Generally, however, it is enough to give the plants proper hydration, lighting, and ventilation, and you will not have problems with mold or fungus.

Fungus

Microgreens, like all plants, can be susceptible to disease and can be attacked by fungi.

The biggest threat to microgreens seems to be Pythium and Phytophthora, two common fungal species that also attack other plant species.

The main difference between Pythium and Phytophthora are their symptoms. Root rot, slow growth, stunting and chlorotic foliage are symptoms of Pythium disease, while root and stem rot, discoloration and wilting are symptoms of Phytophthora disease.

These fungi affect plants, but at the root of the problem are the same things that cause mold: little space between seeds and no air circulation.

The best practices gardeners can use to prevent disease are to pay attention to temperature, humidity, growing medium selection and spacing.

Because the growth cycle is so short with microgreens, the seedlings themselves are not treated with pesticides. Disease outbreaks are more common when old seeds are used or temperatures are too hot or cold for rapid germination.

Some varieties of microgreens such as chard, Thai basil, mint and nasturtium are more susceptible to disease and insect problems.

Slow germination

When you’re growing microgreens, sometimes you think you’ve taken care of everything. Then suddenly, you find that your plant has stopped growing or is growing slowly.

Since microgreens are harvested very early, you should see germination within two to four days. Although some seeds may take a little longer, something is most likely wrong if you notice a noticeable increase in time.

To speed up the germination process, try increasing the humidity in the tray. If you notice that the soil is drying out, it means that you should spray the tray more often.

Be careful though, too much water can be a problem too! Also, pay attention to the seeds you use – old or low-quality seeds are a common cause of all kinds of growing problems.

If you use bad seeds, your plants may be slow to grow, stunted, or fail to germinate. For best results, choose only quality seeds that you buy from reputable suppliers.

Also, pay attention to lighting: your microgreens love and need plenty of light, but too much is not good. Direct and constant exposure to intense sunlight or high-intensity indoor lighting can stress your plants and lead to slow growth and other problems.

If you are growing indoors and think too much light is the cause of your problem, keep the plants further away from the light to reduce its intensity.

Bad quality water

As a small microgreens producer, you’ve probably compared the results of different soils or different temperatures or different types of lighting.

Still, you probably haven’t considered that the kind of water you use also has an impact. The water supply needs to be of high quality: Water can contain human and plant pathogens that contaminate a crop.

However, municipal water supplies are treated to avoid this risk. One could think of performing different types of water analysis (municipal tap water or bottled spring water or collected rainwater or well water) in a laboratory, but this would be not only impractical but also expensive.

It is best to judge the quality of the water by the results. And your results are the microgreens. Grow two lots of seeds in the same soil under identical light, darkness and heat, but not water.

For example, you get two collections: one with bottled water and the other with tap water. Do they look the same after two weeks? If not, the microgreens washed with tap water are slightly yellow, but the other batch is not, then chlorine is to blame.

The chlorine in tap water helps to eliminate bacteria but can hurt plants. If you find that your water contains too much chlorine, you can put it in containers and let it sit for a day without buying it. Chlorine is a volatile substance and evaporates quickly, making the water better for your plants.

If you are growing indoors and think too much light is the cause of your problem, keep the plants further away from the light to reduce its intensity.

Overwatering

One of the most common problems observed in microgreens production is seedling blight and disease outbreaks caused by too much water or high humidity, creating a saturated environment around the foliage.

Too much water or high humidity can cause mold to grow on microgreens. So first of all, you must avoid giving your plants too much water at all costs.

In any case, I recommend that you also use systems that facilitate water drainage and eliminate the problem of moisture in the soil.

First, as we have already seen, it is advisable to use trays with holes in the bottom through which the water not absorbed by the plants can drain.

Secondly, it is advisable to use a soil that facilitates drainage. For example, peat moss or coconut fiber helps to improve airflow in the soil.

Poor ventilation

We often take air for granted (perhaps because we can’t see it or touch it). Yet air is essential to our survival.

