You may have seen microgreens, which are leafy vegetables just after the cotyledon leaves have developed, in the grocery store. Although these leafy greens are basically miniature vegetables, they tend to be quite expensive. On average, microgreens cost $25-$50 per pound whereas spinach costs around $6 per pound. This means that microgreens cost four to nine times more than spinach. Obviously, this is a significant discrepancy in cost. So why are microgreens so expensive?
Microgreens are expensive because each harvest of these young plants requires fresh soil or new growing mats as well as sterilized growing trays (rather than simply growing in the ground). Many growers also need artificial lighting, fans, or climate control units to create an environment conducive to growing microgreens. Even with this equipment, microgreen growing tends to yield less biomass per square foot than conventional crops. For this reason, microgreens tend to be more expensive than other vegetables you may see at the grocery store.
The rest of this article will be a detailed description of the production costs associated with growing microgreens. This blog post was written to be a helpful guide for those who want to start their own microgreen growing business as well as those who are assessing the costs of growing their own microgreens at home.
Cost Breakdown For Growing Microgreens
As previously discussed, the production costs associated with growing microgreens is higher than the cost of conventional costs. This is, in part, because microgreens are grown on a small scale when compared to other crops. This is also because microgreens are typically grown indoors and require special equipment.
The following table is a breakdown of the production costs for growing one tray of radish microgreens. On average, a 10″x20″ growing tray will produce 10 oz of radish microgreens. Radish microgreens can be grown in soil or hydroponically. The cost of growing microgreens in soil may be a little different than growing them hydroponically.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| 1 10″ x 20″ Growing Tray (assumes the tray can be used 50 times) | $0.06 |
| 1 oz of Radish Seeds (this price varies depending on whether you buy seeds in bulk) | $1.40 |
| 1 Hemp Growing Mat | $2.50 |
| LED Grow Light (assumes a 50,000-hour life) | $0.06 |
| Utilities (Electricity and Water) | $2.00 |
| Heating Mat For Faster Germination (assumes 2,000-hour life) | $0.30 |
| 1 oz of Food-Grade Hydrogen Peroxide for Sterilizing the Growing Tray | $0.35 |
| TOTAL | $6.67 |
After studying the table above, it is easy to see why microgreens can be so expensive. However, it is important to note that these prices are based on what is available on Amazon and True Leaf Market. You may be able to find better deals at a local store or if you purchase equipment wholesale.
Potential Cost-Saving Measures For Growing Micogreens
This section discusses some potential cost-saving measures I have considered for my own microgreen growing projects. Although I do not sell my microgreens (yet), I am always open to finding a less expensive way to accomplish the same thing! However, I found that some of the ideas that I had for saving money would not work out the way I originally thought. I wanted to document these ideas too.
As you can see in the table presented in the previous section, the seeds, growing mats, and electricity are the most costly aspects of growing microgreens. You can save a lot of money on seeds by buying in bulk, and you can save on electricity if you can use sunlight rather than artificial lighting to grow your microgreens. You can also save money by using more affordable growing mats.
Some more specific cost-saving measures are listed below.
Can you reuse soil to grow microgreens?
You should not reuse soil to grow microgreens. This is especially true if you are planning to sell your microgreens. Reusing soil increases the chance of disease and contamination because the roots from the previous crop will die and contaminate the soil. In addition, reused soil will contain fewer nutrients than fresh soil because microgreens take up nutrients from the soil.
Although you cannot reuse soil to grow microgreens, you can compost and process the soil into a new soil that is safe to use for growing another batch of microgreens. The video below demonstrates how to compost and process used soil in such a way that you can reuse soil.
For some people, this procedure may be more time-consuming and costly than it is worth. For this reason, many microgreen growers tend to use new soil for each growing tray.
Can you use burlap as a growing mat for microgreens?
One way to save some money when growing microgreens is by using a burlap sack. Burlap sacks are less expensive than hemp growing mats. A burlap sack only costs about $0.25 per growing tray while a hemp growing mat costs about $2.00 per growing tray. However, it can be difficult to successfully grow microgreens in burlap.
Will microgreens re-grow after cutting?
One obvious (at least to me when I began researching microgreens) way to save money is to get more than one harvest out of a growing tray. Although some types of microgreens such as pea shoots and kale will regrow after cutting, it takes more time to regrow microgreens than to grow a new tray of microgreens.
In addition, regrown microgreens are not as tender and do not have as much flavor as the first harvest.
Taking advantage of natural sunlight
Another way to minimize production costs when growing microgreens is to take advantage of natural sunlight. One way to take advantage of natural sunlight is to place growing trays near a sunny window rather than using artificial lighting. This works best for small-scale operations and microgreens grown for personal use. For large scale operations comprised of many growing trays, it would be difficult to place all microgreen trays in a spot that would receive sunlight from a window.
There is also plenty of natural sunlight outdoors! It is possible to grow microgreens outdoors, but it is very difficult because you cannot control environmental conditions. Microgreens should only be grown outdoors in mild weather and should be protected from rainfall and direct sunlight.
To learn more about growing microgreens outdoors, check out this blog post I wrote about growing microgreens outside.
Scaling Up Your Microgreen Production
Finally, microgreen growers can lower production costs by scaling up their growing operation. When growers purchase seeds in bulk, they can save a significant amount of money. However, scaling up involves purchasing additional growing trays and artificial lighting. Bigger operations may also require more electricity for lighting and ventilation.
Cost Depends On The Customer
Finally, the price of microgreens depends on the type of customer. In general, microgreen growers will make more money selling their microgreens at the farmer’s market than selling to a grocer. Grocers will end up selling the microgreens for about the same price as the farmer’s market.
Some microgreen growers have to replace microgreens that have spoiled for free. This contributes to overhead and drives up the cost of microgreens at the grocery store.