Market Garden Standard Operating Procedures

What a good one includes

• A step-by-step protocol for bed preparation, including specific broadforking techniques, amendment application rates, and tarping schedules.
• Clear greenhouse guidelines detailing tray cell sizes, seeding depths, germination chamber settings, and hardening-off timelines for each crop family.
• Crop-specific harvest parameters that define the exact maturity indicators, preferred tools, and optimal harvest times of day to maximize field freshness.
• Visual, step-by-step procedures for washing, sorting, spin-drying, and packing produce, paired with specific cold-room temperature targets for different crop types.
• A straightforward food safety plan outlining daily tool sanitation, crate washing protocols, and hand-washing requirements to easily meet GAPs (Good Agricultural Practices) standards.
• Routine maintenance checklists for walk-behind tractors, irrigation systems, and hand tools to prevent costly mid-season breakdowns.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Writing overly long, academic paragraphs instead of using simple checklists and visual cues that a tired farmworker can quickly scan in the field.
• Omitting exact details on where tools are stored and how to set up the workspace, which leads to wasted time searching for harvest knives or clean bins.
• Failing to build flexibility into the procedures for weather events, pests, and soil variations, leaving staff stuck when conditions inevitably change.
• Neglecting to map out the physical flow of produce from dirty to clean zones, which risks cross-contamination and violates basic food safety rules.

Frequently asked questions