If there were none, we could not breathe and would die. The same is true for the plants we grow. Plants need air and even a little wind. This serves to help them grow more naturally and become strong.

Ventilation is a mechanical method of providing fresh air, and plants need fresh air no less than you do. Unfortunately, a windowless garage will not have adequate ventilation to ensure good plant growth.

For this reason, it is advisable (as I will show you later) to install small fans near the plants to provide good air movement and to avoid problems with root rot, fungal and bacterial pathogens.

The room where you grow microgreens will have a fresh scent, and the environment will be healthier both day and night.

Plants keep falling over

Microgreens can grow too tall and fall over, making harvesting extremely difficult. In addition, when microgreens grow too tall, they tend to become thin and flabby and therefore fall off easily. Therefore, you should prune this crop at the right time.

To avoid weak microgreens, you also need to pay attention to lighting and especially to the blackout period, which is the time you keep the microgreens covered and in the dark after sowing.

The blackout period for microgreens lasts as long as necessary for the seeds to germinate, root deeply, and grow to a point where they are ready to begin photosynthesis. The longer microgreens are kept in the dark, the thinner and lighter they become.

If you forget to take them out, there is a length limit in which they can grow. Therefore, you need to time the darkening period correctly.

There are many variables to consider, such as:

The microgreen variety.

soil and air temperatures

Moisture level.

Generally, you should check the seeds after 48 hours to see how well they have germinated and their growth stage. For some varieties like radishes, beets, mustard, broccoli, and kohlrabi, 48 hours is long enough. For other types like cilantro, celery, borage, and others, the cutoff time can be four to six days

0 notes

gardenassist · 3 years

Link

Introduction

In this article, we will explain the best methods to growing your own microgreens. In a previous article, we reviewed in detail the reasons to start your own microgreens business.

FINDING YOUR NICHE

One of the most critical decisions in starting a business is to understand what you want to sell. As mentioned earlier, not all markets are the same. First, you need to understand what product consumers in your area need most. Next, you need to try to find your niche.

Generally, those who sell microgreens follow one of the following three strategies:

1-Mainly sell commodity microgreens such as radishes, peas, sunflowers, brassicas.

2-Mainly sell specialty microgreens such as beets, corn shoots, cilantro, basil, mustard, amaranth, etc.

3-Sell all varieties.

You almost certainly won’t be able to sell all varieties initially, but you’ll need to choose one of the other two solutions.

If there are no other microgreens sellers in your local market, you can quickly start with commodity microgreens, which are easier to sell because they are better known. Conversely, if there are already other sellers in your market, try selling microgreens varieties they don’t have and focus more on specialty products.

The good news is that the growth rate of these products allows you to change your offering quickly. So, if at any point you find that one product is more in demand than another, you can start producing it immediately.

THE BEST MICROGREENS TO GROW

Microgreens come in a wide variety of shapes, colors (green, yellow, red, purple), textures (ten-der, crunchy, juicy), and flavors (sweet, neutral, sour, spicy) offered by the different varieties.

Radishes, broccoli, arugula, and cabbage are among the easiest species to grow. Sunflower microgreens are also very popular and are among the most commercially viable.

However, the latter pose a few more problems for beginners. For more information, I recommend that you read the last section of this book, which contains detailed in-formation about the main types of microgreens you might want to grow and sell.

The advice I can give you to get started is to focus on a few varieties of microgreens. You can begin by growing just three or four types. Over time, you can decide to expand your production to other varieties as well.

GROWING MICROGREENS

As mentioned earlier, microgreens can be grown in two ways: in soil or hydroponically. Growing in soil is more straightforward and suitable for beginners. In the following sections, I will show you both ways.

You will definitely need to buy seeds that have been explicitly produced and packaged for micro-greens. These seeds have low levels of foreign matter, are not treated with fungicides or other chemicals, and are well cleaned.

This is especially important when buying seeds for pea, corn, or spinach microgreens, as these species’ seeds are usually treated with a fungicide. Seed companies have also introduced several special microgreens varieties that are a marked improvement over the standard types.

