Gardening

6455 readers

181 users here now

Your Ultimate Gardening Guide.

Rules

Be respectful and inclusive.
No harassment, hate speech, or trolling.
Engage in constructive discussions.
Share relevant content.
Follow guidelines and moderators' instructions.
Use appropriate language and tone.
Report violations.
Foster a continuous learning environment.

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

scarabic@lemmy.world

sabbah@lemmy.world

ManamaKhan@lemmy.world

Spacebar@lemmy.world

Bitswap@lemmy.world

The v3 is set up and functional (lemmy.world)

submitted 2 days ago by jaykrown@lemmy.world to c/gardening@lemmy.world

6 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Growing microgreens without soil. Minimal design, no screws or adhesive. Twist ties to keep the lights up, removable shelf liners to block light between shelves. 24" by 12" shelf with 6 levels for 2 trays each. So 6 times the capacity in the same amount of horizontal space. The v1 and v2 had several issues that prevented them from being this simple and productive. The idea is to be able to sell these trays containing live microgreens that are near harvest age, such that you do not need any refrigeration or extra packaging. The tray is covered in the first purchase, which then when returned lowers your purchase price for the next time. So you are provided with a tray of live greens that you give very basic care, and you can harvest your live greens when you choose. This has been proven to be viable with a family member, and the shelf life of live greens is significantly longer than cut greens in a clam shell which require refrigeration. I am at the point where I'm cycling 2 peas and 2 radish trays, and I'm soaking more sooner to get a full set of 3 for a total of 12 trays in circulation. https://masland.tech/microgreens/

If you have any suggestions please feel free to mention them, and I'm happy to answer any questions.

top 6 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] wilted_whisperer@mander.xyz 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Nice setup w/ the shelves, lights, and trays. Have you received any business beyond your family member who helped you prove the concept?

[–] jaykrown@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

Not yet, I'm just getting to the point where I'm going to keep 4 trays in buffer. I'm also going to be broadcasting my site to see if anyone shows interest with like a wait list. Then, once I am confident I can deliver on order within a reasonable amount of time, I'll do it. This type of service will only really be picked up by people who have the money to spend, and those who are willing to take the effort and time to get their lower future cost by returning the tray on their next order.

If you have any suggestions on how to best broadcast this let me know, I'm all ears. This is my first time creating a process that results in a high value live product for a paying customer.

[–] just_another_person@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Just want chime in one thing: the reason these types of greens are refrigerated before selling is to extend shelf life, and of course for food safety reasons.

You've mentioned in a few different places that you're "don't need" any extra refrigeration, but I might be missing something because I would 100% want these to be refrigerated. Maybe I'm missing something though.

[–] jaykrown@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Live plants don't need to be refrigerated. They continue to grow on the kitchen counter even after the customer receives them, who then can harvest them the moment they intend to use them. Refrigeration is costly and requires plastic clam shell containers which is more energy intensive, results in a lower nutrition product, and plastic waste.

[–] just_another_person@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Sure, I understand that part, but there is a purpose.

Standing water in a grown operation is one thing, but unrefrigerated grow product on shelves is another. There's lots of producers that make these radish shoots in cotton grow medium with only water, but they add a cold chain when it goes to shelves to stop bacteria and apilage from hitting while on shelves.

I'm wondering what your argument against this is here.

[–] jaykrown@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

From my experience, swapping the water once every two days in the bottom tray is all that's needed. I also use hydrogen peroxide during the soak and misting at multiple stages. I have been producing and eating the greens from this process for weeks now. In the beginning I had problems with mold and rot because of what you mentioned, but by doing water swaps and using hydrogen peroxide, it no longer is an issue. Ideally I want to create a basic system that drips water into the trays, where I cut out a small channel to cycle the water automatically using tubes and pipes.