I think efficiency is the most important. It's so key to running a business. Without efficient systems in place, the business will get bottlenecked and won't be able to functions correctly.
akindofmagick 100% I think its so important to take it slow. I also agree that everyone’s out here especially now trying to make a buck. No one can guarantee sales from a kit because there’s so much more to this business than simply growing. I’m excited to keep educating on all these different topics. Are you a grower yourself? Did you end up buying a kit or finding your own equipment that fit your needs?
Do you have any tips on how to balance the humidity to suit both? Or would you grow the mushrooms in the grow tent and pump that air into the micro space?
@@damonjones9 I would recommend the 2nd. You already had the right thought process. Certain mushrooms can deal with lower humidity levels, but in order for optimal growth and sterilization you want to do both in separate controlled climates
Thanks Donny. I am 74 and was growing microgreens 23 years ago. (Ann Wigmore) It seems like I'm listening to a kid when I watch you present your info. Yet I keep coming back, because the tips you give correlate with what truth I've done. For instance you say" Start small" and that goes with "by the inch it's a cinch". Then Truth when learned makes it easier to grasp more truth. Truth doesn't change, but different truths need to be applied in the right way. I'm now getting my health back with greens. The sources of truth like what you are giving is helping me. Keep it going guy
Thanks so much for commenting Bill. I'm so glad you are liking my videos and learning! Ann Wigmore really is the original living foods lady, so cool. It's funny you keep mentioning the word "truth." This exact word is the one I chose to vibrate closest to and I have this word tattooed tood across my heart. You must be very spiritual and intuitive. So glad to meet you Bill, thank you for seeing and appreciating my truth!!!
Literally just put out my very first advert on Facebook yesterday. My capacity is 24 punnets a week of radish only at the moment and once I get broccoli the I'll go one week broccoli and one week radish unless people want both at the same time.. No orders yet. But I'll keep at it. It's extremely new and nobody knows what they are in my town
@@mortgagesandrealestate3563 hi Gary. Thanks for reaching out. It's going fairly well. As well as I can hope for a small city with not much knowledge of micros. Have a few restaurants that I sell to now and I grow 6 varieties of greens compared to the 2 I started with.
@Saint Jimmy it's going alright. Because I live in a small town and the people here would rather pretend to be healthy for social media I haven't got any private clients. 95 percent of my customers are restaurants. Hoping to start doing a market or 2 and grab some private clients from there. Also thinking of just making flyers and literally just driving through neighborhoods and putting then in mail boxes
Wow thanks so much for that feedback!! Im excited to hear that and hope you do get started. Best decision I ever made & I definitely will keep making videos for you 👍🏼 anything specific you want me to make?
How much possibly you personally would recommend marketing regarding to restaurants i.e. info packs and packaging design reflecting price of product would be appreciated. Thanks again for the inspiring vids.
I'd love to hear how you started selling. Who did you sell to first? Friends, family? Did you go restaurant to restaurant with samples? Did you hand deliver, or ship? Thanks!
I’m going to give it a go, mostly just for personal food supply and health benefits… experience with tropicals, backyard gardening, and hydroponics for the weeds.
So helpful, especially all the links thank you! My daughter & I just started our 1st trays & are taking the wonderful Microgreens Farmer course. Every suggestion & tip helps so much. Gotta get our 1st rack today, germination is going well💚👍🏼
Awesomee!! Im pumped for you! You will learn so much in the beginning and im here to help if you have any troubles or questions along the way. I'm assuming you will be growing for business right?
Hi Donny, again thank you so much for answering questions! We are ALMOST ready to start taking orders for our microgreens by following the course through you and Curtis Stone! Again a wonderful investment we are grateful for! Which labeling company do you recommend for stickers, BC, shirts and etc?
Haha it's the truth! I started in a tiny corner of their basement and have since created a six-figure business and have a huge farm now. So fun. So rewarding. Thanks for the comment 🌱💚
When putting seeds in a flat to germinate, how much seed should I put in the flat? I am doing sunflower seeds, China rose radish seeds, broccoli seeds, and Dunn Pea seeds.
Hey Donny! Glad to see you started a youtube channel. I've seen you in some other videos I think during a microgreens webinar and you taught me quite a lot. I'm going to binge watch your channel when I have some free time so forgive my ignorance as I ask a lot of questions :) First one being, what is that program you're using when you were creating a customer?
Hey Evan! Thanks so much, I'm glad I started it too haha, it was a long time in the making but I'm glad to finally be creating and posting new videos on a weekly basis. Very happy to help educate and inspire. Don't worry about the questions - that's what i'm here for! I create a new customer and bill them with invoices using Square. You can download it here: squareup.com/i/DGREENS333 . Does this answer your question?
Thanks so much for your comment! I thought it was important to mention too, everyone grows at their own pace and it's important to not be so hard on yourself. Much love, thank you 🌱💚
Thanks for the content bro, i'm about to get things popping over here in France. Do you ever need to wash the end product for sanitary purposes or is contamination not that much of an issue? I have heard conflicting information on this subject. Anyways nice set up God bless.
