The future is here: Compton's new indoor vertical farm

[Pluvious]

The is the future of our cities



This is straight out of the minds of SciFi writers (like Frederik Pohl, “The Space Merchants” albeit not a giant endlessly growing chicken breast… Yet!)

COMPTON, Calif. (KABC) -- A new indoor farm in the city of Compton was officially unveiled Thursday and is set to provide more access to fresh food while bringing more jobs to the city.

Plenty, which specializes in indoor vertical farms, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the Plenty Compton Farm, which is being described as "the world's most technologically advanced indoor vertical farm."

The company said it's designed to grow up to 4.5 million pounds of leafy greens annually in a single city block.

"Plenty is an indoor growing company so we grow plants inside without the sun in controlled environments," said Plenty CEO Arama Kukutai. "We are producing leafy greens and we also produce tomatoes, in the future, we'll be producing strawberries and other fruit and produce."

https://abc7.com/compton-indoor-farm-plenty-fresh-produce-food/13270380/

[Demsrule86]

1. We have had this in Ohio for several years. I always buy the lettuce much fresher and safer than

lettuce shipped in.

[niyad]

2. Fascinating. Thank you so much for sharing.

[Maraya1969]

3. I remember seeing something similar or the prototype at Epcot at Disney. It was fascinating!

[efhmc]

4. Was wondering about pesticides but there are none. Wonder about the "soil" they are grown in.

[RussBLib]

6. usually something like coir

and that is plentiful. There are many other soil-less growing mediums out there.

[GregariousGroundhog]

7. I would imagine that is probably a proprietary mixture of things

Growing mediums in hydroponics systems usually contain clay pellets, perlite, vermiculate, shredded coconut husks, or a mixture of those things. A solution of water, nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, and other trace minerals are run through the grow medium.

[Volaris]

20. That looks like aeroponic columns to me..

Which means no dirt. Plant tea pumped to the top of the building, and gravity pulls it down the root system.

[efhmc]

21. How does it affect the actual amount/type of nutrients in the plant product? Are they still

the same as if they were grown in regular soil?

[Volaris]

25. Well, it's basically vitamin water, but it's made in-house

So you put in, whatever your specific plants need. Most homemade/small scale plant tea is made from adding homemade compost to water, and adding a bit of phosphate powder. But it's tailored to the plant type

[RussBLib]

5. This is great, but...

...we only need about 15,000 more of these around the country. A lot of red mayors and red-state governors will have nothing to do with this. It looks too "woke."

[d_r]

18. a lot of electricity to run 15,000 of those

[bucolic_frolic]

8. MAGA will spray herbicides on those green ideas

Not enough fossil fuel involved in production.

[MineralMan]

9. Nice, but I have to wonder what the cost was for the system that

was installed and what the costs of planting, feeding, and harvesting are. Finally, what is the price of that produce once it reaches a market? How does that price compare with produce raised in more traditional ways. Tell me that and I'll tell you what I think about this technology.

I note that no cost or price information is ever available for such projects.

[Unwind Your Mind]

11. I think a key is where is the energy coming from to run the lights

If it’s solar then this could run very efficiently as far as space, water and energy.

The start up infrastructure cost has to be pretty high though

[Bev54]

10. I wonder how much energy to run one like this.

[SouthernDem4ever]

12. Awesome!

and no pesticides.

[Marcuse]

13. Producing cannabis amongst the leafy greens could subsidize future development.

"We are producing leafy greens and we also produce tomatoes, in the future, we'll be producing strawberries and other fruit and produce."

[swong19104]

15. The problem with growing cannabis

is that it's too easy to grow them. Sure, there's some thought and effort required to grow certain strains, but marijuana is fairly easy to grow. That means anyone can grow them, which makes them hard to sell because the supply is rather ample.

[d_r]

19. I think you and I live in very different states

[TeamProg]

14. Wow! Thanks for posting. nt

[Kaleva]

16. US grocery stores toss out tons every day.

[NickB79]

17. Yawn. Wake me when they produce REAL crops in volume

Corn, wheat, rice, potatoes, oats, etc. Ya know, the calorie powerhouse crops that keep people alive, not salad greens that play a negligible role in addressing world hunger.

If the future of vertical farming is limited to lettuce, arugula, and tomatoes, it will never play a serious role in feeding the planet.

[Stinky The Clown]

23. I'm really sorry for you that you're missing the entire point of such a project.

[Stinky The Clown]

22. In 2008, before The Great Recession, I was part of a team planning a very similar . . . .

. . . . project in one of the six open atriums at the USDA HQ in DC (center of the image). Planning was to about 60% when the plug got pulled. It was never resurrected by GSA or the USDA. It was to be a small demonstration project, mostly supplying fresh produce the cafeteria below.

[Pluvious]

24. Thanks for sharing, Stinky - I recall in Japan, I think...

… the indoor farms are catching on

It goes without saying that the Dutch are one of the World’s leaders at this

IIRC they’ve pioneered much of breakthroughs in LED lighting spectrum
selection for optimization of growth rates

[DBoon]

26. so Compton may become a major supplier of fresh greens to local markets and restaurants!

This isn't about feeding the world - it is about creating a high value niche product that a suffering community can use to employ its citizens, enrich the local economy and raise its profile.