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Old April 6, 2013   #16
pdxwindjammer
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Stvrob - ah, I didn't know who you directed that at since you didn't specify. And yes, it will be a grand party and I look forward to treating everyone to a nice salad with my first microgreens!




Kurt, those aren't micro greens, are they? Looks like herb plants and then baby greens? Micro greens are very densely planted and harvested after first set of true leaves.
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Old April 6, 2013   #17
kurt
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Maybe not as densely planted as all the descriptions on the web.I first thought there was a whole new cultivar/variety of plants.But in reality microgreen just means densely planted harvested young and from what I gather more nutrients in younger seedlings.I do let some growout/transplant for seeds so as not to keep sending money to the seed companys.Correct me if I am wrong.But it is a real good marketing ploy for the novice and as I can see a real moneymaker.Both baby greens and microgreens lack any legal definition. The terms "baby greens" and "microgreens" are marketing terms used to describe their respective categories. Sprouts are germinated seeds and are typically consumed as an entire plant (root, seed, and shoot), depending on the species. For example, sprouts from almond, pumpkin, and peanut reportedly have a preferred flavor when harvested prior to root development. Sprouts are legally defined, and have additional regulations concerning their production and marketing due to their relatively high risk of microbial contamination compared to other greens. Growers interested in producing sprouts for sale need to be aware of the risks and precautions summarized in the FDA publication Guidance for Industry: Reducing Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Sprouted Seeds (FDA 1999).
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Old April 6, 2013   #18
biscgolf
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i grow microgreens for a living.
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Old April 6, 2013   #19
Cole_Robbie
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Quote:
Originally Posted by biscgolf View Post
i grow microgreens for a living.
Now you're talking! There's a microgreen vendor at my market, but I haven't looked at his stuff, yet. I have had good luck selling cilantro and parsley direct-seeded in cups. I sell them pretty small; I don't know if they're really micro greens though.

Any tips you would be willing to share on what to sell and where you order your supplies would be appreciated.
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Old April 6, 2013   #20
pdxwindjammer
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Biscgolf, is that your main source do income? How large is your operation? I am enjoying it so much that I am considering marketing to a couple of restaurants. We live in a foodie city that frowns on corporate chains and supports local chefs so I think there would be a good market for it here.

I am also curiouse regarding where you are purchasing your seeds.

Care to share your most sought after varieties?

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Old April 7, 2013   #21
biscgolf
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growing produce is the source of all my income- microgreens make up roughly 70% of it, 100% in the winter time.

i have a 2000 square ft greenhouse with 2-3 levels of micros growing throughout. i also have a second greenhouse of roughly the same size awaiting erection any time now which will also house micros primarily.

i sell at 3 farmer's markets, direct to restaurants in my area and through a distributor to restaurants in DC. many of the top restaurants in DC use my product.

i get most of my seed from BFG Supply- a garden wholesaler. from them i am generally ordering 10-25 pounds at a time of a given type. the most economical retail source i know of for seed is a website called buywholesalecheap dot com. i quite often use Johnny's catalog/website for reference but seek the seed elsewhere as they are too high on bulk purchases.

i grow roughly 25 varieties of micros in the course of a year with about 10 of them being year round and the rest switching on and off seasonally. most favored individual micros are arugula, red russian kale, pea shoots, sunflower shoots and various basils. i also do 4 different mixes which sell well at the markets- kitchen sink mix (basically everything i have at a given time), mellow mix (mostly mild brassicas), mediterranean mix (arugula and basils) and far east mix (daikon radish, china rose radish, shungiku, mizuna, tatsoi, chinese cabbage).

i have grown micros for 10 years at this point- when we started we were just borrowing the idea from the chefs garden . Sales at that point were exclusively to restaurants. the retail micro biz has blown up quite a bit recently due to increased attention to the health benefits of micros. The University of Maryland produced a study last year which has been a great help in that regard. maryland study

portland seems like it would be a near ideal market for a microgreen enterprise (i used to live in eugene so am reasonably familiar with oregon)- my only question would be regarding the number of purveyors already there.
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Old April 8, 2013   #22
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Thanks for the information.
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Old April 8, 2013   #23
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After reading this post, I have become so interested I have ordered a starter hydroponic microgreen growing kit from growingmicrogreens.com I am very excited to get started with them.
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Old April 8, 2013   #24
pdxwindjammer
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JoParrott, beware, it is almost as addicting as growing tomatoes! I have 6 trays going now!
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Old April 8, 2013   #25
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That's exactly what I can picture happening! I have the perfect setup to use for it- This shelf unit will be available soon when I put my tomatoes & peppers in the ground. It sits in front of this french door between my kitchen & dining area. The perfect place to watch things grow!
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Old April 8, 2013   #26
Cole_Robbie
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biscolf, (or anyone else, too) do you use a heated chamber for germination?
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Old April 9, 2013   #27
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Mine have germinated just fine in my house and I keep it cool. 65 is average during the day and I turn the heat down to 58 at night. Basil took several days. Broccoli is FAST! So is mustard and radish.
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Old April 9, 2013   #28
biscgolf
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie View Post
biscolf, (or anyone else, too) do you use a heated chamber for germination?
negative- i only heat my microgreen house to about 45 in the winter. the products that don't germinate at that temp simply don't get planted in the winter- mostly the basils, sunflower, and buckwheat. pea shoots and brassicas do fine at the low temps.
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Old April 9, 2013   #29
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biscgolf, thanks for the great info. You are doing this in a very large scale then! I was thinking of just approaching some of the owners of local restaurants and asking for dining gift certificates in exchange for some micros.

I have found myself dreaming of building a hoop house in my backyard but I don't think my boyfriend will go for this idea!
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Old April 12, 2013   #30
Cole_Robbie
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Here's a picture of the cilantro I sell at market. Underneath it is a new flat that I'm seeding. I don't know if this counts as a microgreen, but for cilantro and parsley it works very well.
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