Many of these have brightly colored or modified first leaves, such as green-leaved radish varieties and those bred for pea shoots. Some microgreen varieties have mucilaginous seeds, which means the seeds form a thick, gelatinous layer that retains the moisture once moistened.

Watercress and basil are examples of mucilaginous seeds,

and you should not soak these types of seeds before sowing. Larger grains such as wheatgrass, corn, and peas can be soaked in warm water 24 hours before sowing, although this step is not essential.

The microgreen seed should then be weighed and sown as evenly as possible on the wet surface – the use of seed shakers will help. The correct seeding density depends somewhat on the species being cultivated.

Once the seeds have germinated, microgreens need light and nutrients to produce a high-quality product. Artificial lighting does not need to be intense, and these young seedlings do well under grow lights as long as the lights do not produce too much heat that can burn the tender young foliage.

When the cotyledons (seedling leaves) are visible and begin to develop chlorophyll, the seedlings have used up the reserves contained in the seed. At this stage, the young plant begins to photosynthesize and produce its own assimilates, and the root system takes up nutrient ions.

Generally, after about ten days after sowing (it may be more or less, depending on the variety you grow), you can start harvesting.

However, before choosing a method (with or without soil), you need to understand which is ideal for the seeds you want to grow.

SOIL METHOD: STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

To grow your microgreens using this method, first make sure you have all the material you need:

Seeds

Water jar

Growing trays with drainage holes

Growing trays without drainage holes

Soil mix

Spray bottle

You can buy all of these materials individually at specialty stores or, even better, in special kits that include everything you need. If you want to save money, you can buy the seeds and use the materials you already have in the house.

Below are general instructions that you can use for most seeds that can be grown in soil. However, certain microgreens may require special care.

It is therefore always advisable to read the instructions that the seed supplier usually includes with the products. The best suppliers can also give advice and explain everything you need to do to grow these specific seeds that you have purchased.

Step 1: soaking

Wash the seeds with a filter, germination bag, or in a germination container.

Soak the seeds for about 4-8 hours (depending on the size of the grain). You can soak them in the same bag or jar.

Place the seeds in the germination bag or jar and wait for them to germinate. You will need to wash them two or three times a day. Once they reach the same size as the grain, they are ready for sowing.

You can skip the previous two steps and sow the seeds directly on the moist substrate, especially if they are very small or slimy seeds.

Step 2: preparing the grow tray

Insert the planting tray (with holes) into the watering tray (without holes). Prepare the growing tray by spreading the substrate on the tray with drainage holes, forming a 2-3 cm thick layer. You can use containers that you have at home or special trays made for this purpose.

Ensure that there are no pieces of wood or other materials in the soil that would hinder the growth of plants.

Then press lightly on the soil with your hand to smooth it out. You can use a spatula to help you do this.

Do not overdo the pressure: the soil should not be too compact. Soak the soil with water without puddling it to keep it moist and spongy.

Step 3: planting

Spread the germinated or ungerminated seeds evenly over the ground and compact them a little with your hands. You should leave enough space between each seed. This space can vary depending on the size of the seed. As a rule of thumb, the space should be the same size as the seed you are planting.

Step 4: covering

Cover the seeds with a light layer of soil and water them lightly with your spray bottle (this will encourage germination).

Now take the tray without holes, spray some water into it (this will create a humid indoor environment), and then cover the first tray. You can now put the tray in a place that is not too hot or too cold.

Step 5: maintenance

Every 12 hours, lift the lid and spray some water to keep the soil moist. It is essential to keep the soil moist without letting it puddle, do not let it dry out.

At this stage, the plants can be enriched with a solution based on compounds rich in trace elements, increasing the nutritional value of the plant, but this is entirely optional.

Two options for fertilizing our micro garden are kelp-type algae powder or macerated compost.

Step 6: uncovering

During the first 3-4 days, you must keep the plant in the dark (the “blackout period”). After this time, the tiny leaves of your plant will appear.

Now you can lift the upper tray (the one with holes) and pour some water into the lower tray (the one without holes). This way, your seedlings can absorb the water not only through the upper mist but also through the roots.