Hi Donny, I am a new subscriber to your channel from abroad. I noticed that growing microgreens business is in its infancy here in my country. In your videos you are talking about huge revenues, profits. I know prices in Canada is much higher than in my country, but I am curious to know what price do you charge in Canada (or are you from USA?) and what is the packing? Sorry if it's a secret, you can ignore.
There’s so much you can do with the micro greens, you can literally add them to anything else you’re eating! Soups, salads, smoothies, stirfry, sandwiches! Or you could always look up recipes online simply by typing into Google. Ae these some of your first trays?!
Great video Donny. My favorite tip you shared was to keep it simple. My first MicroGreen seed purchase i started with 8 variety of easy to hard to grow crops. The last thing you need to be doing when starting any journey is overwhelming yourself when its unnecessary. It can be very discouraging to struggle in the beginning and there is no need to make it any harder on yourself! Great video!
Yess exactly!!! Thanks so much for responding, thats really good feedback. If you don't mind me asking, what of those 8 varieties you started with gave you the most problems?
Love your channel and all the great advice! But what about marketing to gain customers? I do not see a video about growing the business regarding marketing. Thanks!!
Thanks Larry! You are correct, I haven't made a video on this yet. There are many ways to market and gain customers, especially in todays day in age with the internet and social media.
I rely mostly on social media and word of mouth at this point too now that my business is big enough. I started at farmers markets though. Everyone is sick and need microgreens. Gotta get out there and educate!
Hi Donny, Great Channel I look forward to viewing more content. I have just started growing micros and I am trying to dial in the basics and it is hard to find reliable information online as you know. You use a timer for your light what frequency do you set it at? I am at 17 on and 7 off now but it might be a bit to aggressive. Also i see you water with a hose, I am assuming you don't use any nutrient. Thanks! Keep up the great work!
Hey Phil, happy to help! My lights are 15 on and 9 off but your 17/7 should be just fine. I do indeed water using a hose and no nutrients are used, correct. My plants get all their nutrient from their seeds. Are you growing for yourself or planning on starting a business?
@@DonnyGreens As of right now I am just in the trial phase. I only started 3 weeks ago but have had some pretty good results. So far i have grown Broccoli, Arugula, Mustard, alfalfa, and as of just now i just put pea shoots and sunflower shoots under the light and they look pretty good. I know you suggest you perfect a couple at at time as to not get overwhelmed. The problem is Iam a bit OCD and I tend to go all in and I went and bought a pile of varieties. As of right now Iam thinking I just want to get consistent and develop a schedule than I would like to try to distribute to friends and family first.
@@philiparundel2148 Nice, thats a good idea and I think you are definitely on the right track, Its great that you are testing a few different varieties in the beginning. Some of these can be a little tricky so if you're having good results, chances are you are a natural grower. From what I can tell, I think you have what it takes and are making smart decisions. I'm very excited to watch you progress and help along the way!
Hey Donny thank you so much for your contents,are such helpful. I want to start my business in Italy but the only doubt I have atm is how to organize the work like how many times in one month I have to start a batch of sprouts, I'm afraid I cannot sell-out my MicroGreens. The doubt is ,do I have to start one batch each week or maybe 2weeks? Thanks anyway for all❤️
Hey man! I hope you are doing well, I just wanted to say, that it d be a great favor if you have listed some microgreens with a stable market and a safe market, hat's very important.
Hey Donny, I am starting to grow micro greens as I comment, as you advised to start with the easy growing ones. Could you recommend like about 5 different microgreens that are cheap and easy to grow. Thanks
Can we start in our living room...like we are a family of four people ...I would like to start small..is it going to result in contamination ..as we are from india And its a . Place for large diversity of organism..I feel easily contamination is possible
Do you have a procedure or website you can reference that shows how to demand plan microgreens according to customer demands as listed in step number 3?
Donny Greens absolutely! I just started my first trays of pea, sunflower, and broccoli yesterday. I’m trying not to take on too many varieties to start but it is super tempting, especially with the current situation.
Nice, thats awesome! Those are some of the same varieties I recommend in my other video. Definitely keep it simple and start building. I remember starting my first trays I was so nervous and curious haha. Are you gunna eat them yourself or bring them out to chefs to try and get customers right away?
Hey Donny! I just came across this video on my search for knowledge in the microgreens world. Im looking to start a business with microgreens but was wondering how you started selling or some good advice on where and how to start myself. Should I start with farmers markets or trying to talk to chefs, stores ect. Which do you feel is the biggest buyer in those categories? Sorry for the long questions but im super excited to learn and do as much as I can. Any help you can provide would be GREATLY appreciated!!
Thanks for watching Josh. Yes I highly recommend starting with farmers markets to meet local people who will be your first customers and get the word out about your products and business. You can sell to chefs and stores too, I think it's important to have a diversified set of customers. Have you started growing yet?
