MICROGREEN BUSINESS GUIDE · MIAMI, FL

Start a microgreen business in Miami, FL.

Most Miami residents do not realize that one of the most plate-driven food cities in the country runs on microgreens that were grown nowhere near it. The kitchens in Wynwood, Brickell, South Beach, and the Design District are buying premium product that was cut days ago and shipped in cold. The Miami grower who delivers truly local trays on the morning of service quietly takes the category.

Quick Answer

You can start a microgreen business in Miami with under $400 in initial equipment and grow it into a $4,000 to $9,000 per month side income within 90 days. Here is the local demand picture, the unit economics, and the operating system used by working microgreen farms.

How many of the high-end plates you have eaten in Miami this year had microgreens on them, and how many do you think were actually grown in Miami?

What Miami buys today

Miami is one of the highest priced restaurant markets in the country, with hospitality groups, hotels, cruise lines, and standalone fine dining all chasing the same visual standard on the plate. Microgreens are foundational to that look, and chefs here pay accordingly.

The climate is famously humid, which is the one real challenge for a Miami grow space. A small dehumidifier and disciplined airflow turn that into a non issue, and once you have it dialed, Miami growers run trays year round with no seasonal slowdown.

Beyond restaurants, the wellness and juice bar scene in Miami is enormous. Plant forward bowls, cold pressed juices, and acai shops all use microgreens as toppers, and that segment expands every season.

If you do not establish yourself as a local Miami supplier in the next year, and the hospitality groups here lock in long term contracts with out of state shippers, how do you ever break in later?

The math, in Miami prices

Here is what the math looks like for a Miami grower selling at a top-tier metropolitan price.

Startup cost

$400

Trays, soil, seed, lights. Used gear cuts this in half.

Per-tray net

$20-$30

After seed, soil, packaging, delivery.

Trays per week

100

Target for $3K-$5K/mo at Miami pricing.

Break-even week

Week 4

First positive cash week. Most growers hit it.

What that looks like in Miami square footage

A 10 by 10 foot room with two vertical shelving units holds 60 to 80 active trays. That is enough to produce $3,000 to $5,000 per month in Miami at standard wholesale prices. A two-car garage doubles it. A basement triples it.

What does it feel like to walk into a Brickell or South Beach kitchen and have the chef hand you next week's standing order before you even ask?

Three things every working microgreen farm in Miami runs on

  1. A seed density and watering plan you trust. The number one cause of failed trays for new growers is over- or under-seeding. The cheat sheet inside Grown Like A Pro gives you grams per 10x20, soak hours, blackout days, harvest day, and watering for sixty-one varieties.
  2. A rotation tracker. Once you are running thirty-plus trays per week, you cannot remember what is in blackout, what is in light growth, what harvests Tuesday. A spreadsheet works for the first month. After that you need a system that pings you the day before each harvest and reorders seed before you run out.
  3. A customer + invoice layer. Restaurants in Miami want predictable weekly invoices and net-15 terms. Farmers market customers want clamshell tracking. Both want consistency. The app handles both.

The IKEA test

If you can follow an IKEA instruction sheet without screaming at the family, you can grow microgreens at a commercial level in Miami. The steps are about that difficulty: open the box, lay out the parts, follow the picture, repeat. Trays are the bookcase. Seed is the dowels.

If you ever did struggle with the IKEA bookshelf, that is exactly why Glappy lives inside the app. Glappy is the in-app coach that breaks every step down barney style, in your own language, from "how do I plant my first tray" to "why is this tray going leggy at day five and what do I do about it tonight." Type the question, get a step-by-step answer. There is no question too basic. The whole point is that a Miami grower starting today is not on their own.

What you are not buying

You are not buying a course. You are not buying a hype product. You are not buying seed from us, and you are not buying trays from us. We do not sell either. Grown Like A Pro is the operating system you run your Miami farm on. The growing happens in your basement.

Try Grown Like A Pro free for 30 days →

Miami microgreen FAQ

How much can I make growing microgreens in Miami?
A working microgreen farm in Miami produces $3,000 to $8,000 per month within 90 days of starting. The math: 100 trays per week, $20 to $30 net revenue per tray, harvested in a basement, garage, or spare room. The ceiling is set by how many restaurants and farmers market customers you can serve, not by the growing setup.
Is it legal to sell microgreens in FL?
Yes. In most of Florida, microgreens fall under the state's cottage food law for direct-to-consumer retail at farmers markets and to private customers. Restaurant wholesale typically requires a basic food handler permit. Verify with the Florida Department of Agriculture before you sign a wholesale contract.
What microgreens sell best in Miami?
Sunflower, pea shoots, and radish are the three highest-volume sellers in nearly every U.S. city, including Miami. Broccoli is the highest-margin variety because of its sulforaphane reputation with health-focused buyers. Specialty varieties like amaranth and shiso command premium pricing from chef-driven restaurants.
How much space do I need to grow microgreens in Miami?
A 10 by 10 foot room with two shelving units holds 60 to 80 active trays, which is enough to produce $3,000 to $5,000 per month. A basement, garage corner, spare bedroom, or sunroom all work in Miami's climate. Vertical shelving is the fastest path to higher revenue per square foot.
What is the best app for tracking microgreen production in Miami?
Grown Like A Pro is the operating system used by working microgreen farms in Miami. It handles seed density math, watering schedules, harvest timing, inventory, customer orders, and the financial side. Free 30-day trial with no credit card.
How long does it take to learn to grow microgreens commercially?
Most growers in Miami are selling their first trays within 30 days of starting. Commercial proficiency, meaning you can run 50-plus trays per week without losing crops to mold or under-seeding, takes 60 to 90 days. The seed density and watering math is the single biggest predictor of how fast you get there.
Do I need a license to sell microgreens in Miami?
For farmers market and direct-to-consumer sales in Miami, most growers operate under Florida's cottage food law with no special license. For wholesale to restaurants and grocery stores, you typically need a basic food handler permit, a sales tax permit, and depending on volume, an inspection from your county health department.
How do I price microgreens to restaurants in Miami?
Restaurant wholesale in Miami runs $1.50 to $2.50 per ounce for standard varieties, $3 to $5 per ounce for specialty varieties like shiso, micro basil, or amaranth. Sell by the pound for repeat accounts. Local fresh commands a premium over the shipped-in product that most Miami restaurants currently buy.

Related guides

Once you have the Miami math in your head, the next read is the density chart that drives every tray you plant.

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