Step 7: growing

Microgreens need a lot of light. Therefore, it is necessary to expose them to direct sunlight after 3-5 days or, even better, use LED lamps.

At this stage, it is crucial to keep the plants well hydrated. The soil needs to be moist but not soggy. Check regularly, including weighing the tray (if the soil is too dry, the tray will be very light).

Step 8: harvesting

After 2 -4 weeks after sowing, your microgreens will reach the desired size. Now you can gather them by hand with scissors or a sharp knife in small bunches, from the outside inwards, and at ground level.

Cutting height is critical because high-quality microgreens require a good, clean portion of the stem below the leaves, but they should not be cut so low as to risk contamination with the growing medium or material in which the seeds were sown.

This is especially important if light, the granular medium was used for production, as particles can be easily trapped during the harvesting process and contaminate the product. Clean, sharp shears are suitable for cutting microgreens on a small scale, while larger growers use mechanical harvesters.

During warm growing climates, microgreens, like herbs and lettuce, are best harvested earlier in the day when the foliage is still cooler and plumper. This extends the life of the packaged product.

Please note: Do not throw away the soil after harvesting. You can still use it to make compost!

Step 9: Storing

After harvesting, you need to dry the microgreens. You can use a sieve to do this and then use some paper towels. When the microgreens are completely dry, you can store them in the refrigerator for a few days.

Some microgreens are shipped to customers while still growing in trays or cells to extend shelf life and be harvested on-site when needed.

Method 2: Hydroponic method

Hydroponics consists of the cultivation of various species without the use of soil. Contrary to what many people think, it is not expensive to do hydroponics at home.

There are hydroponic systems on the market that are designed for small spaces and at an affordable price.

Hydroponic microgreens have a distinct advantage over those grown in substrate trays or soil mixes because there is no granular growing medium to use.

The high seeding rate and density of microgreens mean that tiny particles of the substrate can get into the foliage. Since microgreens are not usually washed off after harvest, there is a risk of the crunchy grains getting into the final dish.

For this reason, hydroponic microgreens are best grown in a thin or capillary mat that holds the seed in place and retains some moisture for germination. Paper towels, linen cloths, rock wool cubes or sheets, fine kitchen towels, and hydroponic microgreens pads can all be used to grow a clean, high-quality crop at a low cost.

Hydroponic systems for microgreens can be as simple as a small, flat, hand irrigated kitchen tray or as complex as a nutrient or aeroponic film technology system.

Ideally, the growing system needs to have a balanced, slightly sloped surface to layout and moisten the ever-growing mat/pillow paper or fabric.

Doing hydroponics at home is very easy; you can buy your hydroponic system or build it at home. Hydroponics is an excellent form of growing with this technique, you can grow lettuce, arugula, herbs, kohlrabi, cabbage, strawberries, tomatoes, among others, in a small and compact space.

You can do this growing at home, in your apartment, in the kitchen, or even on the terrace. These hydroponic kits allow you to cultivate about 40 to 90 plants per month and can be used for lettuce, arugula, herbs, beets, cabbage, strawberries, tomatoes, among others. The time from cultivation to harvest varies depending on the species grown.

From a practical point of view, the steps for growing microgreens hydroponically are no different from those already described for the soil method. The seeds used are the same as those used in traditional cultivation. You still need a planting tray and a watering tray.

In this case, the only difference is that you do not plant the seeds in soil but another growing medium such as phenolic foam, coconut fiber, rock wool, or vermiculite.

I recommend phenolic foam as it is more practical, hygienic, and biodegradable. It provides good support for the tiny seedlings and is porous so that the roots are optimally supplied with moisture.

#soil method

0 notes

gardenassist · 3 years

Link

WHY START A MICROGREENS BUSINESS?

In this article, we will explain six reasons to start your own microgreens business. In a previous article, we reviewed in detail the definition of microgreen business. There are numerous excellent factors to begin a microgreen business:

1-The market grows

The pandemic C-19 has actually altered individuals’ intake routines. Microgreens have no direct effect on the infection however benefit health due to their dietary properties. Consumers in the Western world are progressively requesting this kind of fruit and vegetables.