@@DonnyGreens Thanks for the reply!! Means a lot to have someone whose already successful in something im striving towards doing be kind enough to give helpful tips. At the moment I have not started as im gathering everything together I need to get going but plan to have it all and start within 2 weeks. Again, thank you for the reply and for the helpful info!!
You got it! Good luck on your journey & let me know if you need anything. I have a bunch of equipment listed in the descriptions of my videos if you want to check out what I use. 🌱💚
@@DonnyGreens Awesome! That helps a lot. I just joined your facebook group as well so im stoked to be a part of a community willing to help eachother out. Keep up the good content! 👍🏻👍🏻
Donny, please help me with the grow schedule and software for customers! I am a single parent and I just started my business. I have 1 client which is a small supermarket.
Hey! I definitely have this stuff dialed in... I use Excel for scheduling my growing - I use a custom spreadsheet thats a little tricky to use so I don't know if it would be much help. I use square recurring invoices to bill my customers each week. It's very simple to use. You could also use a website like Shopify for billing and for your customers to place orders through. Congrats on your first client, that's awesome! How are you currently planning your growing and billing your customers?
akindofmagick Square is a software that people use for point of sale, invoices, payroll etc. It’s high quality & secure. Many farmers and businesses use it just like I do. So i use that software and then i use recurring repeating invoices so my customers get billed each week on a subscription and i grow, pack, and then deliver to their door each week. Does that help?
Check out my video on packaging! I use the plastic clamshell containers and then into a bag where I write the order number. THose then go into a cooler and hit the road!
Right now its getting my process down so I'm not spending so much time on caring for the plants. Getting ready for the farmers market to is as nightmere.
Don't worry, you will learn as you go! Do your best for the first market and improve from there. Getting your process down is super smart. Dialing that in is key for creating an efficient business. Thanks so much for your comment! 🌱💚
Great content! when getting started with starting the business- would you recomment LLC/Corporation/ anything else? Any licensing tips or requirements youre aware of in Tennessee?
@@DonnyGreens how's that coming? I'm building S L O W....but getting new home-delivery customers that I'd like to manage more efficiently than a notebook and my calendar on my phone!
Just ask. It's what you're doing right now 😉If you ever need a 1v1 consultation with me, you can do that through my website donnygreens.com. Good luck and let me know how it goes! 🌱💚
Do you think the experience gained from growing microgreens can help people who want to start a business growing larger fruit and veg such as cucumbers? Also, what about horticultural goods?
One thousand percent. I've learned a tremendous amount of business knowledge and these skills will be with me for the rest of my life, as well as all the connections i've made, etc
@@DonnyGreens Thanks, as with Landon Thomas, am looking in the long term to transition to other sectors, greatly appreciate your transparency and quality information!
I’m building a new house and I’m trying to get my dad on board with growing Microgreens. He is absolutely sure that the electric bill will be to high, what should we expect
With the new lights that are out these days they barely tip the scale. When you start small the proceeds will pay for bigger and better. I understand your father, I'm old, and the electric bill was something we all dreaded in the old days. Keeping the temps low will probably be the biggest concern. Basements are a good place to start. Dehumifiers run hard. I'm sure there are new energy efficient ones now. Good luck, I hope he goes for it.
Has anyone had much success with this recently ? I understand that they’re great for you, but I wasn’t sure if the market became so saturated from the flood of new growers.
The market is not saturated. Don't make excuses, go GET IT!! You should hear the stories from the Microgreens Support Group on Facebook. People are still starting every week and getting crazy sales and results. Don't limit yourself with a scarcity mindset. Think ABUNDANCE!
Just starting and struggling! I have one customer ( restaurant) one tray per week...dont know how to get ahead? Do you have literature/catalogues for what you sell? How can I market myself? Please any advice will be critical.have a Facebook page,do I need website too?
I recommend using all the supplies and equipment listed in the description of this video! Over the next 4 weeks ill be releasing videos all about the rack I use so stay tuned for that to learn more. Does this answer your question or do you need more help?
All of my shelves have just one light! I grow all of my varieties with one light including pea, radish, sunflower, broccoli, wheatgrass, etc. I use very high quality lights which is a big reason why I can get away with using one lamp. How many lights do you use per shelf?
@@DonnyGreens While I gotta say you are having great results with using only one light! I am just going with what i have seen most use online witch is 2. I am using the same ones as you i assume, Sunblaster T5HO 4ft? What distance do you place them form the tray bottom? Do you ever have any issues with the greens getting thinner on the front or back edges? Sun blaster recommends 8" from plant canopy to lamp. Have you found other varieties that demand 2 lamps?
@@philiparundel2148 Yes, we use the same lights. The next shelf is 11" away from the light above so the plant canopy is probably right around their recommended 8". I haven't done too much experimenting with two lights but I assume the yields could potentially be a bit higher. Worth the additional electricity and lamp cost? Idk. I have found that some greens get bigger in the center where the light is must most (especially if they are small when harvested) will stay even across the tray. The longer they grow, the more you can see the difference. I noticed that the cilantro gets its true leaves in the center first so if i start growing cilantro, I will most likely use two lights. Are you running into problems? Have you tried using only one light?
