Tools & calculators
The fastest way to understand this is to play with it. Pick a tool and poke at the numbers for your own space, goals, and region.
What Should You Plant?
Answer 5 quick questions about your space, sunlight, and goals - we'll match you with well-suited crops from our database of 40 plants.
Crop Explorer
Browse what grows well for different goals and spaces.
Fast-cycle greens
Can quick-turn crops work reliably in small indoor spaces with minimal intervention?
- Lighting needs for 21–30 day cycles
- Managing watering when access is inconsistent
- Crop selection for low ceilings and small footprints
Local food logistics
How do you move produce a few blocks instead of a few states?
- Delivery models for ultra-short distances
- Storage and handling for micro-scale operations
- Coordination across multiple small growing sites
Educational integration
Can indoor trials serve dual purposes: producing food and teaching STEM?
- Simple data collection students can manage
- Crop choices that deliver quick, visible results
- Documentation practices that support learning goals
Off-Grid Solar Estimator
Size a solar setup to run your system off the grid.
Could it run off-grid?
A FarmBot Genesis XL draws only ~0.24 kWh/day - under $2/month on the grid. Model a small solar + battery system below. These are rough educational estimates, not an electrical design.
~0.24 kWh/day - control + motors · 0.24 kWh/day
Rough estimate only. Assumes 25% system losses, 400W panels, and 80% usable battery depth. Real production and cost depend on equipment, weather, shading, orientation, and local rates. Not an electrical design or a generation guarantee - have a licensed professional size and install any system.
What could a small trial produce?
Adjust the sliders to model a research trial in your space. Estimates use real data from our plant database of 40 crops.
Estimates assume beginner-friendly crops, standard growing conditions, and data from our open plant database. Grocery value uses fixed per-category retail prices (which vary by region and season); CO₂ offset assumes a rough ~0.5 kg saved per kg of food not trucked from an industrial farm; meal counts assume ~0.4 kg of food per serving. These are directional approximations, not measured figures. Actual results vary with climate, soil, prices, and care consistency.
Food-Desert Impact
Estimate the potential of automated food systems by U.S. region.
Impact Calculator
Estimate the potential of automated food systems in your region
If 1% of affected households deployed a FarmBot:
Estimates are illustrative only. Based on USDA Food Access Research Atlas data and average FarmBot yield figures. The math assumes a 1% adoption rate, ~2.5 people per household, ~150 lbs of produce per system per year, and a ~$2/lb retail value. Actual results depend on local conditions, climate, crop choice, produce prices, and usage.
Data Disclaimer
All estimates, ranges, and comparisons on this site are compiled from publicly available datasets, vendor specifications, and industry research. Johnny Autoseed has not experimentally or independently verified them; they may be incomplete, rounded, inconsistent across sources, or superseded by newer releases.
Treat every figure as directional context only. Confirm material details against primary sources and apply your own judgment before purchases, budgets, partnerships, fundraising, or operational commitments.
Johnny Autoseed LLC offers informational and advisory design services, and publishes open research alongside them. The research, budgets, and hardware figures on this site are documentation, not an offer to sell hardware, and nothing here is an offer to sell securities or a warranty of any result. Nothing on this site is investment, legal, tax, medical, or other professional advice.
Some pages, prototypes, or drafts may involve AI-assisted tooling. We aim for accuracy, but errors can occur. If something material looks wrong, contact us and we will work to correct it.