Why vertical farms are moving beyond leafy greens

[grulla]

Melissa Repko
Mar 15 2022

KEARNY, New Jersey — Inside of a warehouse in this factory town neighboring Newark, thousands of strawberries grow in rows beneath bright lights.

This is one of Bowery Farming’s research and development centers, and these berries are destined for a second life in the big city.

Starting Tuesday, customers will be able to buy the fruit less than a dozen miles away at a few gourmet grocers in New York City. They will star in dishes at some of the city’s top restaurants crafted by celebrity chefs.

Continue reading with also 5 min video at: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/15/bowe...new-york-.html

[grulla]

Though vertical farming companies like Bowery are claiming that no chemical pesticides are used, one still has to wonder about the fertilizers.

It seems to me that if tubers and squash can be grown in mulch baskets, that could be a good candidate for indoor farming. And annual scarlet runner beans could be grown year round indoors as a perennial crop as they naturally do in their native Central America.

https://organiceye.org/crisis-in-org...nic-integrity/

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More on vertical farming today from EcoWatch: https://www.ecowatch.com/vertical-fa...-security.html

[Islander]

These may be the gardeners of the future but I have two observations to make about that.
• regenerative, sustainable practices in agriculture can increase the harvesting of high-nutrition organic food
• food waste has a huge impact on the availability of food to feed everyone. I'm thinking of household waste in which we purchase more than we can use and end up with spoilage, but also waste on the farm where fruits and vegetables that are not cosmetically appealing are discarded. I've read about supermarkets and even mail order subscriptions that offer these misshapen foods at a fraction of the retail price. I surely wish we could see more of these creative solutions to feeding the planet!