@@DonnyGreens As long a you are getting healthy yields with one light its probably not wroth the extra cost. I have just initially setup my rack with 2 per shelf, but I think I will do a test and see if there is a difference. I seem to have pretty even growth through the tray right now.
@@philiparundel2148 Yeah thats what i'm thinking as well! Yeah do a test run with one and see how different it is in terms of consistency and yield. Feel free to post pictures in my Microgreens Support Group over on Facebook!
Thats completely false. I laid out specific tactics to improve the efficiency of your microgreens business. Maybe you will have an easier time READING it: donnygreens.com/blogs/microgreens-business/microgreens-business-5-tips-to-improve-efficiency
What was your favorite tip for first starting out? Which do you think is the most important?
I think efficiency is the most important. It's so key to running a business. Without efficient systems in place, the business will get bottlenecked and won't be able to functions correctly.
Start slow and experiment. Don’t listen to people who try to sell you kits to “guarantee” $1000 per week in sales in a month. (Especially now)
akindofmagick 100% I think its so important to take it slow. I also agree that everyone’s out here especially now trying to make a buck. No one can guarantee sales from a kit because there’s so much more to this business than simply growing. I’m excited to keep educating on all these different topics. Are you a grower yourself? Did you end up buying a kit or finding your own equipment that fit your needs?
Step 1
@donny greens . Im starting a microgreens business and I was wondering what application do you use for organizing customers and orders?
Mushrooms and microgreens work synergistically in a growing space. The microgreens absorb the carbon emitted from mushrooms and turn this into oxygen
Do you have any tips on how to balance the humidity to suit both? Or would you grow the mushrooms in the grow tent and pump that air into the micro space?
@@damonjones9 I would recommend the 2nd. You already had the right thought process. Certain mushrooms can deal with lower humidity levels, but in order for optimal growth and sterilization you want to do both in separate controlled climates
@@MrJimtheRooster spitting facts son. Just can't boof my microgreens as easy.
Thanks Donny. I am 74 and was growing microgreens 23 years ago. (Ann Wigmore) It seems like I'm listening to a kid when I watch you present your info. Yet I keep coming back, because the tips you give correlate with what truth I've done. For instance you say" Start small" and that goes with "by the inch it's a cinch". Then Truth when learned makes it easier to grasp more truth. Truth doesn't change, but different truths need to be applied in the right way. I'm now getting my health back with greens. The sources of truth like what you are giving is helping me. Keep it going guy
Thanks so much for commenting Bill. I'm so glad you are liking my videos and learning! Ann Wigmore really is the original living foods lady, so cool. It's funny you keep mentioning the word "truth." This exact word is the one I chose to vibrate closest to and I have this word tattooed tood across my heart. You must be very spiritual and intuitive. So glad to meet you Bill, thank you for seeing and appreciating my truth!!!
I'd love to see how you keep track of all your orders and costumers :)
Yes! That is one of the biggest challenges in the micro greens business!
Yes and how he sets up and manages his deliveries!
Cost u mers :)
man ...beautifull tips. particularly "dont be greedy" " earn your way...".
100% thats the way!
We just started our microgreens business and are working towards customer acquisition. These are excellent tips, DG. Thanks!
Awesome, pumped for you! You are very welcome, thanks for the comment 🌱💚
Literally just put out my very first advert on Facebook yesterday. My capacity is 24 punnets a week of radish only at the moment and once I get broccoli the I'll go one week broccoli and one week radish unless people want both at the same time.. No orders yet. But I'll keep at it. It's extremely new and nobody knows what they are in my town
Awesome Jordan, best of luck to you! You will definitely need to do some solid education 🌱 🔑
Hey Jordan, how is the business going? Just interested as it’s been 5 months since your comment. I hope it’s going well!
@@mortgagesandrealestate3563 hi Gary. Thanks for reaching out.
It's going fairly well. As well as I can hope for a small city with not much knowledge of micros.
Have a few restaurants that I sell to now and I grow 6 varieties of greens compared to the 2 I started with.
@@thebigaverage-jordanspeck9045 hows the business going now?
@Saint Jimmy it's going alright. Because I live in a small town and the people here would rather pretend to be healthy for social media I haven't got any private clients. 95 percent of my customers are restaurants.
Hoping to start doing a market or 2 and grab some private clients from there.
Also thinking of just making flyers and literally just driving through neighborhoods and putting then in mail boxes
Hope you do more vids like this. They actually make a difference and may be the catalyst that I need to do this. Thanks.
Wow thanks so much for that feedback!! Im excited to hear that and hope you do get started. Best decision I ever made & I definitely will keep making videos for you 👍🏼 anything specific you want me to make?
How much possibly you personally would recommend marketing regarding to restaurants i.e. info packs and packaging design reflecting price of product would be appreciated. Thanks again for the inspiring vids.