In lots of countries, microgreens are popular and utilized, particularly in premium food. These small plants can be a special and ingenious component efficient in improving meals beyond aesthetic appeals by including taste (microgreens enrich meals with unique tastes, from sweet to salty, to spicy and sharp-tasting) and, most notably, by increasing the dietary worth of food. Microgreens are likewise progressively utilized in cosmetics to make hair shampoos and skincare products.

The commercial need for these items is likewise growing. Current research study projections stable growth of 7.5% per year for the microgreens market.

This development trend is anticipated to continue at a minimum of till 2026 [1]. The essential sales markets are the United States, followed by Canada and Mexico, however, the need for microgreens is likewise considerable in Europe.

2- Low financial investment expense

You can begin your business with a couple of trays, some soil, and a couple of seeds and go from there. All the products required to grow a single plant can cost about 2 dollars. With a couple of hundred dollars, you can purchase all the products you require to construct a grow rack (as I will reveal to you later in the next article) and begin.

The other products utilized in microgreens production, such as seeds and product packaging, are not excessively pricey, particularly compared to the cost to sell the produce. It is possible to recover the financial investment expenses in a brief time totally.

3-It is a regional business

Because this is a fairly brand-new business, there are no considerable producers in the market. The item is naturally fit to be marketed by regional farmers who can make much better contact with restaurants and little stores in the location. As you check your strategy and specialize, you can make free samples and disperse them at restaurants, bars, supermarkets, and farmers’ markets. You do not need to have a hard time ending up being a leading supplier. You can slowly grow your business and increase your production as demand grows.

4-Short productive durations

Unlike many adult plants, the production cycle of microgreens is workable. It takes between one and 4 weeks from sowing to harvest, depending upon the range. Such a brief production cycle enables the unskilled grower to specialize and find out in a short time, recognize and lower common issues, and maximize production and performance. You can rapidly decrease or increase output as your sales fluctuate throughout the year.

5-All-year-round production.

Unlike many crops, microgreens can be grown even throughout the winter season in northern environment zones. This is certainly a terrific benefit for anybody who wishes to begin a business. Numerous microgreens farmers I understand to operate in areas of the world where absolutely nothing else can be grown or can just be grown for a couple of months a year.

Microgreens do not see this issue. All you require is a space that is not too cold and LED lights that simulate solar lighting. With these easy ways, you can grow throughout the year without issues.

6-High financial worth.

Microgreens are specific niche items targeted to an audience of individuals who appreciate the environment and their health.

Consumers around the world are voting with their wallets for regional food, picking to look for and purchase from regional growers instead of purchasing food that is transferred hundreds and even thousands of miles. This requirement produces brand-new chances for little farmers to begin or broaden their businesses.

There is still insufficient supply in the market to satisfy needs. Due to the high dietary content of lots of microgreens, holistic doctors and nutritional experts are now starting to advise microgreens to their clients. In addition, microgreens are likewise beginning to end up being popular in the cosmetic market.

Since microgreens bring such a high rate, normally $20 to $30 per pound, growers can get a fast return on their financial investment for seed, devices, and labor.

These components make it possible to use a premium price and make microgreens an item with a high retail worth.

You can break even in a brief duration and make a big earnings margin when you integrate consistent sales methods and progressively effective production.

COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT MICROGREENS BUSINESS1-How much space do you require?

Growing microgreens does not need much area. That’s more than the adequate area to get begun if you have an extra space in your home. A lot of microgreens growers utilize racks to maximize vertical area.

2-How much you can make?

The average selling price for microgreens is $25– 40 per pound. If you are beginning and growing microgreens on a single level, such as a table, each 10″ x 20″ tray will typically produce 8 to 12 ounces of microgreens, depending upon what you are growing.

That implies you will have the ability to make a minimum of $12.5– 18.8 per tray of microgreens. Lots of growers can produce 50 pounds of microgreens per 2-week cycle in a 60-square-foot space utilizing racks with 4 compartments.

