InstaFarm’s patented 4-by-4-inch compostable trays come filled with about half an inch of soil (“sourced from Amish Country in Pennsylvania,” according to InstaFarm) and organic, non-GMO, nutritionally-informed seeds for the micro-end product listed above. They come in more than a dozen varieties in nine-packs for $23, including tubers, smoothie- and salad-specific mixes, and empty trays for growing your own vegetables or starting a garden. It should be noted that the trays are filled with easily filled paper that is intended for one-time use.
In comparison, Vego’s hydroponic microgreens planter, which I used last year, is just $60 for two units, while Gardyn’s is $100. It doesn’t produce the volume of vegetables anywhere near InstaFarm, but then again, $500 can buy small amounts of store-bought vegetables.
InstaFarm has an app, but it doesn’t add much to what you do, except for the ability to turn on night mode (which turns off the light for up to 10 hours). Very useful is the button on the top of the unit that comes with a sticker that explains how many presses are needed for any task you may need.
Every 90 minutes, a metal mouth arm comes out and moves around each shelf, sensing each tray and its plant height, humidity, and temperature. When the nozzle is done sensing, it emits a proper burst of water, like the spray heads in the produce section of the grocery store. If you have cats, they may be very interested when they start to hear the mouth whine and move slowly on the shelves. (The first quick, unexpected spray was a fun experience in my house.) Sometimes, this feeling was more accurate in theory than in practice—for some reason, the sensor always exceeded the volume of watering red beet greens (but only beet greens), making the tray full every day.
After a few weeks, I noticed that the nozzle made a slight mechanical noise when it finished rotating, as it slowly retracted back into its resting position. It wasn’t loud—it reminded me of the noise a bull wheel makes at the top of a ski lift—but because the InstaFarm was sitting on my dining room table, it was noticeable. And I should note that it was on my dining room table because, despite the website’s claims the unit can fit under most kitchen cabinets, it was too tall for mine. This made the site difficult to create, as it took up about a 6-by-18-inch footprint. Given how easy it is to chop greens for salads, smoothies, and other meals, its natural place is probably the kitchen, so you may want to measure more than once to make sure it will fit your space.
Vegetables Aplenty
Photo: Kat Merck
Just as the directions said it would, I had small green, usable plants in about five days. In my first growing round (I’m now past four), I was overjoyed and put the tray in all the spaces. Unless you have a large family that eats microgreens at every meal, I don’t recommend this. I realistically tried to use them all, but after the sad experience of putting a tray of small radish greens into a strawberry smoothie (very spicy, radishy), I decided to share some of my trays of starters with friends.
