The same tunnels that protected Londoners from falling rockets during WWII are now home an underground farm. Along with rocket (i.e. arugula), the hydroponic farm—called Growing Underground—will also grow pea shoots, mustard, coriander, celery, radish, and parsley. It is now about to start selling its first produce.
Beneath LEDs, rows of plants now fill the 100-foot-deep farm, which was designed to hold up to 8,000 people when it was a bomb shelter.Because the growing room is completely sealed off, there's no need for pesticides and the plants can grow year-round, unhindered by the seasons and weather. According to Richard Ballard and Steven Dring, the duo behind the project, the hydroponics system uses "70 percent less water than traditional open-field farming." To keep the environmental footprint small, they'll also keep their food distribution to within about a 30-miles radius.
When the 2.5-acre farm starts supplying food next month, it'll be for restaurants only. But Growing Underground plans to eventually expand into the consumer market. It might expand physically, too, into nearby markets.
Source: BoingBoing
Rachel Z. Arndt is the author of the essay collection Beyond Measure. Her writing has appeared in Quartz, The Believer, Fast Company, and elsewhere. She lives in Chicago.