At $25 per pound, that’s $1,250 per cycle, or about $2,500 each month. At $40 per pound, that’s $2.000 per cycle or about $4.000 monthly. When your operation is up and running, you can make $41 – $66 per square foot each month.

3-How long does this business take?

The quantity of time you require to invest each week on your microgreen business depends upon the size of your business. If you’re just growing a lots floorings a week in a side space, then it might be a part-time task that just takes 15 to 30 minutes every other day, plus a little additional time for offering and gathering.

, if you’re running a six-figure (or more!) microgreens operation, anticipate it to be a full-time task plus something else. You’ll most likely require to work with a couple of staff members to stay up to date with need.

Essentially, a microgreens business can take as little or as much time as you desire. As in the majority of locations of life, you will get a proportional quantity compared to what you take into it. There are some economies of scale that you can utilize to your benefit.

4-Do You require a license to sell microgreens?

Among the most typical concerns individuals inquire about this business is whether they require to get some license or accreditation or go through the federal government to offer microgreens. The answer is that it depends upon where you are located.

We’ll cover this subject in more information in a later post. In the meantime, nevertheless, I can inform you that every state in America has its own guidelines, and to discover what the guidelines are in your state (if you live in the U.S.), you can visit your state’s Department of Agriculture sites.

When I began my business, the very first thing I did was register with the state as a business and get my brand name for an individuals farm, and that made me a legal business.

I did much research in my state’s Department of Agriculture and discovered practically absolutely nothing about microgreens.

I talked with some attorneys, and they informed me that in my state, you are exempt from almost whatever if you sell less than twenty-five thousand dollars a year. American law does not appreciate the little manufacturer.

I’m sure I’m in the right due to the fact that I’ve studied my state’s laws, talked with lawyers, and done extensive research study. I recommend you to do the exact same.

I likewise have to state that since I’ve been doing this work, I’ve never ever had a restaurant inform me to reveal them my license or reveal them that it’s legal for me to offer them this item; they are simply delighted to get my product.

5- Is this business right for you?

Initially, you require to discover out if growing and selling microgreens are lucrative in your location. And likewise, whether you are the appropriate kind of person to be successful in a microgreens business.

Beginning a business is not for everybody. You might not remain in a stage of life today where you can dedicate the time and energy to get your microgreens business off the ground.

It might be best to wait for a much better time prior to you begin if you can’t totally dedicate to your service. Getting going in microgreens production enables you to go into brand-new markets and broaden existing markets.

The capability to grow these micro-vegetables in a little area and on vertical racks permits an amazing production idea.

References

[1] Microgreens Market – Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 – 2026), Mordor Intelligence, April 2021, ID: 4987100.

#selling microgreens to restaurants

0 notes

gardenassist · 3 years

Link

Microgreens are young and tender seedlings of numerous veggies, wild plants, and herbs. They are optimum when gathered just 7-20 days after sowing, at which time they establish the very first real leaves, specifically the two cotyledons.

We can not specify them as sprouts, as is completely and frequently incorrect, and they are not even common leafy veggies.

They are a brand-new classification of veggies that guarantee an early harvest and are best for developing a restricted growing system. Since they are delicious and include unforeseen appeal and texture to meals, they are liked and utilized by more and more cooks and chefs.

They are significantly in demand by customers due to the fact that they are excellent to consume, satisfying to take a look at, and really healthy.

Merits

They are abundant in minerals, vitamins and have antioxidant substances that are crucial for human health. The scientists of the University of Maryland discovered that micro-vegetables have a high material of bioactive compounds (10 times higher than normal veggies) and enhance gastrointestinal activity and protect our body.

That is why they are called superfoods, and particularly why I wish to reveal you how to grow them in your home. Microgreens are in some cases offered in specialized grocery stores, however it is constantly much better to grow them yourself and with little effort.

If you read this book, you will comprehend that microgreens can likewise be a fantastic business that does not need a substantial financial investment, much area or perhaps time. As pointed out previously, one element that makes microgreens distinct and distinct from both a gastronomic and dietary viewpoint is the range of produce, shapes, taste’s, and colors you can discover.

