Container farm：40 ft Vegetable Container Farm Basil, Mint and Culinary Herbs Programme
PRODUCT OVERVIEW
This 40 ft leafy green container farm compresses the Basil, Mint and Culinary Herbs cycle to 25 - 35 days, at 3,300 - 5,800 plants per cycle and 100 - 180 kg per cycle, with 10 - 14 cycles a year. Temperature, humidity, light and CO2 are controlled by the system, so the schedule no longer depends on weather.
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.
Schools use the unit as a working laboratory: students follow Basil, Mint and Culinary Herbs across its 25 - 35-day cycle, measuring light, EC and plant weight to understand how a plant factory works.
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
The insulated envelope with fresh air and dehumidification holds recipe conditions all year.
Per-tier LED recipes give more uniform leaf colour, plant shape and head weight.
Rotation and zoning reduce disease pressure and chemical inputs.
No soil in the room means clean leaves and less post-harvest washing.
Batch records of temperature, EC, pH and light trace each harvest back to a specific tier.
The unit can be shared with other leafy varieties on a weekly rotation for a more flexible product mix.
The closed hydroponic loop uses far less water than soil culture, which suits water-scarce sites.
Rated Moderate in difficulty and run from process cards, the crop is workable by general staff.
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 unit uses a standard 40 ft shell with about five growing tiers, hydroponic or aeroponic depending on variety. Insulation, fresh air, dehumidification and LED lighting form a closed environment: outside climate affects energy use, not the crop.
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
The Basil, Mint and Culinary Herbs schedule is split across the 25 - 35-day cycle - nursery or seeding, transplant, growing, harvest - with one batch rolling each week for continuous supply.
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 site needs a hardstanding, three-phase power and water; once set, the unit is commissioned and the first planting typically goes in within two to three weeks.
Warranty covers the envelope and insulation for 24 months and climate, lighting, pumps and controls for 12 months, with extension available.
