A lot of people are new to microgreens. So I thought we should try to explain a little about microgreens. Microgreens are small versions of many of the herbs and veggies you typically have in your garden. The difference is they are much smaller. Typically microgreens are grown 10-21 days after germination. Microgreens are about 1-3" in height and are very nutrient rich. Research done at University of Maryland concluded that Microgreens depending on variety had 4-40 times the nutrient value of the same mature variety. Microgreens also have a lot more flavor packed into a small package.

Microgreens can be used on sandwiches, salads, in sauces and more. We grow our microgreens in 10"x10" flats Each flat has botanical Grodan mat that the seeds are grown on. This may is molten rock that is heated and spun like cotton candy. Keeping the Grodan moist will allow the microgreens to continue to grow but they will never fruit because of space and the fact they are seeded so densely. You cut off what you need as you need it. The only time microgreens need to be refrigerated is when too much is cut and you don't plan on using immediately. Most of our clients keep the trays on the window sill or a place in the kitchen where it can have access to light and airflow. Shelf life is a weak or more with our microgreens. Some of the varieties we grow here at Oxbow Farm include:

Carrot
Basil
Amaranth
Arugula
Romaine
Salad Mix
Radish
Sunflower
Kale
Broccoli

What is Aquaponics?

We get asked this all the time. Aquaponics is a combination of aquaculture ( growing fish ) and hydroponics ( growing plants in soilless environment). It's a self containing system that both the fish and the plants depend on each other to survive. If the fish die the plants die and vise versa.

See in this system water flows from the fish tank to gravel filled grow beds. This dirty water filled with fish waste is toxic to the fish but has all the nutrients the plants need to survive. These grow beds are on a flood and drain system. Waster floods the grow beds allowing the plant roots to be flooded with much needed nutrients. When these beds drain they drain into a a tank that has a pump that water is them pumped back into the fish tank. When water is pumped back into the fish talk the water is now clean for the fish.

Growing in this manner all of the water is constantly circulation in this manner. Our systems loose about 2% of the total water volume between what the plants take up and evaporation. The system circulates about 300 gallons of water. This allows us to grow year round and grow faster than traditional in ground farms. Currently we grow on a continuous cycle. New plants are being added to the system in regular intervals. Some of the produce we got include tomatoes, cucumber, squash, a variety of peppers and salad greens.