USA - FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA: Urban Farmer Works to Harvest Success With Her Microgreens/Herb Business

As a high school student, Morgan Christl discovered the positive effects that microgreens had on her health. This helped spark a business that has morphed into her urban farm, Earth-to-Jar Botanicals.

After Morgan Christl discovered the positive effects that microgreens had on her own health, she eventually started to grow them for restaurants and CSA clients. Today, she's looking to expand her urban farm in downtown Fargo, Earth-to-Jar Botanicals. Contributed / subtle.b photography

By Tammy Swift

September 22, 2026

FARGO — As a teen, Morgan Christl couldn’t tolerate vegetables.

High-fiber veggies seemed to irritate her chronic gastrointestinal issues.

In fact, her GI problems were so debilitating that Christl completed her high school diploma online through Woodrow Wilson (now Dakota High School) instead of attending regular classes.

Her family has a long history of Crohn’s disease, so she understood early on that she needed to dramatically improve the nutritional quality of what she could digest.

That led her to try microgreens, which can pack anywhere from four to 40 times the nutrition of their full-grown counterparts.

A healthy diet fortified with these tiny plant powerhouses helped to transform Christl's health.

That fueled a CSA called Christl Gardens, which eventually morphed into Earth-to-Jar Botanicals, the year-round urban farm she owns and runs today.

Christl now grows 12 different varieties of microgreens from an 8- by 30-foot room in the basement below First Avenue Market, 612 First Ave. N., Fargo. As an herbalist with six years of study under her belt, she has also expanded into edible flowers as well as medicinal and culinary herbs.

Morgan Christl, founder and owner of Earth-to-Jar Botanicals, harvests and packages microgreens in her commercial grow room in downtown Fargo. Contributed / subtle.b photography

Christl sells her wares to a dozen different restaurants in the area as well as at local retailers like the Little Bodega Deli & Green Market at 615 2nd Ave. N., and Luna Fargo Market at Brewhalla. She also offers a microgreens CSA with delivery to customers in the greater Fargo-Moorhead area, including neighboring communities like Kindred and Glyndon.

The CSA packages are available at a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly frequency. Prices start at $20 per box plus $5 for delivery, although Christl is willing to work with those on tighter budgets.

“I think it’s important to bridge the gap and allow those who are unable to afford nutrient-dense foods the opportunity to include them in their weekly meals,” Christl says.

Small wonders

Christl transitioned from growing microgreens for her own cooking to growing them for profit while working at Blackbird Pizza, 206 Broadway, in 2018.

An avid home cook and gardener, she had already sprouted everything from sunflowers to broccoli for her own menus for several years.

Blackbird’s chef knew she raised them and needed a more consistent supplier for them. She started selling to Blackbird and other restaurants followed.

A collection of Earth-to-Jar Botanicals' microgreens. Contributed / subtle.b photography

Although restaurant chefs were familiar with them, home cooks weren't as sure. At the time, she was still doing traditional CSA boxes under Christl Farms and would frequently include microgreens in the boxes. “It took a lot of education to get people to try it,” she says. “They’d say, ‘Why would I want to eat this — it reminds me of grass,’ or “I’ve just seen this as a garnish on ‘Masterchef.’ What do I do with it?’”

She started sharing different recipes and ideas on the Christl Gardens forum on Facebook. Customers also shared their own ideas for using microgreens in pestos, smoothies, sandwiches or as a general lettuce substitute.

Today, a typical CSA from Earth-to-Jar might contain peashoots, sunflower shoots, microleeks, mizuna mustard and radish shoots as well as micro-versions of arugula, broccoli, amaranth and cabbage.