Hydro Channel

I found out about urban greens almost 4 years ago and really liked how they were growing their greens on these reusable grow mats that they developed. At that point I was growing in 10/20 trays with 1 and done coco coir. I calculated the cost of coco medium and was spending over $12k a year. And then had to dispose of it after 1 use. After doing some research on the mats I pulled the trigger and did a complete system overhaul. I used the infrastructure already in place with minor adjustments and purchased the 9”x48” mats and channels in late spring of 2023. The durability of these mats is astounding especially with the abuse I have put them through. I’m not saying they’re invincible because they do experience wear and tear but they stand up week in and week out. And even in a worn state still produce heavy weight harvests. After over 3 years of growing on these mats I have started to replace some of the mats with new ones. The upfront cost on these mats is worth every penny vs paying for soil over and over throughout the year. Definitely worth it. Ted and Chad have been in contact throughout the 3+ years I’ve been growing on their mats. They’re definitely not there just to sell the equipment they offer but also will stay in touch and will help as best they can with any concerns or issues you’re having with your farm.

Rosie was our first Urban Greens system, and she completely changed the way we grow. Before her, we were producing microgreens in trays with coconut coir: filling and seeding trays, stacking them, moving them through production and hand watering multiple times a day, eight days a week. Then after every harvest came the spent coir that had to be dealt with before starting the whole process over again. Rosie changed all of that. We were able to increase production while using less space, eliminate the continual expense and waste of growing medium, reduce labor and produce an incredibly clean, consistent microgreen. The quality of the finished product was simply better. We weren’t sacrificing quality to increase production or efficiency. We were improving all three.

As production grew, so did our setup. Big Mac was our Frankenstein. We pieced him together, and Urban Greens helped us bring him to life. When we were ready to grow again, Urban Greens gave us a lead that sent us to Tennessee, where we picked up two of their first-generation systems, Norma and RUDI, along with an 8×8 CoolBot walk-in cooler. We brought them home, put them back to work and took another big step forward in production. Norma and RUDI also gave us room to expand beyond microgreens into hydroponic tender leaf and baby salad greens.

For more than three years, we’ve harvested every single Monday. Not one missed. We’ve grown through northern Michigan winters and a crippling ice storm, and being able to keep production indoors through the Canadian wildfire smoke has been a huge advantage. Our SOPs have evolved right along with us, and over the years we’ve gotten these systems dialed in pretty nicely.

When we look at where we started and how we grow today, the difference is enormous. We’re producing more, with less labor, less waste and no growing medium, while putting an exceptionally clean, consistent, high-quality product in the hands of our customers and chefs every week. Urban Greens didn’t just change the way we grow. They gave us a system we could build a business around. Rosie started it all, and more than three years later, the rhythm remains the same: we harvest every Monday.

And about those names… The Jetsons started it. R.O.S.I.E. became our Robot Operating System for Indoor Edibles, Big Mac is our M.A.C.C. (Microgreen Automated Cultivation Center), and N.O.R.M.A. is our Nutrient Operated Recirculating Micro Apparatus. R.U.D.I. got to keep his original Jetsons identity: Referential Universal Digital Indexer. Apparently, once you start naming growing systems, you can’t just stop at one.