Alright great, ill keep that in mind! Thanks so much for the feedback!
I'd love to hear how you started selling. Who did you sell to first? Friends, family? Did you go restaurant to restaurant with samples? Did you hand deliver, or ship? Thanks!
I’m going to give it a go, mostly just for personal food supply and health benefits… experience with tropicals, backyard gardening, and hydroponics for the weeds.
So helpful, especially all the links thank you! My daughter & I just started our 1st trays & are taking the wonderful Microgreens Farmer course. Every suggestion & tip helps so much. Gotta get our 1st rack today, germination is going well💚👍🏼
Awesomee!! Im pumped for you! You will learn so much in the beginning and im here to help if you have any troubles or questions along the way. I'm assuming you will be growing for business right?
Whats the microgreens farmer course???
That’s cool my daughter and I are thinking about doing the same. But what is the Microgreens Farmers course
How's it going? Any updates? @Tanya Pineda I would love to know bc my daughter and I are just starting too😊
Hi Donny, again thank you so much for answering questions! We are ALMOST ready to start taking orders for our microgreens by following the course through you and Curtis Stone! Again a wonderful investment we are grateful for! Which labeling company do you recommend for stickers, BC, shirts and etc?
"my parent's basement" was a nice touch. lol
Haha it's the truth! I started in a tiny corner of their basement and have since created a six-figure business and have a huge farm now. So fun. So rewarding. Thanks for the comment 🌱💚
Hey Donny great content. How do you organize orders and keep track of orders and the growing schedule?
When putting seeds in a flat to germinate, how much seed should I put in the flat? I am doing sunflower seeds, China rose radish seeds, broccoli seeds, and Dunn Pea seeds.
My seed rates are 5oz for sunflower, 1oz for radish, 1 oz fro broccoli, and 10 oz for pea 🌱💚 Hope this helps!
Is there a place you recommend for seeds
Hey Donny! Glad to see you started a youtube channel. I've seen you in some other videos I think during a microgreens webinar and you taught me quite a lot. I'm going to binge watch your channel when I have some free time so forgive my ignorance as I ask a lot of questions :) First one being, what is that program you're using when you were creating a customer?
Hey Evan! Thanks so much, I'm glad I started it too haha, it was a long time in the making but I'm glad to finally be creating and posting new videos on a weekly basis. Very happy to help educate and inspire. Don't worry about the questions - that's what i'm here for! I create a new customer and bill them with invoices using Square. You can download it here: squareup.com/i/DGREENS333 . Does this answer your question?
Thanks Donny. It's a great video. Growing at the right pace for the self and the business is a great piece of advice. Much appreciated
Thanks so much for your comment! I thought it was important to mention too, everyone grows at their own pace and it's important to not be so hard on yourself. Much love, thank you 🌱💚
Thanks for the content bro, i'm about to get things popping over here in France. Do you ever need to wash the end product for sanitary purposes or is contamination not that much of an issue? I have heard conflicting information on this subject. Anyways nice set up God bless.
Hi Donny, I am a new subscriber to your channel from abroad. I noticed that growing microgreens business is in its infancy here in my country. In your videos you are talking about huge revenues, profits. I know prices in Canada is much higher than in my country, but I am curious to know what price do you charge in Canada (or are you from USA?) and what is the packing? Sorry if it's a secret, you can ignore.
What is that customer system you're using to add and track what they order or subscription?
Great teachings Thank you so much Donny for sharing. I binge watched your videos. it's time to start my first trays
Started from yesterday. Hopefully will start our business in few months.
Boo Yah!! The beginning is so exciting and magical! Where are you located!?
@@DonnyGreens Mumbai, India.
Hi, how did it go? Am just starting today !
Thanks from Latvia:)
Thank you, Donny.
You are very welcome 🌱💚
Found you on TikTok👏🏽
Haha thats so funny, I haven't been on tik tok in months 😂
What meals and snacks do you recommend making with sunflower microgreens ? I have four flats of them and they will be ready in a week or so .
There’s so much you can do with the micro greens, you can literally add them to anything else you’re eating! Soups, salads, smoothies, stirfry, sandwiches! Or you could always look up recipes online simply by typing into Google. Ae these some of your first trays?!
They go with pretty much everything. I use them on Eggs, after cooking, and also on my sandwiches as well as salads and wraps.
Great advice man. Do you have any advice on how to create an efficient crop management system? Spreadsheet is the best ? Thanks !
Spreadsheet is best for now until a good software comes out 👍🏼
that was some really great advice, thanks.
No problem, thanks for commenting!
Great video Donny. My favorite tip you shared was to keep it simple.
My first MicroGreen seed purchase i started with 8 variety of easy to hard to grow crops.
The last thing you need to be doing when starting any journey is overwhelming yourself when its unnecessary.
It can be very discouraging to struggle in the beginning and there is no need to make it any harder on yourself!
Great video!
Yess exactly!!! Thanks so much for responding, thats really good feedback. If you don't mind me asking, what of those 8 varieties you started with gave you the most problems?
