Vertical Farming

An ongoing and pressing challenge for agriculture is to grow more food with enhanced quality and efficiency. Sustainability is also a crucial factor and Hydroponics is certainly proving to be a good way forward.

Vertical Farming is actually the colloquial term for multi-layer hydroponics. Plants are grown in water instead of soil and the approach in how this is done has developed significantly over the last 20 years.

The head of hydroponics wholesaler Hydrogarden , Steve Fry, believes that this is resourceful way of reducing pollution, waste and the dependancy of oil in our more traditional farming systems.

Hydrogarden have a demonstration system in their Coventry warehouse which shows how the low-energy LED lighting, combined with nutrient solutions, feed several plants whilst providing the energy for photosynthesis. The video below covers this in some detail.

Using lettuce as a good growing example, Fry states that such a system can develop 2,000 butterhead lettuces in just 28 days. At present it is predominantly herbs and salad product that can be produced in such a manner and this method uses far less energy that typical open-soil farming.

A source of frustration among growers is that the Soil Association does not currently acknowledge foodstuff that is grown in this way to be organic. Fry's opinion on this is that it is crucial to change the mindset and opinion towards modern agriculture. Crops can potentially be grown "on the tops of buildings, in disused car-parks” as all that is required in the environment to get started is ventilation and a source of electricity.

An excellent example to verify Steve Fry's opinion is the disused Air Raid shelter in south-west London that is now utilised by Growing Underground . The shelter was leased in 2012 and the two founders, Steve Dring and Chris Nelson, aim for this to become the biggest Vertical Farming system in Europe. The produce, predominantly micro-greens and salad leaves, is stocked by wholesalers as large as the New Covent Garden Market.

A slogan from Growing Underground proudly states on their website that products go from 'Farm to Fork in under Four Hours'. With sustainable growing practices being prioritized the system uses 70% less water than traditional farming and can supply Londoners ranging from individuals right through to wholesalers within hours of being picked.

A more detailed description of Growing Underground's operations can be read here and the future for hydroponics is certainly an exciting one!