Found: The Easiest Microgreens You'll Ever Grow

"InstaFarm's patented 4-by-4-inch compostable trays come pre-filled with about a half-inch of soil ("sourced from Amish Country in Pennsylvania," according to InstaFarm) and organic, non-GMO seeds, with the nutritional info for the final-product microgreens listed on top. They come in over a dozen varieties of nine-packs for $23, including individual cultivars, smoothie- and salad-specific blends, and even plain trays for growing your own greens or garden starts."

"For comparison, Vego's hydroponic microgreens planter, which I used last year, is just $60 for two units, while Gardyn's is $100. Neither produces a volume of greens anywhere close to the InstaFarm, but again, $500 can buy a lot of store-bought microgreens. InstaFarm has an app, but it doesn't add much to the experience, other than the ability to activate night mode (which then turns off the light for up to 10 hours)."

"Every 90 minutes, a metal nozzle arm pops out and moves along each shelf, sensing each tray and its plants' height, humidity, and temperature. Once the nozzle is done sensing, it dispenses an appropriate blast of water, much like the spray heads in the produce section of the grocery store. If you have cats, they may be very interested the first time they hear the nozzle whirring and moving slowly over the shelves."

"Sometimes, this sensing was more accurate in theory than in practice—for some reason, the sensor consistently overshot the watering volume for the red beet greens (but only the beet greens), causing the tray to overflow daily. After a few weeks, I noticed the nozzle making a slight mechanical noise once it finished its rounds, as it slowly retracted back to its resti"

InstaFarm uses patented 4-by-4-inch compostable trays pre-filled with about half an inch of soil sourced from Amish Country in Pennsylvania and organic, non-GMO seeds. Nutritional information for the final microgreens is listed on top. Trays come in more than a dozen nine-pack varieties for $23, including individual cultivars, smoothie- and salad-specific blends, and plain trays for growing greens or garden starts. The trays are easily saturated paperboard intended for one-time use. An app offers limited value, mainly night mode that turns off the light for up to 10 hours. A top button indicates how many presses are needed for functions. Every 90 minutes, a nozzle arm senses tray height, humidity, and temperature, then dispenses water accordingly. The system sometimes overshot watering for red beet greens, causing daily overflow.

Read at WIRED