Love your channel and all the great advice! But what about marketing to gain customers? I do not see a video about growing the business regarding marketing. Thanks!!
Thanks Larry! You are correct, I haven't made a video on this yet. There are many ways to market and gain customers, especially in todays day in age with the internet and social media.
Yes!.. I was looking for thisss.. 😃
I am really struggling here in Florida trying to figure out what licenses I need to sell to restaurants
My biggest struggle is actually finding customers to sell to! As of now I am solely relying on word of mouth and social media
I rely mostly on social media and word of mouth at this point too now that my business is big enough. I started at farmers markets though. Everyone is sick and need microgreens. Gotta get out there and educate!
Thank you for those tips. I want to learn more microgreens. I want to learn from the best.
Thanks a lot! So glad my videos are helping, thanks for the comment 🌱💚
Hi Donny, Great Channel I look forward to viewing more content. I have just started growing micros and I am trying to dial in the basics and it is hard to find reliable information online as you know. You use a timer for your light what frequency do you set it at? I am at 17 on and 7 off now but it might be a bit to aggressive. Also i see you water with a hose, I am assuming you don't use any nutrient. Thanks! Keep up the great work!
Hey Phil, happy to help! My lights are 15 on and 9 off but your 17/7 should be just fine. I do indeed water using a hose and no nutrients are used, correct. My plants get all their nutrient from their seeds. Are you growing for yourself or planning on starting a business?
@@DonnyGreens As of right now I am just in the trial phase. I only started 3 weeks ago but have had some pretty good results. So far i have grown Broccoli, Arugula, Mustard, alfalfa, and as of just now i just put pea shoots and sunflower shoots under the light and they look pretty good. I know you suggest you perfect a couple at at time as to not get overwhelmed. The problem is Iam a bit OCD and I tend to go all in and I went and bought a pile of varieties. As of right now Iam thinking I just want to get consistent and develop a schedule than I would like to try to distribute to friends and family first.
@@philiparundel2148 Nice, thats a good idea and I think you are definitely on the right track, Its great that you are testing a few different varieties in the beginning. Some of these can be a little tricky so if you're having good results, chances are you are a natural grower. From what I can tell, I think you have what it takes and are making smart decisions. I'm very excited to watch you progress and help along the way!
DONNY! what is the best computer program to log your clients / input orders and deliver product?
I use Square for payment processing and GetSwift for delivery logistics 🌱👍🏻
Hey Donny thank you so much for your contents,are such helpful. I want to start my business in Italy but the only doubt I have atm is how to organize the work like how many times in one month I have to start a batch of sprouts, I'm afraid I cannot sell-out my MicroGreens. The doubt is ,do I have to start one batch each week or maybe 2weeks? Thanks anyway for all❤️
Hey man! I hope you are doing well, I just wanted to say, that it d be a great favor if you have listed some microgreens with a stable market and a safe market, hat's very important.
Here in the Uk most people don't even know what microgreens are.
Curious what programing you use for tracking subscriptions and orders
Hey Donny, I am starting to grow micro greens as I comment, as you advised to start with the easy growing ones. Could you recommend like about 5 different microgreens that are cheap and easy to grow.
Thanks
Can we start in our living room...like we are a family of four people ...I would like to start small..is it going to result in contamination ..as we are from india And its a . Place for large diversity of organism..I feel easily contamination is possible
the proper system to add new costumers
Donny, thank you for your videos. What light should I start out with?
no problem! You can find links to all the seeds, supplies and equipment I use in the descriptions of my RUclips videos!
Do you have a procedure or website you can reference that shows how to demand plan microgreens according to customer demands as listed in step number 3?
Awesome tips! Thanks!
You got it 👍🏼 Think these will be relevant to you when you start? Which do you see being the most relevant to you and your situation?
Donny Greens absolutely! I just started my first trays of pea, sunflower, and broccoli yesterday. I’m trying not to take on too many varieties to start but it is super tempting, especially with the current situation.
Nice, thats awesome! Those are some of the same varieties I recommend in my other video. Definitely keep it simple and start building. I remember starting my first trays I was so nervous and curious haha. Are you gunna eat them yourself or bring them out to chefs to try and get customers right away?
Hey Donny! I just came across this video on my search for knowledge in the microgreens world. Im looking to start a business with microgreens but was wondering how you started selling or some good advice on where and how to start myself. Should I start with farmers markets or trying to talk to chefs, stores ect. Which do you feel is the biggest buyer in those categories? Sorry for the long questions but im super excited to learn and do as much as I can. Any help you can provide would be GREATLY appreciated!!
Thanks for watching Josh. Yes I highly recommend starting with farmers markets to meet local people who will be your first customers and get the word out about your products and business. You can sell to chefs and stores too, I think it's important to have a diversified set of customers. Have you started growing yet?
@@DonnyGreens Thanks for the reply!! Means a lot to have someone whose already successful in something im striving towards doing be kind enough to give helpful tips. At the moment I have not started as im gathering everything together I need to get going but plan to have it all and start within 2 weeks. Again, thank you for the reply and for the helpful info!!
