The Hidden Cost of Microgreen Trays (It’s Not the Price)

This article is part of our Microgreen Tray Guide, where we explore how tray design affects workflow, soil usage, durability, and long-term costs on a microgreens farm.

When we first started growing microgreens, trays were trays.

If they held soil and didn’t leak everywhere, that seemed good enough.

When you're starting out, generic trays look like the sensible option. Why spend more money than you have to?

But after years of growing microgreens week in and week out, we realised something important.

What Is the Real Cost of Microgreen Trays?

The real cost of a microgreen tray isn’t the purchase price. The real cost is how well the tray works inside your growing system every single day.

When you’re handling trays constantly, filling them, stacking them, watering them, harvesting them, and washing them, small design details start to matter a lot.

The Small Frictions That Quietly Cost You Time

Some trays don’t nest properly during germination.

Some trays design causes them to wedge/stick together.

Some trays flex when you carry them.

Some tray rims catch soil while you're filling them.

None of these problems seem dramatic on their own.

They won’t ruin a crop overnight.

But they happen again and again.

And when you use trays every single day, small friction becomes a real cost.

• Extra labour time
• More mess to clean up
• Small but repeated mistakes
• Extra mental load from constant checking
• Inconsistent germination pressure

Generic trays rarely fail all at once.

They just quietly slow your system down.

Microgreen Trays Are Tools

If you’ve ever bought a well-made tool, you know the difference immediately.

It feels solid. Balanced. Reliable.

You’re not constantly adjusting how you use it just to make it work.

Then there’s the cheaper version of the same tool.

It technically works, but you’re always compensating for it.

You saved money upfront, but you feel the compromise every time you use it.

Microgreen trays are tools too.

We use them every single day.

And when they’re designed well, they quietly make the whole growing process easier.

Small Daily Inefficiencies Become Big Costs

Even small workflow problems add up over time. If generic trays cost just 8 minutes of extra work per day, that time compounds quickly.

The chart below compares the long-term cost of generic trays versus heavy-duty trays over 10 years on a farm running about 100 flats per week (roughly 500 trays in rotation).

Even with a very conservative estimate of extra labour, the long-term difference is substantial. Small daily inefficiencies can quietly become one of the biggest costs on a microgreens farm.

How We Calculated the Costs

This comparison is based on a small commercial microgreens farm producing around 100 flats per week. A flat consists of a top tray with drainage holes and a bottom tray with no holes for bottom watering. Because trays are constantly moving through the system (germination, growing, harvesting, washing, and stacking ready for reuse), a farm at this scale typically needs around 500 individual trays in rotation.

For the purpose of this comparison we used the following assumptions:

• Generic trays: $8 each
• Bootstrap Farmer trays: approximately $16 each
• Total trays required: 500
• Generic trays replaced every 2 years due to cracking, warping, or wear
• Bootstrap Farmer trays lasting at least 10 years

We also included a very conservative estimate of extra labour caused by workflow friction when using lower quality trays. This includes things like trays sticking together when you're watering and washing, cleaning soil off the edges after filling, sorting trays after washing, and fixing mistakes when a tray with holes is stacked where a solid tray should have been.

If those small issues add up to just 8 minutes of extra work per day, and labour is valued at $30 per hour, that equals about $1,456 per year in additional labour cost.

Over time those small inefficiencies compound. The graph shows the cumulative cost over ten years, including tray replacement and labour. Every two years the generic tray line jumps upward because an entire set of trays needs replacing. The heavier-duty trays have a higher upfront cost, but the line stays flat because they are not being replaced and the workflow is more efficient.

The key point is that the upfront price of a tray is only a small part of its real cost. Durability, consistency, and daily workflow efficiency have a much bigger impact over the lifetime of a microgreens farm.

Even Free Trays Still Cost You

Here’s something that took us a while to understand.

Even if someone gave you trays for free, they could still cost you more over time than a well-designed tray.

That’s because the real costs aren’t just the purchase price.

• Extra minutes filling trays
• More replacements when trays crack
• Small crop inconsistencies
• Stacks of broken plastic to deal with
• Constant low-level workflow friction

These costs appear every week.

And over months and years, they compound.

Tray Depth Matters Too

Another design detail that often gets overlooked is tray depth.

Many trays on the market are much deeper than microgreens actually require. This means using far more soil than necessary, which increases cost and weight.

Shallower trays can often make more sense for microgreens because they use less soil and make harvesting easier. If you're curious about what those look like, you can see an example here:

Bootstrap Farmer 1020 Shallow Microgreen Trays

Design choices like this might seem small, but when you're filling, lifting, and harvesting trays every week, they can make a noticeable difference to your workflow.

Compare Systems, Not Just Prices

When choosing microgreen trays, it helps to think about the entire system rather than just the upfront cost.

Ask yourself:

• Do the trays nest properly?
• Are they easy to handle?
• Do the rims catch soil?
• Will they last for years or months?
• Do they reduce mental load or add to it?

Because over time, the cheapest tray on day one is rarely the cheapest tray in year five.

In the next article, we look at something we decided to test ourselves:

How long it actually takes to fill different types of microgreen trays.

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Microgreen Tray Guide

• Part 1: How Much Do Your Microgreen Trays Really Cost?
• Part 2: Are Heavy-Duty Microgreen Trays Worth It? We Timed the Difference
• Part 3: What Size Microgreen Tray Should You Use?
• Part 4: How Deep Should Microgreen Trays Be?
• Part 5: Do Microgreen Trays Affect Watering Time?
• Part 6: How Long Do Microgreen Trays Last?
• Part 7: How to Choose the Best Microgreen Tray System

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Microgreen Tray FAQ

Do microgreens need deep trays?

No. Microgreens generally have shallow root systems and do not require deep trays. Using shallow trays can reduce soil usage and make harvesting easier while still providing enough space for healthy root development. Some crops like sunflowers prefer deep trays, but the trade-off for the extra soil often isn't worth it.

What size tray is best for growing microgreens?

Many growers use the standard 10×20 tray because it fits most shelving systems and microgreen racks. Consistent tray size makes stacking, watering, and harvesting more efficient. Bootstrap Farmer also make 10×10 and 5×5 trays that fit inside a 1020 tray, which can be useful for growing on a table or windowsill.

Are heavy-duty microgreen trays worth it?

Heavy-duty trays often last much longer and handle daily use better than thinner trays. While they cost more upfront, they can reduce replacements and improve workflow over time.

Why do some microgreen trays catch soil around the edges?

Some trays have rims that fold outward. These rims can catch soil while filling trays, which slows down the process and creates extra cleanup during production.