As part of our Starter Tips series, we’ve put together Top Tips from some of our favourite growers. This advice is coming from people who’ve been where you are now and, through hard work and perseverance, have managed to grow (literally) a successful business! We asked these pros to share something they wish they’d known when they started out, and now you can benefit from their hard-won experience! If you want to check out some of these fantastic growers for yourself, you’ll find links to their instagram accounts and websites below.
Boston Microgreens:
“Having good solid environmental controls is 80% of the battle.” –@bostonmicrogreens
Happy Greens UK:
“Less is more. After germination don’t over water your greens as this invites mold and sometimes causes ‘damping off’. Plants can handle little water more than we give them credit for. Water attracts microbes and the fewer microbes your plants have to compete with the better. Give your plants just one bottom watering a day, experiment, and adjust the amount given once a day accordingly. This will give your plants the best chance of growing to their full potential and save you wasting trays damaged by pesky mold.” –@happygreensuk
Cassandra Collins from Taw Valley Microgreens:
“Simply…in the beginning stick to the easy grow options like peashoots and sunflowers to practice and hone your skills, this will give you the confidence to expand and experiment with other varieties.” –@tawvalleymicrogreens
Urban Microgreens:
“1. Do your research 2. Practice, practice and practice more until you’ve got the basics nailed 3. Get your environment dialled in.” –@urbanmicrogreens.uk
Maciej Warkoczynski from Simply Grow:
“Consistency is key! Ensure you maintain a regular schedule for monitoring and adjusting environmental factors like light, temperature, and nutrient levels. This will lead to healthier and more productive crops.” –@simply_growltd
http://www.simplygrowshop.co.uk
Amy Wright from Nell’s Urban Greens and Farm Microgreens UK:
“Before you go all in on your microgreens business, answer these two questions first – Do you enjoy growing microgreens? Are there people in your local area that want to buy my microgreens? – You need a resounding yes to both of these before taking the next step. With this in mind, I highly recommend to just get growing first, don’t buy too much stuff to start with and take your business one step at a time. Being part of our Farm Microgreens UK community will be a big support too!” –@nellsurbangreens @farmmicrogreensuk
GreenGate Farms:
“Experiment, fail and always be learning!! At GGF we run a scheduled grow of our staple crops but we also make sure every quarter to try and grow something completely different. Maybe it becomes one of your staples or maybe it’s not quite the result you hoped for. In any case the learnings you take are invaluable and it keeps things interesting as well.” -@greengate_farms