40 ft Vegetable Container Farm Arugula Programme
PRODUCT OVERVIEW
Based on a 40 ft standard unit with roughly five growing tiers, Arugula reaches 30 - 50 g per head and 120 - 200 kg per cycle, with 16 - 20 cycles a year. The same footprint delivers several times the output of open-field planting.
The controller stores a recipe per variety - photoperiod, intensity, nutrient concentration, irrigation frequency and climate - so a crop change is a recipe call, not a rebuild.
The fastest specialty leaf with the highest harvest count; high value per kilogram but low yield per cycle.
Schools use the unit as a working laboratory: students follow Arugula across its 15 - 20-day cycle, measuring light, EC and plant weight to understand how a plant factory works.
CROP AND OUTPUT DATA
Variety | Arugula (Specialty green) |
Growing cycle (transplant to harvest) | 15 - 20 days |
Unit weight | 30 - 50 g |
Plants per cycle | approx. 3,300 - 5,800 |
Yield per cycle | 120 - 200 kg |
Cycles per year | 16 - 20 |
Annual output (estimate) | 1,920 - 4,000 kg |
Propagation | Direct seeding |
Crop difficulty | Easy |
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
· Seedlings account for roughly 5 - 12% of operating cost, keeping the cost structure transparent.
· No soil in the room means clean leaves and less post-harvest washing.
· The unit can be shared with other leafy varieties on a weekly rotation for a more flexible product mix.
· The 40 ft ISO shell ships on a standard flatbed and is lifted into place on site.
· The insulated envelope with fresh air and dehumidification holds recipe conditions all year.
· Controlled cycle: Arugula reaches harvest 15 - 20 days after transplant, more than 50% faster than open-field production.
· Rotation and zoning reduce disease pressure and chemical inputs.
· About five tiers lift output per square metre to roughly five times open-field levels.
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 controller stores recipes by variety - temperature, humidity, photoperiod, irrigation frequency and nutrient targets - called up as a set. Changing crops loads a new recipe while batch history is retained.
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 nutrient recipe shifts by stage: lower EC after transplant to encourage rooting, higher potassium and calcium later, and tighter water before harvest to improve shelf life.
The standard schedule assumes a 40 ft unit with about five tiers: plant one batch and harvest one batch each week, giving 16 - 20 Arugula cycles a year. Adjust to order structure and harvest labour.
DELIVERY, TRAINING AND SERVICE
Training centres on four tasks: planting and harvest, nutrient maintenance, recipe calls and common alarms. Most teams run shifts independently within a week.
Consumables are stocked regionally - filters, nutrient salts, plug trays and channel parts - with standard items shipped within five working days.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How much produce can one unit deliver in a year?
On a 40 ft unit with about five tiers, expect 450 - 900 kg a month and 15 - 30 kg a day. For Arugula specifically, 120 - 200 kg per cycle across 16 - 20 cycles a year, with actual output depending on tiers, light recipe and management.
How many units can one operator manage?
Under a standard schedule, one operator can cover daily rounds, nutrient top-up and harvest coordination for two to three units, with extra hands at harvest peaks.
Why is the Arugula cycle faster than in the field?
Inside the unit, temperature, humidity, CO2 and light are held at recipe values with no stress stall, so Arugula reaches harvest in about 15 - 20 days - more than half the open-field time.
Where do the seedlings come from?
Either plug seedlings or direct seeding. Plugs arrive with intact roots and no transplant shock; direct seeding skips the nursery at lower cost but occupies the bed longer. Seedlings are about 5 - 12% of operating cost.
CONTACT AND DATA NOTES
Hangzhou Hengyu Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. designs, builds and delivers complete container farms. Share your site conditions, target varieties and daily volume, and we will return a layout, a crop schedule and an energy estimate. Figures in this document use the 40 ft standard container (about five growing tiers) as the baseline and are estimates; output varies with tier count, light recipe, CO2 level and crop management, and is not a performance guarantee.