Keep in mind: Microgreens have nothing to do with GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms). Microgreens arise from research studies on conventional cabbage, squash, green beans, spinach, broccoli, and more.

We can anticipate that these items will progressively form the basis of our diet plan in the future, as they are simple to grow even in an Urban environment, utilizing the system of vertical farms or indoor farming in grow boxes with the aid of LED lights.

The number of Nutritional worths of microgreens?

Microgreens are among the superfoods or practical foods. These veggies are high in minerals (Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, Se, Mo), vitamins (α-tocopherol/ vitamin E, β-carotene/ pro-vitamin A, ascorbic acid/vitamin C and phylloquinone/vitamin K1) and bioactive substances such as

phenolic anti-oxidants, carotenoids, glucosinolates, and anthocyanins.

Current research studies have actually revealed that the bioactive substances in micro veggies were richer in phenolic anti-oxidants and more considerable quantities of α-tocopherol and carotenoids than the adult variations of the plants. Broccoli and lettuce had the greatest quantities of vitamin E, while Asteraceae revealed the greatest carotenoid levels. As a pure example, the vitamin C in a microgreen can be 6 times higher than which contained in the exact same adult plant. The quantity of vitamin K can be 60 times more considerable, and vitamin E can be as much as 400 times higher. From this, it is simple to deduce that taking much smaller-sized quantities of the item suffices to get the advised day-to-day dosages of these 3 vitamins. To finish the example, a grownup of typical weight would require just 0,5 oz of red cabbage for the suggested day-to-day requirement of vitamin E, just 1,4 oz of red cabbage for the suggested everyday requirement of vitamin C, and just 0,6 oz of amaranth for the suggested day-to-day requirement of vitamin K.

what are Microgreens’ health advantages?

Much of us were informed as kids to “consume our greens.” By and large, there is a clinical agreement that a well balanced, turning diet plan of various veggies is among the very best methods to get nutrients from food at a young age Being low in calories however high in nutrients, the majority of health professionals suggest consuming veggies daily.

If it is understood that veggies are excellent for you, it is even more real for microgreens. Just as there are research studies that reveal microgreens have high dietary worth, others offer proof that the high levels of nutrients in microgreens can cause substantial health advantages.

Here are simply a couple of examples of the advantages microgreens can give the health of those who consume them.

1-Microgreens lower the danger of heart disease.

Due to the fact that they can reduce levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, this is. This is frequently described as “bad” cholesterol since too expensive a level can increase the threat of cardiac arrest, stroke, and other heart diseases.

2-Microgreens lower their danger of Alzheimer’s illness.

Oxidative tension in the body can trigger or intensify lots of illness, Alzheimer’s being a prime example. Microgreens include antioxidant-rich elements like sulforaphane, which decreases the threat of Alzheimer’s illness. Scientists have actually discovered that a pure sulforaphane extract can secure versus oxidative tension and swelling of the brain. Scientists likewise discovered that sulforaphane might safeguard versus memory deficits symptomatic of Alzheimer’s illness.

3-Microgreens aid with diabetic control.

Microgreens (like other veggies) are especially abundant in fiber, which is required for ideal food digestion. They have a low glycemic index, so your blood sugar level does not increase rapidly after a meal. The American Diabetes Association advises a minimum of 3 to 5 portions of non-starchy veggies like broccoli, carrots, or cauliflower daily.

4-Microgreens can lower cancer danger.

Some research studies have actually revealed that the bioactive antioxidant substances present in lots of microgreens minimize tumour cell expansion by as much as 41.9%. Day-to-day usage of microgreens as part of a well balanced diet plan might be a preventative dietary technique to minimize the concern of persistent degenerative illness such as colon cancer.

The health advantages noted above are commonly supported by the newest clinical research study and can discuss the success of these items. The reality is that microgreens are not just stunning and excellent, they are likewise helpful for your health.

#selling microgreens to restaurants

1 note · View note