Palm Ventures has acquired AeroFarms, the largest U.S. microgreens supplier. Microgreens World publisher D. Andrew Neves breaks down what the deal actually means for the market hierarchy, the regulatory outlook, and what independent growers should do right now.
Most people think microgreens businesses fail because the growing is hard. It is not. About half do not make it past their first year, and the reason is almost never the crop. It is everything around the crop: the buyers, the numbers, the systems. Here is what separates the half that survives.
In 2017, Steven and I started jPure Farms with one goal: to grow the most profitable microgreens we could find. The numbers taught us something the seed catalogs never mention. Radish and sunflower led on profit, but not for the reason most growers assume. Here is what actually drives the money, variety by variety.
Humble lettuce microgreens are a silent powerhouse of vitamins K (105% RDI), A (41.11%), and C (10.22%), lutein + zeaxanthin (28.83%), and manganese (10.87%). They contain 18 20 amino acids in small quantities, including all 9 essential ones. The high levels of antioxidants in lettuce microgreens, particularly beta-carotene, boost the immune system, promoting eye health and reducing the risk of chronic diseases.
Do you need a license to sell microgreens? In most places, yes, and it is a small stack of permits, not one card. Here is exactly what you need, in what order, plus the FSMA food safety changes and what to do if zoning says no.
Microgreens are some of the most nutrient-dense food on the planet, and most home growers eat them happily for years without a single problem. But about once a month, someone like my neighbor Marty asks me a worried question after reading something online. "Are these things actually safe?" Yes, with three specific exceptions worth knowing about.
I track food safety events in microgreens because growers deserve more than headlines. When four Canadian brands were caught in a microgreens recall inside of nine days in May 2026, I traced the event back to its source. What I found is less about any individual operation and more about a gap that most microgreens growers share.
New research from Colorado State University identifies which farmers market to sell at for specialty crop vendors. Urban, year-round, and producers-only markets consistently outperform seasonal and rural alternatives.
Wednesday morning. A text lands on your phone from Chef Marco at Rosario's: "Just confirming Friday delivery. Same order as last week?" You pull up the spreadsheet, and the recurring orders tab hasn't been touched since Monday. One variety missed the sow window. The trays are empty. The harvest won't make Friday. This review asks the question every commercial grower eventually faces: Does the microgreens software built on a GAP-certified commercial farm actually hold up when that farm depends on it?
Basil microgreens contain measurable concentrations of vitamins C, K, and E, plus calcium, iron, and anti-inflammatory compounds including eugenol and linalool. Here is what the USDA nutrition data shows and what the research says about their health benefits.
Most microgreens businesses fail within their first year. Not from bad growing. From starting with trays before confirming buyers. Here is the sequence that works, and what to do in the first 90 days.
Ancient compounds in certain microgreens may quietly interrupt the inflammation switch driving heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer's—but not all varieties work equally.
Mustard microgreens hit 215% of your daily Vitamin K requirement in 100g. That heat you taste is allyl isothiocyanate, the same compound researchers study for anti-inflammatory properties. USDA data, variety comparisons, and growing basics all here.
Nine research firms project the global microgreens market will reach $5 to $6 billion by 2032. Their numbers vary by up to 4 times. Approximately 50% of new microgreens businesses fail in their first year. Here is what the data actually says and what it means at street level.
Eight microgreens growing kits tested and ranked for 2026. Prices run from $6.99 to $149. Every kit on this list grows harvest-ready microgreens in 7 to 15 days. Find the right one for your home, budget, and experience level.
Scientists have identified over 1,500 plant species that can be grown as microgreens. Most seed catalogs show you 15 to 20. Here is the full list, sorted by what is commercially proven, what is worth experimenting with, and what to avoid entirely.
Red cabbage microgreens contain 40 times more vitamin E than mature red cabbage. Radish microgreens show nearly 7 times more vitamin C. But pea shoots only beat mature peas by 1.5x. Here is what the research actually shows, variety by variety.
Explore the world of microgreens to uncover the surprising benefits and potential drawbacks, the pros and cons, that may change the way you see these tiny greens.
Microgreens need 200 to 400 µmol/m²/s of photosynthetic photon flux density, 12 to 16 hours of light per day, and a light source positioned 6 to 12 inches above the tray. Get those three numbers right, and most lighting problems disappear.
A 28g serving of pea microgreens delivers 66.7% of your daily vitamin C, 11.6% of iron, and 9.3% of fiber, per USDA data. Full nutrition breakdown, health benefits, and recipes inside.
My son steamed radishes for dinner one night and I took one thin slice. The spice stopped me. Radish microgreens carry that same peppery punch, but with a nutritional profile the mature root vegetable cannot match.
At dinner last Friday with my sister-in-law Lisa, she pointed at the arugula garnish on her salad and asked how to grow microgreens at home. Broccoli and radish germinate in 1 to 2 days and are ready to cut in 5 to 7 days.
My wife's best friend Claudette survived breast cancer and overhauled her diet completely afterward. That conversation is where we first heard about sulforaphane. Broccoli microgreens contain up to 10 times more sulforaphane than mature broccoli, and 51mg of vitamin C per 100g of fresh weight, according to published nutrition data.
have been asked 'how much does it cost to start a microgreens business' hundreds of times. It is the wrong question. Here are the real startup numbers, the ongoing costs, and why buyers come before trays.
I used to think you needed a backyard and a green thumb to eat well. Then I started growing microgreens on a windowsill and digging into what's actually inside them. The research surprised me, some of these tiny leaves carry far more of certain vitamins than the full-grown vegetable. Here's what the science says, and which ones are worth your tray space.
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Caldo Verde Renovado com Microverdes de Couve
(Reimagined Green Broth with Kale Microgreens)
Meet Doc Green—your intelligent guide to the science of microgreens. Search smarter, review faster, and interact directly with 2,000+ papers using AI-powered tools built for researchers, growers, and educators.
The calculator shows you the numbers. This Playbook tells you what to do with them. It’s a complete guide to turning your data into dollars and building a resilient business.
Inside this 30-page guide, you get:
The 5 Levers for pushing yields from 1:5 toward a profitable 1:15,
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The “Two Hats” method for paying yourself a real salary,
turning a demanding hobby into a real business.
This entire playbook costs less than one failed tray of microgreens. For $9, you are getting a professional framework that can add hundreds to your bottom line.
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