Postharvest Equipment for Small Farms - set yourself up for a successful and safe season

 Annalisa Hultberg, Extension Educator, food safety

No farm is complete without a dedicated space and some sort of equipment for safely washing and packing produce. You do not need to spend a lot of money to have a safe, efficient and comfortable location to wash and pack your produce. 

Non-mechanized postharvest equipment

Spray tables and wash basins are the most basic and essential infrastructure to include in your packshed design.

Spray tables

Spray tables are used to spray bunched crops, pack boxes and more. Tables can be easily built using a variety of designs and materials. They consist of a frame (built from wood or metal), and a top with gaps that allow dirty water to run off the table as the produce is sprayed. Spray tables are the most effective option for cleaning bunched crops.

Whatever spray table you build should be strong enough to hold the produce you will place on it and large enough to spray a good amount of produce at one time.

Spray table with wooden frame (left). Spray table with wooden frame and hook for food-safe hose storage (center). Spray table with metal frame and wheels (right).

Wash basins

Wash basins provide an easy way to wash and hydrocool produce. They can be made out of a variety of food safe (cleanable) materials, and they come in a variety of sizes.

When considering the right type and size of wash basin for your packshed, keep the following in mind:

• New, heavy-duty stock tanks made of structural foam are a cost effective option.

• Avoid wash basins made of thin or flexible materials as they break easily.

• Do not use metal wash basins, unless they are made of stainless steel.

• When small wash basins are suitable, many farmers use stainless steel triple wash sinks - similar to what is found in restaurants.

• When deciding what size wash basins to use in your packshed, remember that the water in wash basins needs to be changed frequently. Think about how long it will take to fill a wash basin with a new batch of water. To estimate the time it will take, divide the capacity of the wash basin by the total gallons per minute of water available in your shed. For example, if your wash basin is 150 gallons and your well provides 5 gallons of water per minute, it will take 30 minutes to fill the basin.

Heavy-duty stock tank made of structural foam (left). Stainless steel wash basin (center). Two heavy-duty stock tanks made of structural foam (right). Image (left) courtesy of uline.com.

Mechanized postharvest equipment

Although most produce can be cleaned using non-mechanized equipment, mechanized equipment allows you to clean large amounts of produce more efficiently. This is essential when large amounts of produce come into the packshed at one time, or when labor on the farm is limited.

Greens Bubbler

This is a simple device that gently agitates the water in a wash basin to knock dirt and other debris off of leafy greens.

A Greens Bubbler requires electricity, water, and a wash basin to function.

Greens bubbler base in an empty wash basin (left). Greens bubbler operating in a wash basin with water and produce (center). Greens bubbler operations panel sitting on the outer rim of a wash basin (right). Images courtesy of farmersfriend.com.

Barrel/root washer

This device works by slowly rotating a barrel as water is sprayed into it. The agitation removes dirt from the produce being washed.

Barrel/root washers are generally used for root crops like beets, carrots and turnips.

The Grindstone washer (pictured below) is able to wash 2 bushels of vegetables every 2-3 minutes.

Root washers require require electricity and water to function.

Freshly washed carrots emptied out of a Grindstone root crop barrel washer (left). A new Grindstone root crop barrel washer ready for install (right). Images courtesy of grindstonefarm.com.

Brush washer

This device is versatile, and can clean most non-leafy produce (e.g. peppers, cucumbers, melons and root crops). Brush washers are not recommended for produce that easily scratches (e.g. zucchini) or for any kind of leafy greens.

This device works like a car wash for vegetables, passing them through a series of rotating brushes as water is sprayed on them.

Brush washers are usually part of a 4-piece wash line. A receiving belt feeds produce into a brush washer. Washed produce then passes to a water slinger, where dry brushes remove excess water. Lastly, produce moves to a rotating round table that is used for grading. Produce from the round table is packed into boxes.

Brush washers require electricity and water to function.

Receiving belt (left). Brush washer (left-center). Water slinger (right-center).Produce grading table (right). 

Images courtesy of noltsproducesupplies.net.

Food safety considerations

A few other considerations must be included in your packshed design:

Hand washing. Hand washing is a key part of ensuring produce is washed and packed safely. Create a space for workers to wash their hands near the entrance of the packshed. Stock this area with potable (drinkable) water, soap, paper towels, and garbage.

Water. You will need to move water from its source to your packshed. Investing in high quality garden hoses (we recommend ¾’’ diameter) makes your packshed much more functional. Also, plan to purchase on/off water switches and spray nozzles from a high quality company like Dramm.

Electricity. Mechanized postharvest equipment and convenience items like lights or fans require electricity. Figure out how much electricity your packshed equipment requires to function, and make sure you have a plan for moving sufficient amounts of electricity to your packshed.

Suppliers, pricing, and resources

Company	Item	Cost	Available at	Notes
Farmer’s Friend	Greens Bubbler	$375	Farmer’s Friend
Neversink	Greens Bubbler	$429	Neversink	Stainless steel
Grindstone	Root Washer	$4,250	Grindstone	Kit - needs to be built by farmer
AZS Brusher	24” Brush Washer	$3,830	AZS Brusher	Brush washer only
AZS Brusher	24” Brush Washer - 4 unit packing line	$8,085	AZS Brusher	Make sure to order a unit with a motor
Dura-bench	Spray Table	$174	Greenhouse Megastore	Pack of (5)  2 x 4’ benchtops
Rubbermaid	100 gallon stock tank	$117	Tractor Supply
Rubbermaid	150 gallon stock tank	$180	Tractor Supply
Rubbermaid	300 gallon stock tank	$270	Tractor Supply
EFINE	NSF Wire rack	$94	Home Depot	5 shelves  (60” x 30” x 14”)
Saferacks	NSF Wire rack	$209	Home Depot	5 shelves with wheels (72” x 36” x 18”)
Menards	8’ Folding table	$80	Menards	Model #81006
Shelterlogic	RoundTop	$299	Menards	10x12x8’
Shelterlogic	Peak Autoshelter	$330	Menards	10x20x8’
Shelterlogic	SP Series Shelter	$3011	Shelterlogic	12x24x9’ Heavy duty for wind/snow
Yardworks	¾’’ contractor grade hose	$64	Menards	100’ hose

Table 1: A list of companies that supply the equipment referenced in this guide and the cost of that equipment. Pricing for equipment includes estimated shipping. Pricing for supplies assumes pickup at local store (delivery charges may apply).

Suppliers and retailers

Item	Supplier or retailer
Carport	Menards
	Shelterlogic
Plastic Pallets	PalletOne
Folding Plastic Tables	Menards
NSF Wire Racks	Home Depot
Benchtop for Spray Tables	Greenhouse Megastore
	Carlin Horticultural Supplies
Stock Tank	Tractor Supply
	Fleet Farm
Greens Bubbler	Farmer’s Friend
	Neversink Tools
Barrel/Root Washer	Grindstone Farm
Brush Washer	Nolt’s Produce Supplies
	AZS Brusher Equipment  (Call directly: 717-733-2584)
Hoses, landscaping fabric, gravel and other supplies	Tractor supply
	Menards
	Fleet Farm

Table 2: A list of packshed equipment and suppliers or retailers that stock each item.

Authors: Ariel Pressman and Annalisa Hultberg