Hydroponics Vertical Farming: Grow Healthy Eat Healthy

Hydroponics Vertical Farming: Grow Healthy Eat Healthy

Climate change, pollution, soil degradation, and over use of chemical pesticides are just a few reasons why sustainable farming is on the rise. Hydroponic gardening is growing in popularity all over the world because of the system’s mass production of healthier and more nutritious produce.

Hydroponics is a method of growing plants using nutrient infused water instead of soil. The Upward Harvest farm in Edmond, Oklahoma is among the innovative farmers using a vertical grow technology system. Founder Travis Flatt started as a sod farmer – growing turf with no soil. “Through the process of innovation, we discovered the need and the desire for organic produce grown more sustainably,” Flatt said. “So through the process of creating new growing systems, we got into food and realized the potentials for vertical farming.”

The Upward Harvest farm went through an intense pilot program to showcase the technology that they had developed. Part of the process was growing the plants and selling the plants sustainably on a smaller scale. The Upward Harvest farm is a producer for many of the local restaurants with healthy foods menus.

The technology’s advantages are realized through water conservation, energy conservation, nutrient conservation, and maximum food production per square foot. China has opened the largest hydroponic technology plant factory. It spans over 11,000 square meters providing their customers with environmentally safe produce options.

The vertical farming system uses overhead pumps for irrigation. Water flows through the towers filled with grow stones that provide nitrogen and nutrients to the plants. The water is used efficiently through bio filters and a recycling system that allows the water to fall cleaner. Seeds and starter plants are used before the plants are placed in the greenhouse tower pods. This system also allows farmers to grow year round.