Ted's Guide to Vertical Farming (How to)

Part 2: How to grow your own fruit and veg using vertical farming on a community scale. This follows on from the introduction: Ted's Guide to Vertical Farming.

Vertical Farming: How To

Ted's DIY tips

Use a sandbed as a filter. Use a soil bed as a filter and nutrient source.

For root support you could use an inert material (but if you are using some cast out waste then make sure it is safe to use - free of pollutants and toxins), or soil (but then it would not be a ponic solution, just a vertical solution).

Divert rain water (e.g. from the house gutter) into a water barrel.

For cheap irrigation solutions, see the watering can.

Build your own structure (e.g. traditional shelving, orchard solution, or for a "circular economy" a rotating carousel or water wheel design).

For lighting use low energy lights: LEDs. Did you know colour can affect plant attributes?

Remember plants need daily dark time too.

Consider ventilation requirements, and avoid sources of (air) pollution.

A (tower) building may have balconies that are used for growing plants, or an extension along the full height of the building may be dedicated entirely to plants. Alternatively, new tower buildings may be completely dedicated to plants.

You can purchase DIY vertical farming kits for use at home. Options include vertical cylinders with cups to hold plants, shelves, racks, vertical plant holding columns, pumps, filters, sprays, troughs, pipes, etc. Some horizontal laying shelves are stacked vertically on a triangular framework to allow light to reach plants on every level. These might be used indoors, in the garden, on a patio or balcony, in a greenhouse, or in a shed or garage. Those locations that do not provide sunlight will need artificial lighting.

Before you start

So you have an idea to start a vertical farm do you? See Ted's Guide to Ideas, and if you are considering doing this on a large scale and/or commercially follow that guide onwards to Start-ups.

If you are growing fruit and vegetables for yourself then the cheap, dirty and wet options (in Part 1) are simplest and cheapest; but if you are prepared to risk some of your money then you could purchase a low cost starter kit.

If you are considering a community wide venture then careful consideration is required, e.g.

» what are the legal, and health and safety, implications

» will planning permission and/or local council approval be required

» is there demand and support for the venture

» is it feasible

» will volunteers help, and

» what are the risks and costs?

If you are considering doing this commercially then in addition to reading the guides for Ideas and Start-ups, reflect on your experience in business, gardening, and vertical farming. Consider the challenges, e.g. vertical farming might not produce cheaper food, some ventures fail, and a significant capital investment is required to get started. A higher food price might be achievable if your target market values your approach and quality. You should also be aware that in the near future advanced food innovations will replace the traditional manually supported approaches to vertical farming and food production in general.

For community and commercial ventures, plan for a process that is simple and efficient to implement. In particular, a competitive commercial venture must reduce the amount of labour required. But before you start, you really should read about Advanced food innovations. You might then realise that vertical farming (or farming of any kind) is not the most appropriate future solution.

Consider what type of plants you wish to grow before you start, and what the implications are. For example, will you be growing the same type of plants everywhere, or different types? Your shelving and frameworks will need to support your requirements. For example, the spacing between shelves needs to be sufficient to support the volume of each plant at maturity; and provide access for inspection and harvesting. Consider whether you want fixed racks or mobile racks. Mobile racks give you the option of fitting more plants within a given space, as you do not need a permanent aisle between all (pairs) of racks - instead they can be moved when access is required.

Advanced food innovations

At a commercial level, the future of food production will see the evolution of more competitive methods. In traditional farms and vertical farms, robots, sensors, and AI will have a significant role: automating the entire process from seed planting, watering, nutrition, inspection, environmental optimisation, (weeding and pest control in fields), harvesting, packaging, delivery, and waste recycling.

However, even those innovations are at threat from another emerging technology: laboratory grown food, or cultured food. In a similar way to which we produce beer, factories control the conditions required to grow food from plant and animal cells - producing cultured meat (without the animal) and plant based food (without the plant). These processes have the potential to be very efficient, requiring less water, nutrients and energy. In a world threatened by climate change, these efficiencies mean such processes are likely to dominate food production. This is not science fiction, such factories exist today!