How to Choose the Best Microgreen Tray System

How to Choose the Best Microgreen Tray System

How to Choose the Best Microgreen Tray System

This article is the final part of our Microgreen Tray Guide. In the previous articles, we examined how tray design affects workflow, soil usage, watering time, durability, and long-term cost.

If you have followed the full series, you have already seen that trays influence far more than just how plants grow. They affect how quickly you can work, how consistent your system becomes, and how much the farm costs to run over time.

In this final article, we will bring those ideas together and look at how to choose the best microgreen tray system in NZ for your specific situation.

The "Click" of Quality: Why the System Matters

It is a bit like building with real LEGO® bricks. On the surface, the knock-off versions look almost identical. They might even mostly fit together. However, as any builder knows, there is a world of difference in the "click."

With the knock-offs, you are constantly fighting the pieces. A wall that won’t stay straight or a corner that keeps popping out becomes a constant battle. You get the build finished eventually, but you have spent your time working around the flaws rather than building with the tools.

The same frustration applies to choosing a tray system. Plenty of thin, flimsy alternatives are available across New Zealand. They hold soil and they technically grow plants. However, you spend your whole day working around their failures. Whether it is the buckling when full of water, the cracking edges, or the uneven drainage, these are constant battles. When you choose a professional, heavy-duty system, you are buying that perfect "click." The equipment disappears into the background and lets you focus on the plants, not the problems.

Step 1: Choose Your Primary Footprint

The 1020 tray is the industry standard for a reason. As we discussed in our guide to tray sizes, 1020s maximize your lighting footprint and fit perfectly on standard shelving. However, if you are growing for a small household or want to offer a wider variety of crops in smaller batches, a modular system using 1010s or 5x5 inserts might be the better fit.

Step 2: Shallow vs. Deep (The Soil Equation)

Our "How Deep Should Microgreen Trays Be?" experiment proved that for most crops like broccoli, radish, and kale, shallow trays are the clear winner. They use significantly less soil and make harvesting a breeze. Reserve the deep trays only for crops with massive root systems, such as sunflowers or peas, or if you prefer a longer growing cycle.

Step 3: The Durability Test

If you are growing commercially, or even just plan on growing for more than one season, heavy-duty trays are a mechanical necessity. We timed the difference between filling high-quality trays and flimsy ones. The time saved by not having to support a buckling tray with two hands adds up to hours of labour over a year. In a vertical farm, time is your most expensive resource.

Step 4: Watering Efficiency and the "Sticking" Factor

Finally, consider your watering method. As we saw in our watering comparison, the quality of the tray directly affects your daily speed. Cheaper, thinner trays have a frustrating tendency to stick together when nested. When you try to lift the top tray to add water to the reservoir below, they jam or create a vacuum, forcing you to fumble and fight with the plastic. With a professional-grade system, the trays separate cleanly every time. This might seem like a small detail, but when you are watering dozens of trays, those extra seconds of "fighting the gear" quickly turn into a significant waste of time.

The Tiny Space Greenz Verdict

For most New Zealand growers, the "Perfect System" is a Shallow 1020 Tray with holes nested inside a Shallow 1020 Tray without holes. It is the setup we use daily in our Ashburton farm because it provides the best balance of soil efficiency, watering speed, and professional durability.

Ready to build your system? Explore our full range of Bootstrap Farmer trays and modular inserts here. Every tray we stock is one we trust in our own farm, guaranteed to give you that perfect "click" of quality every time you grow.

Continue Your Growing Journey

This article is part of our comprehensive guide to mastering microgreens. If you missed the previous installments, you can catch up on our experiments and findings here:


Microgreen Tray Guide

Have questions about setting up your specific grow space in NZ? Get in touch with us—we are always happy to help a fellow grower get it right the first time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why should I buy Bootstrap Farmer trays in NZ rather than importing them myself?
A: Importing heavy-duty gear from the USA is expensive due to shipping and customs. We hold all our stock locally in Ashburton, meaning you get fast NZ shipping, no hidden fees, and local support from a grower who actually uses the gear every day.

Q: Do these trays fit on standard NZ shelving?
A: Yes. The 1020 footprint (approx. 25cm x 50cm) is the industry standard and fits perfectly on most wire racking systems available at local hardware stores like Bunnings or Mitre 10.

Q: Can I mix and match the colors for the 5x5 inserts?
A: Absolutely. Many of our customers use our "rainbow" range to color-code their crops. For example, using purple 5x5s for Red Cabbage and green for Broccoli allows you to track your varieties at a glance without needing extra labels.

Q: Are these trays really worth the extra cost?
A: If you have ever had a flimsy tray buckle and spill soil all over your floor, you already know the answer. These are a "buy it once" investment backed by a 2-year warranty. They don't stick, they don't crack, and they won't end up in a landfill after a single season.

Q: Which size is best for a beginner?
A: We always recommend the 1020 Shallow system. It is the most versatile setup and ensures you don't waste soil while you are learning the ropes.

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