harvst Harvster, User Manual

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Loading and planting
Every gardener will have their own way of doing things, but to help you get started with
the unique growing environment in a Harvster, we have some tips.
Main crops
The bottom of the Harvster is where you’ll grow your main crops; the ones that need the
deepest soil, and will grow the tallest. If you have your Harvster on the ground, you have
the soil right there. If your Harvster is on brick or concrete, you can add height with our
raised beds, or you can use deep containers.
The Harvsters have been designed to take standard 600mm euro crates, which we can
supply or you can get your own. We use the ones around 220mm (10”) deep.
Salads, herbs and mid level crops
The shelves of the Harvster are where you might want to grow crops that don’t need as
much height or as much soil depth. Perhaps salads, herbs or micro-greens. In a tall
Harvster, this would typically be the middle shelf. In a wide Harvster, you might want to set
one side of the shelf for mid-level crops and one side for seedlings.
Typically the mid level crops are sown directly in the tubs that they will grow in.
The shelves are designed to take tubs or trays up to 100mm (4”) deep. You can slide the
front shelf bar backwards and forwards to fit the boxes you’re using. Make sure you choose
a position that holds the tubs securely; when they are full of soil they will be ​heavy​, and
you don’t want them to fall off and destroy the crops below.
Seedlings
Your main crops can either be sown directly where they are going to grow, in the bottom, or
you can start them in seed trays on a shelf. Even if you’re sowing your main crops directly,
it’s a good idea to do further sowings of the same crop in a seed tray, so that when you
harvest your main crop, you have some strong seedlings ready to transplant.
Seedlings are started on the shelf of the Harvster; the top shelf if you have a tall Harvster,
or one side of a wide Harvster. Our heated seed trays and grow lights are a great way to
get seeds to germinate at any time of year, if your Harvster is connected to mains
electricity.
The top shelf of the Harvster is watered aswith a misting spray. You can turn off each
mister individually if you don’t have a tray under it.