Hydroponics and aeroponics - a type of hydroponics, but rather than growing in nutrient-rich water, grows in the air and the plants get sprayed with nutrients - technology is increasingly being utilized by businesses themselves.
John Mooney is the founder and chef at the Bell Book & Candle restaurant in Manhattan. The restaurant, located in Greenwich Village, has little outdoor space so Chef Mooney decided to make use of the dead space it had - the roof - in order to grow his own vegetables.He uses a system called, Tower Garden, a vertical, aeroponic growing system. John Mooney says the technology allows him to utilize the roof, which would otherwise be dead space, and could not hold the weight of soil needed for a conventional garden.
The concept of vertical farming is not new - the phrase was first coined by Gilbert Ellis Bailey in 1915 as pressure increased on already limited farmland - and involves growing produce either in a skyscraper greenhouse, a grow shelf, or in this case, a tower.
Mr Mooney's rooftop is full of these white towers, where seeds are planted up along each tower's spine. Each tower has its own reservoir at the base, which is on a timer and has a pump that sprinkles the roots of the plants every 12 minutes.He says it was important to be as close to the source as possible: "When you pick something with the roots attached, that's still living, that's probably the best benefit." The roof garden grows everything from aubergines, tomatoes and chilli peppers to herbs and watermelons.
Grow Shelf to plant your own food
While growing his own vegetables obviously makes economic sense, Chef Mooney says the benefits are much broader than that. "There's two ways to look at it. It does pay for itself. I know how much I would spend on vegetables if I'm purchasing everything in, which is about $6,000 a month, a little more probably. "But the quality that we produce, having it on location - growing for consumption not for transport - and then having the staff involved in the process brings much more to the table than the actual monetary value."
Design challenges
"In a world we live in where farmers feel like their future's threatened, the great news is the technology is there to help them”
Modern Vertical Farm
On a commercial level, hydroponics is the most-used technology in greenhouse vegetable production in the US. But for any individuals looking to make money from using hydroponics technology in their own greenhouse, try it first as a hobby rather than as an enterprise.
Community sharing
"Hydroponics is really great for urban environments where you don't have a lot of space. You can do it indoors."
"But also it's great for anyone because usually the yield is a lot higher, you get more plants in a shorter period of time so you don't have to wait a full season."
Control of your food
Although one tower and the kit that comes with it will set you back $499 (£330), one grow shelf $338.99 (£223), Mr Blank still believes it will pay for itself in "less than a few years".And he believes the market for home-growing technologies will, pardon the pun, only grow."People are concerned about food safety. They want to be in control of their own food. We've created technology that allows them to grow in their backyard.
He adds: "The primary challenges in agriculture are the carbon footprint and water usage. With vertical aeroponics, we are using up to 95% less water and up to 90% less land than traditional agriculture. "In a world we live in where farmers feel like their future's threatened, the great news is the technology is there to help them."
Hydroponics System from Chicfarm LED grower, http://www.chicfarm.net
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