Every heard of "Ecopia Farms"?

[ducks4you]

I'm probably late to the game, BUT I thought I'd share this story from "California Bountiful".
http://californiabountiful.com/features/article.aspx?arID=1129
It's amazing that they can grown greens under LED lighting and produce a cheap, edible product.

 

[digitS']

Two thoughts:

I once worked on an acre under glass. That isn't especially big but it was terribly expensive to heat! We had supplemental lighting installed while I was there. It made a wonderful difference in plant growth through our light-starved winters!

Why didn't we just move the growing into conventional buildings with adequate insulation and electric lighting? At some line as you move north, it would make good economic sense. Unless shipping from the south will always out compete it.

Second thought - I once asked an Asian grocer where his nice fresh cilantro came from given that the plants bolt to seed with the slightest less than perfect growing conditions. "A greenhouse," he says. Oh. Climate controlled, protected growing. Microgreens, all of that would easily be valuable enough crops to grow in a greenhouse ... or a growhouse. It would just depend on finding that market.

Steve

 

[so lucky]

Well, that answers my question about whether LED would support plant growth.
But when I grow greens---- as attractive as a single sprig of mint on a teeny steak may be---- I need to grow a big bowl of greens to be wilted with hot bacon grease, or used to feed a hungry person a big salad.
I do applaud their ingenuity, however. And they create some beautiful dishes. But,
Don't fancy people come to a meal hungry? Or do they have so many drinks before dinner that they lose their appetite?

 

[Lavender2]

Wouldn't you love to have one of those set-ups in your kitchen!

Something similar happening in my neck of the woods... Garden Fresh Farms .... Progress MN
This business was started by one of our city council members. His goal was sustainable urban agriculture.

The farm units yield 1,200 heads of lettuce and 40 pounds of basil a day. For fertilizer, they farm fish. It’s a complete cycle — nutrient-rich water is pumped from the fish tank to the plants and sent back again. No water goes down the drain.

 

[so lucky]

The farm where I buy raw milk started an operation like that, Lavender2, and they were going to grow tilapia in the tanks, greens above. I don't know what went wrong; possibly not enough manpower to care for it. They are continuously short staffed. Too many ideas, not enough time.

 

[SprigOfTheLivingDead]

Wouldn't you love to have one of those set-ups in your kitchen!

Something similar happening in my neck of the woods... Garden Fresh Farms .... Progress MN
This business was started by one of our city council members. His goal was sustainable urban agriculture.

The farm units yield 1,200 heads of lettuce and 40 pounds of basil a day. For fertilizer, they farm fish. It’s a complete cycle — nutrient-rich water is pumped from the fish tank to the plants and sent back again. No water goes down the drain.

That is amazing! Thanks for sharing that.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

Oh thank you for that article! I worked in Campbell for 17 years at Togo's and never heard of the place in the article. Even when I go back every few weeks to San Jose, I'm still unaware. Can't wait to share this.