40 ft Vegetable Container Farm Arugula Programme
PRODUCT OVERVIEW
Arugula is one of the faster-turning crops in the container: 15 - 20 days from transplant, 120 - 200 kg per cycle and 16 - 20 cycles a year. The insulated envelope and fresh-air system stop summer heat and winter cold from interrupting the rhythm.
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.
Remote sites and institutional kitchens use the unit to fix unreliable leafy supply; Arugula is harvestable in 15 - 20 days without long-haul deliveries.
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
· 3,300 - 5,800 plants per cycle and 120 - 200 kg per cycle make output plannable against contracts.
· Batch records of temperature, EC, pH and light trace each harvest back to a specific tier.
· CO2 held at 800 - 1,200 ppm keeps photosynthetic efficiency stable.
· At 15 - 30 kg of fresh greens a day, one unit matches a mid-sized restaurant or community scheme.
· Per-tier LED recipes give more uniform leaf colour, plant shape and head weight.
· 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 closed hydroponic loop uses far less water than soil culture, which suits water-scarce sites.
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
After harvest the room is cleaned and sanitised and the return line flushed, with downtime held under a day so the 16 - 20-cycle annual plan is not eroded.
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
The unit transports and relocates as a standard container, so a lease expiry or site change does not strand the capital.
Crop changes and expansion include recipe support, covering cycle validation and density recommendations for new varieties.
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.
What is the typical energy consumption?
The industry reference for leafy greens is about 0.8 - 1.2 kWh per kilogram, with electricity around 60 - 70% of operating cost, varying with climate, tier count and light recipe.
Does the unit overheat in summer?
Insulation with cooling and dehumidification holds the set point; in extreme heat, specify extra cooling capacity and monitor root-zone solution temperature.
Can the container be relocated?
Yes. The ISO footprint and consolidated service connections allow dismantling, transport and recommissioning within one to two weeks.
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.