You got it! Good luck on your journey & let me know if you need anything. I have a bunch of equipment listed in the descriptions of my videos if you want to check out what I use. 🌱💚
@@DonnyGreens Awesome! That helps a lot. I just joined your facebook group as well so im stoked to be a part of a community willing to help eachother out. Keep up the good content! 👍🏻👍🏻
Josh KAY awesome, I look forward to it! Will do 👍🏼🌱💯
Watching here
Yay! Glad to have you!
I bought your mentoring program. Is there a table you can reference to help with adding customers and your forecasting?
Very nice
I see where you posted the payment processing, but I don't see the customer base software or the "store" where they can order, etc...
Donny, please help me with the grow schedule and software for customers! I am a single parent and I just started my business. I have 1 client which is a small supermarket.
Hey! I definitely have this stuff dialed in... I use Excel for scheduling my growing - I use a custom spreadsheet thats a little tricky to use so I don't know if it would be much help. I use square recurring invoices to bill my customers each week. It's very simple to use. You could also use a website like Shopify for billing and for your customers to place orders through. Congrats on your first client, that's awesome! How are you currently planning your growing and billing your customers?
What is a “square recurring invoice”?
akindofmagick Square is a software that people use for point of sale, invoices, payroll etc. It’s high quality & secure. Many farmers and businesses use it just like I do. So i use that software and then i use recurring repeating invoices so my customers get billed each week on a subscription and i grow, pack, and then deliver to their door each week. Does that help?
best way to package for delivery
Check out my video on packaging! I use the plastic clamshell containers and then into a bag where I write the order number. THose then go into a cooler and hit the road!
Is there a particular software you use to keep track of customers and bill them appropriately?
Excel & square
Good advice...regardless of the business venture.
Thanks for that!!
hey oh wondering if you could do a video on what seeds to soak and how you do it please
Typically the larger seeds need soaking. Peas, sunflower, wheatgrass. I'll have to make a video on this process in the future
Right now its getting my process down so I'm not spending so much time on caring for the plants. Getting ready for the farmers market to is as nightmere.
Don't worry, you will learn as you go! Do your best for the first market and improve from there. Getting your process down is super smart. Dialing that in is key for creating an efficient business. Thanks so much for your comment! 🌱💚
What system do you use for maintaining your client list?
Great content! when getting started with starting the business- would you recomment LLC/Corporation/ anything else? Any licensing tips or requirements youre aware of in Tennessee?
Thanks so much Michael! I'm not a lawyer so I'm not sure I can give you that advice, but at the very least make sure to have FLIP insurance
Taxes and taxes for a small microgreens business
You are my starting point. Tku 🧤🥬
Much love, thanks for watching! Excited for you! 🌱🚀
Which software do you use for customer management?
I use Square for billing, wix for my website, 123FormBuilder for the sign up form on my site, and excel to figure out what to grow
@@DonnyGreens could you post a video on your excel template for beginners please. Thank you
@@vk081064 no, im going to build you an app instead. Just gotta wait till March
@@DonnyGreens that's super quick reply brother. God bless you. Keep safe
@@DonnyGreens how's that coming? I'm building S L O W....but getting new home-delivery customers that I'd like to manage more efficiently than a notebook and my calendar on my phone!
How would I go about aslimg advice from an another microgreens farmer? Or is it just as simple as straight up asking them?
Just ask. It's what you're doing right now 😉If you ever need a 1v1 consultation with me, you can do that through my website donnygreens.com. Good luck and let me know how it goes! 🌱💚
@@DonnyGreens thank you, I will try that!
What systems do you recommend?
What systems do you use to support your business Donny?
Excel, Trello, Instagram, Facebook, GetSwift
And Square and quickbooks
which variety should I start with?
i have a video on this, go check it out!!
What is micro green?
Do you think the experience gained from growing microgreens can help people who want to start a business growing larger fruit and veg such as cucumbers? Also, what about horticultural goods?
One thousand percent. I've learned a tremendous amount of business knowledge and these skills will be with me for the rest of my life, as well as all the connections i've made, etc
@@DonnyGreens Thanks, as with Landon Thomas, am looking in the long term to transition to other sectors, greatly appreciate your transparency and quality information!
I’m building a new house and I’m trying to get my dad on board with growing Microgreens.
He is absolutely sure that the electric bill will be to high, what should we expect
With the new lights that are out these days they barely tip the scale. When you start small the proceeds will pay for bigger and better.
I understand your father, I'm old, and the electric bill was something we all dreaded in the old days.
Keeping the temps low will probably be the biggest concern. Basements are a good place to start.
Dehumifiers run hard. I'm sure there are new energy efficient ones now.
Good luck, I hope he goes for it.
Nancy Fahey thanks!
Where to find affordable seeds?
Has anyone had much success with this recently ? I understand that they’re great for you, but I wasn’t sure if the market became so saturated from the flood of new growers.
