Crop guide

Eighteen crops,
real numbers.

Days from transplant to harvest, target pH and reservoir EC for each crop the Desktop Kit can run. These are working ranges for an 8 litre DWC reservoir held at 18–20 °C, not laboratory optima.

Reference table

The full list.

Butterhead lettuce

20–26days

Lactuca sativa

The benchmark crop. Cool reservoir, low EC.

pH
6.0
EC
1.2–1.8

Romaine / oakleaf

24–30days

Lactuca sativa

Taller habit — keep the net pot centred.

pH
6.0
EC
1.4–2.0

Swiss chard

30–40days

Beta vulgaris

Forgiving, heavy feeder, tolerates warmer water.

pH
6.0–6.5
EC
1.8–2.2

Spinach

28–35days

Spinacia oleracea

Bolts above 22 °C — the chiller earns its keep.

pH
6.0–6.5
EC
1.8–2.3

Pak choi

25–32days

Brassica rapa

Fast, compact, ideal for a single net pot.

pH
6.0–6.5
EC
1.8–2.4

Rocket (arugula)

21–28days

Eruca sativa

Pungency rises with heat; keep water cool.

pH
6.0–6.5
EC
1.6–2.2

Tatsoi

25–30days

Brassica narinosa

Cold-tolerant, near-ideal countertop green.

pH
6.0–6.5
EC
1.8–2.2

Mizuna

21–28days

Brassica juncea

Cut-and-come-again; two harvests per charge.

pH
6.0–6.5
EC
1.8–2.2

Watercress

21–28days

Nasturtium officinale

Wants high dissolved oxygen — run the pump hard.

pH
6.5–7.0
EC
1.4–1.8

Genovese basil

28–35days

Ocimum basilicum

Sensitive to osmotic swings; ramp EC slowly.

pH
5.8–6.4
EC
1.4–1.8

Dill

30–40days

Anethum graveolens

Tall — pinching keeps it in the footprint.

pH
6.0–6.5
EC
1.2–1.6

Parsley

35–45days

Petroselinum crispum

Slow to start, then productive for months.

pH
6.0–6.5
EC
1.4–1.8

Coriander

25–32days

Coriandrum sativum

Bolts fast above 24 °C; stagger sowings.

pH
6.2–6.8
EC
1.4–1.8

Mint

25–35days

Mentha spp.

Vigorous rooter — expect to trim root mass.

pH
6.0–6.5
EC
1.6–2.0

Cherry tomato

70–85days

Solanum lycopersicum

Heaviest load. Needs a trellis; weekly swaps.

pH
5.8–6.3
EC
2.0–2.6

Chilli / pepper

80–95days

Capsicum annuum

Compact varieties suit one pot; long season.

pH
5.8–6.3
EC
1.8–2.4

Potato (container)

85–110days

Solanum tuberosum

Needs full 8 L and deep media — net pot too shallow.

pH
5.5–6.0
EC
1.6–2.0

Corn (dwarf)

90–110days

Zea mays

Marginal. Wind-pollinated; one bucket sets poorly.

pH
5.8–6.2
EC
2.0–2.4

EC in mS/cm · days from transplant to harvest, in an 8 litre reservoir held at 18–20 °C.

Loading the reservoir

One pot, or
twenty-one.

Single net pot

For lettuce, chard, pak choi and basil: one 4-inch pot in the centre, 8 L of working volume, the full satchel dose.

21-site clone lid

Swap the lid and run propagation or microgreens at higher density. Halve the per-site dose and keep EC at the lower end.

Fruiting crops

Cherry tomato and chilli need the single pot, a trellis, and a full reservoir change weekly rather than top-up.

Microgreens

Pea, radish, sunflower, broccoli: 7–12 days on the clone lid with no nutrient charge at all — water only.

Pick a crop,
load the kit.

The Desktop Kit ships with 50 satchels — enough for four full leafy-green cycles.

See the Desktop Kit Restock satchels