A system for cultivating a crop includes a sowing unit for sowing at least two crop seeds per substrate unit; a transfer unit for transferring a plurality of substrate units from a first zone to a second zone; a harvesting unit for harvesting the crop; a first transport system in the first zone for transporting substrate units from the sowing unit to the transfer unit; and a second transport system in the second zone for transporting substrate units from the transfer unit to the harvesting unit. The sowing unit can sow the at least two crop seeds in the substrate unit with a predetermined mutual distance and orientation, wherein the first and second transport system and the transfer unit are configured to respectively transport and transfer the plurality of substrate units such that the substrate units display a predetermined orientation progression from the sowing unit to the harvesting unit.