The market is not saturated. Don't make excuses, go GET IT!! You should hear the stories from the Microgreens Support Group on Facebook. People are still starting every week and getting crazy sales and results. Don't limit yourself with a scarcity mindset. Think ABUNDANCE!
I am growing red raddish struggling with fungal attack. In Delhi India
Sorry to hear that, i have videos on mold prevention
Hi
How do you gain clients. Cold calling? Going in store to store?
Yes both. Farmers markets, online marketing, social media, etc
Does Square provide a way for a customer to place an online order?
Check out how I do mine at FinestFoodsNY.com. Go to the sign up page and you will see the form I have my customers fill out.
Any CRM tools/systems you'd recommend for noobs?
I use Square for CRM and billing
Just starting and struggling! I have one customer ( restaurant) one tray per week...dont know how to get ahead? Do you have literature/catalogues for what you sell? How can I market myself? Please any advice will be critical.have a Facebook page,do I need website too?
Get more customers, grow more greens, sell more greens. Links to resources in the descriptions of my videos!
How long per day do you leave the lights on above them once they're exposed to light?
I believe i'm running my lights at 16 hours / day correlating with daylight hours
@@DonnyGreens and I see you're in NY state. You don't need any permits from the government to sell micro greens here, right?
How much do you charge for the smaller boxes? If someone just wanted to buy sunflowers?
Smaller size is $5
Do you have a starter kit or what would you recommend?
I recommend using all the supplies and equipment listed in the description of this video! Over the next 4 weeks ill be releasing videos all about the rack I use so stay tuned for that to learn more. Does this answer your question or do you need more help?
post a video for a video for person thats on a tight budget...income of $1,200
You can definitely get all the equipment needed for that price. I'll be sure to make a video on this in the future 💯
Could I succeed in a small community of 12000 people?
How far is between the lights and racks?
I have a video on setting up your grow rack. Go check it out!
@@DonnyGreens Thanks, cheers from Norway
Where do you get to seed from?
You can find links to all the seeds, supplies and equipment I use in the descriptions of my RUclips videos!
Can this be done in a greenhouse (hothouse tunnel)?
Yes, why not!? Give it a try!
Hi can u sell microgreens seeds
Where did you purchase the racks?
You can find links to all the seeds, supplies and equipment I use in the descriptions of my RUclips videos!
I noticed some of your shelves are only outfitted with one T5HO. What varieties only require one tube to grow?
All of my shelves have just one light! I grow all of my varieties with one light including pea, radish, sunflower, broccoli, wheatgrass, etc. I use very high quality lights which is a big reason why I can get away with using one lamp. How many lights do you use per shelf?
@@DonnyGreens While I gotta say you are having great results with using only one light! I am just going with what i have seen most use online witch is 2. I am using the same ones as you i assume, Sunblaster T5HO 4ft? What distance do you place them form the tray bottom? Do you ever have any issues with the greens getting thinner on the front or back edges? Sun blaster recommends 8" from plant canopy to lamp. Have you found other varieties that demand 2 lamps?
@@philiparundel2148 Yes, we use the same lights. The next shelf is 11" away from the light above so the plant canopy is probably right around their recommended 8". I haven't done too much experimenting with two lights but I assume the yields could potentially be a bit higher. Worth the additional electricity and lamp cost? Idk. I have found that some greens get bigger in the center where the light is must most (especially if they are small when harvested) will stay even across the tray. The longer they grow, the more you can see the difference. I noticed that the cilantro gets its true leaves in the center first so if i start growing cilantro, I will most likely use two lights. Are you running into problems? Have you tried using only one light?
@@DonnyGreens As long a you are getting healthy yields with one light its probably not wroth the extra cost. I have just initially setup my rack with 2 per shelf, but I think I will do a test and see if there is a difference. I seem to have pretty even growth through the tray right now.
@@philiparundel2148 Yeah thats what i'm thinking as well! Yeah do a test run with one and see how different it is in terms of consistency and yield. Feel free to post pictures in my Microgreens Support Group over on Facebook!
I don't know grow to sell microgreens in a village of India
Hydroponics or Soil?
Soil
Superlative.
🌱💚
advice from an Indiana Micro grower in NE Indiana, lmao?
\
start small and work hard
You look so stoned dude. :)
Lmao, if I was stoned, I wouldn't have been able to record this. I woulda been laying on my couch daydreaming about the next big idea lol!
Man to much talk but no info about types and prices wtf
You didnt give useful information. You just talked about business ethics.
Thats completely false. I laid out specific tactics to improve the efficiency of your microgreens business. Maybe you will have an easier time READING it: donnygreens.com/blogs/microgreens-business/microgreens-business-5-tips-to-improve-efficiency
I agree. This is not helpful if you are already a successful business owner.
What is the system you use in the tip 3?
I want to contact you.
If you want to learn, start here: OneTrayAway.com
Please email me your information my daughter and I are very interested in starting this
Awesome! you can get started here: OneTrayAway.com