Wholly Water Farms Newsletter - September 2026
By Sara Johnson, President of Wholly Water Farms
Wholly Water Farms Newsletter
Issue 21 • September 2026
A Note from Sara
There's a morning in September — it's different every year, but it always comes — when you step outside and the air has just a whisper of something that isn't summer. It's still 88 degrees by noon, don't get me wrong. But that first breath at dawn carries something cooler, something that smells like possibility. I felt it last Thursday, standing by the greenhouse door with my coffee, and I actually said out loud to no one: "There you are."
September feels like a turning point for us at the farm. We've spent the past several months building up to some of our most ambitious writing — our definitive nutrition guide took weeks of research and multiple rounds of fact-checking, and our piece on local food systems is something I've wanted to write for over a year. These aren't quick blog posts. They're the kind of work that makes me proud of what we're building here, beyond just growing and selling microgreens.
We're also starting to plan for fall, which in Florida means the growing season is about to get a whole lot easier and more exciting. New varieties, new farmers market schedules, and a few things in the works that I'm not quite ready to announce yet. But I wanted to give you a peek at where we're headed, because you've been on this ride with us and you deserve to see around the next corner.
What We've Been Writing
The Definitive Microgreens Nutrition Guide
This is the post I've wanted to write since we started the blog. We went through the peer-reviewed literature, cross-referenced USDA nutrient databases, and broke down exactly what's in these tiny plants — variety by variety, nutrient by nutrient. No hand-waving, no "superfoods" hype, just the real numbers. Some of them are genuinely remarkable. Red cabbage microgreens, for instance, contain concentrations of certain vitamins that dwarf their mature counterparts by a factor we didn't expect even after growing them for years. If you read one thing we've ever published, make it this one.
Why Local Food Matters
I wrote most of this piece myself, which I don't always do with the blog. It's personal. It's about why my family chose this path, why we believe small-scale local agriculture isn't just a nice idea but an essential part of a functioning food system, and what gets lost when your salad travels 1,500 miles to reach your plate. I talked to other Florida farmers, to chefs, to the folks who show up at our stand every Saturday. This isn't a lecture — it's a conversation about something I care about deeply, and I hope it resonates.
Fall 2026 at Wholly Water Farms
What's ahead for us this fall? New varieties we're trialing (amaranth and nasturtium, if the seeds cooperate), expanded market presence, and some potential partnerships with local restaurants that we've been quietly working on. This post is part preview, part reflection on how far we've come. Two years ago we were growing out of a garage with a dream and a YouTube education. Now we're here. It's worth pausing on that for a minute.
Seasonal Tip: Get Ready for Fall Planting
If you grow at home, September is the time to order your fall seeds. The varieties that struggle in summer heat — like pea shoots, wheatgrass, and certain brassicas — are about to come back into their sweet spot. Start planning your rotation now. Clean your trays, refresh your growing medium, and take stock of what worked and what didn't over the summer. Fall in Florida is the microgreen grower's reward for surviving July and August. Don't waste it scrambling for supplies when the weather finally cooperates.
Florida Spotlight: Florida Small Farms and Alternative Enterprises Conference
Every year, UF/IFAS hosts the Small Farms Conference, and it's one of the best events in the state for anyone involved in small-scale agriculture. The lineup typically includes sessions on direct marketing, food safety, specialty crop production, and business planning. We attended for the first time last year and came away with practical ideas we actually implemented. If you're running a small farm or even thinking about starting one, keep an eye on registration — it fills up. The connections alone are worth the trip.
Quick FAQ
Q: What's the single most nutritious microgreen I can grow?
A: If I had to pick one, I'd point you toward red cabbage microgreens. The research consistently shows they're packed with vitamin C, vitamin K, and anthocyanins — the antioxidant compounds that give them that gorgeous purple color. But honestly, the "most nutritious" microgreen is the one you'll actually eat regularly. A tray of sunflower shoots that you put on every sandwich beats a tray of red cabbage that sits in the fridge untouched. Grow what you love. The nutrition follows.
Twenty-one newsletters. Almost two years of these little letters from the farm. I started writing them because I thought it would be good marketing. I keep writing them because they've become something more than that — a way to share what we're learning, to stay honest about what we know and don't know, and to stay connected with people who care about the same things we do. Thank you for opening these emails. It matters more than you know.
There's plenty more ahead. I'll see you next month.
With gratitude,
Sara Johnson
President, Wholly Water Farms