HOW WE GROW OUR FRESH SPIRULINA
How We Grow the Healthiest and Most Nutritious Spirulina Possible
It’s hard work, but it’s worth it!
The Ideal Growing Location
Where we are matters and we chose this location very thoughtfully. Our farm is in Brentwood, California — in the heart of farm country — on the sunny side of Mount Diablo. The high number of sunny days, away from coastal fog is key. All that sun means we can grow year-round. And we also have an abundant source of pure well water
Water for Spirulina is Like Soil for Vegetable Crops
Spirulina is grown in pools and water composition is as important to spirulina as soil composition is to typical row crops. Just as land farmers obsess about their soil, we obsess about our water. Our well water is tested at nationally certified labs and we monitor every pool daily.
We Feed our Spirulina a Careful Diet & Protect the Pools
As with any crop, spirulina needs nutrients. We test all of our pool nutrients to ensure they meet our quality and safety standards and we buy only from domestic suppliers. The best spirulina requires a safe and nurturing place to grow That’s why Greenspring Farms spirulina is grown only in protected pools — covered and sealed against potential contaminants.
This also reduces our water consumption by limiting evaporation and helps the pools maintain heat in the winter. All of the large commercial spirulina growers grow in open-air ponds. This less costly option has the potential to expose the spirulina to outside contaminants. While harder and more expensive to build than open-air ponds, our protected pools approach results in both healthier pools and lower ecological impact.
The Real Fun: Growing and Harvest
Spirulina grows incredibly quickly! Spirulina grows via cell division (mitosis), so every pool’s spirulina volume doubles every 2-3 days. By comparison, corn takes 3-4 months to mature from seed to harvest and even fast-growing baby greens take anywhere from 21 to 45 days.
That means we have more than 100 harvests per year per pool. The productivity per acre of this crop is truly amazing and it means that we can grow more food with less space and fewer resources and still have a continual source of the healthiest and freshest spirulina possible to share with you!
