Container Farm：40 ft Vegetable Container Farm Basil, Mint and Culinary Herbs Programme
PRODUCT OVERVIEW
Basil, Mint and Culinary Herbs is one of the faster-turning crops in the container: 25 - 35 days from transplant, 100 - 180 kg per cycle and 10 - 14 cycles a year. The insulated envelope and fresh-air system stop summer heat and winter cold from interrupting the rhythm.
At 3,300 - 5,800 plants per cycle, the schedule can be split weekly - plant one batch, harvest one batch - producing continuous supply instead of a single glut.
Multi-cut herbs with low yield per cycle but high unit value, well suited to direct restaurant supply.
Contract farming and cooperatives schedule backwards from the contract: 100 - 180 kg of Basil, Mint and Culinary Herbs per cycle and 10 - 14 cycles a year map directly onto delivery terms.
CROP AND OUTPUT DATA
Variety | Basil, Mint and Culinary Herbs (Specialty green) |
Growing cycle (transplant to harvest) | 25 - 35 days |
Unit weight | marketable weight |
Plants per cycle | approx. 3,300 - 5,800 |
Yield per cycle | 100 - 180 kg |
Cycles per year | 10 - 14 |
Annual output (estimate) | 1,000 - 2,520 kg |
Propagation | Seed or cuttings |
Crop difficulty | Moderate |
Figures follow the 40 ft standard container baseline with about five growing tiers. Yield per cycle and annual output are estimates; actual results vary with tier count, light recipe, CO2 level and crop management.
KEY ADVANTAGES
· Batch records of temperature, EC, pH and light trace each harvest back to a specific tier.
· At 15 - 30 kg of fresh greens a day, one unit matches a mid-sized restaurant or community scheme.
· No soil in the room means clean leaves and less post-harvest washing.
· Per-tier LED recipes give more uniform leaf colour, plant shape and head weight.
· Rotation and zoning reduce disease pressure and chemical inputs.
· The 40 ft ISO shell ships on a standard flatbed and is lifted into place on site.
· Seedlings account for roughly 5 - 12% of operating cost, keeping the cost structure transparent.
· 10 - 14 cycles a year keep the same unit producing continuously without a seasonal break.
CONTAINER CONFIGURATION
Footprint | 12.19 x 2.44 x 2.90 m (40 ft ISO container) |
Growing system | Approx. 5 tiers, hydroponic or aeroponic |
Scale per cycle | 3,300 - 5,800 plants |
Temperature | 18 - 24 °C, set per variety |
Relative humidity | 60 - 75% |
CO2 concentration | 800 - 1,200 ppm |
Lighting | LED recipe, dimmable per tier |
Nutrient solution | Closed loop with automatic EC and pH control |
Energy reference | 0.8 - 1.2 kWh per kg of fresh greens; electricity about 60 - 70% of operating cost |
Control and monitoring | PLC, touchscreen HMI, remote monitoring and alarms |
Delivery | Pre-commissioned at the factory, set and connected on site |
CLIMATE AND CONTROL
The controller stores recipes by variety - temperature, humidity, photoperiod, irrigation frequency and nutrient targets - called up as a set. Changing crops loads a new recipe while batch history is retained.
Nutrient solution runs from the tank through pumps and manifolds to each tier and returns via filtration, disinfection and inline monitoring. EC and pH are corrected automatically against the recipe, removing manual mixing drift.
CULTIVATION AND SCHEDULING
After harvest the room is cleaned and sanitised and the return line flushed, with downtime held under a day so the 10 - 14-cycle annual plan is not eroded.
The standard schedule assumes a 40 ft unit with about five tiers: plant one batch and harvest one batch each week, giving 10 - 14 Basil, Mint and Culinary Herbs cycles a year. Adjust to order structure and harvest labour.
DELIVERY, TRAINING AND SERVICE
The unit transports and relocates as a standard container, so a lease expiry or site change does not strand the capital.
Crop changes and expansion include recipe support, covering cycle validation and density recommendations for new varieties.
