Shipping Container Farming - Thoughts? [General]

2014 Sep 30
Hi Foodies!

Last week I was listening to CBC radio, and they had an interview with the founders of SmartGreens (smartgreens.co/) in Cornwall. They are growing kale, basil and micro-greens in a converted shipping container using LED lighting and hydroponics. They are using a system from FreightFarms (www.freightfarms.com/) called the Leafy Green Machine. Freight Farms is based in Boston, and it looks like SmartGreens is the first/only one in Canada.

I'm very intrigued by this idea, and wondering how it would fly in Ottawa. I'm thinking year-round, 'hyperlocal' greens in Hintonburg or similar area would be a fantastic addition to the scene--serving the local restaurants and smaller grocery stores (Hintonburg Market, West End Well, Herb & Spice, etc. with always fresh produce.

Thoughts on this? I know there would be some regulatory hurdles, zoning issues, and who knows what else that would stand in the way. but I'm curious as to how feasible the foodie community thinks something like this could be? Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

2014 Sep 30
It's metal box, sometimes insulated. It's pretty strong. My mechanic got one to use as a storage space. You have to price them and see. No windows or ventilation system either. Just a metal box.

Ok the one in the link they have probably added stuff to to make it a growing space, but what's the cost, and how does that compare to a greenhouse or shed ?

2014 Oct 1
Thanks Francis,

Yes, it's a well-insulated metal box. Freight Farms lines it with stainless steel, and installs all of the growing racks, LED lighting, hydroponic equipment, controls, sensors, etc. that are required for it to be a self-contained growing unit. They run approx $70,000 from what I can tell (possibly more to get one into Canada). The idea compared to a greenhouse or shed is that it will produce regardless of temperature, and be portable if the need to move it arises.

Obviously one could buy a shipping container ($5,000-$10,000) and outfit it all with equivalent equipment, but there would be a major learning curve there in terms of compatibility, etc. so in the case of Freight Farms, you're definitely paying for their expertise there.

2014 Oct 1
I haven't looked at the link yet, so the following are my thoughts based on my previous planning and knowledge of shipping containers.

I've been up on the cost of these containers for years. If you want to get a used one, you'll likely have to get it shipped from Montreal or Toronto. That's the closest I've ever found a lot that sells them. You're looking at around $3000. You want concrete footings if semi-permanent. You can get away with just putting those on the ends, with a pad in between. These things are designed to be supported along the entire length, just from the ends. Then, you need to get an electrical hookup installed and wired. Water, too. Likely some radiant floor heat. You want this to be an insulated container, or you can insulate it yourself on the inside (loosing some space) or spray the outside (loosing some appeal).

For growing, you probably don't need a HIcube, just a regular cube, which is going to be 8'. That gives plenty of space for adding lights and vents and whatever else you need. They're also 8' wide. That should be enough for a central path and a raised bed on either side. Maybe several, depending on how you think you can stack them. That would mean extra lighting, obviously.

I'd say that you could probably get a 20' container going for under $10000 if you had the land and the zoning.

2014 Oct 1
It might be cheaper to go with a dome over a pit (the earth will moderate the temperature). I guess the key to this growing system is the LED lighting. Choose crops that are pricey per pound. A friend was telling me you can grow dragon fruit in Ottawa, if you grow them in pots and bring them in and out.

I'm leaning myself towards sprouting as an easy way to have very fresh produce in the winter, cheap.

www.blackrockdomes.com

2014 Oct 1
Thanks for the thoughts all! I don't want to get hung up too much on the physical structure of things (dome vs. container, vs. ???) just yet. None of that matters much if there's no market for the produce or a profit to be made. Obviously Francis' comment about crops that are pricey per pound makes sense--as well as things that don't normally grow in our climate, or things that we can grow seasonally, but would have a large demand for in the winter.

I think perhaps berries, gourmet mushrooms (not just button, think Oyster or Lobster, etc,), or fresh herbs (basil, etc.). Thoughts?

2014 Oct 1
do your homework on the LED lighting...some plants won't grow so well under just LED lighting. The greenhouse is the best option, because you will get other forms of beneficial lighting.

2014 Oct 1
Culinary and medicinal herbs ?

Or flowers . . . Valentine's Day will come round, and what's the price of roses ?

One crop would beat them all, but you need a special license to grow it.

www.profitableplants.com

p.s. A sphere encloses the most volume with the least surface area actually.


2014 Oct 5
What 15 people did with shipping containers:

www.trueactivist.com

2014 Oct 18
The more I think about it, the more I think smartgreens is a revolutionary idea. Get way from industrial agriculture. A family or a neighborhood should be able to feed itself. But is it possible ?

2014 Oct 18
Smart greens bought their growing unit from Freight Farms Inc in Boston. They have a fascinating blog: freightfarms.com/ffblog/

They are saying this system produces as much food as an acre of conventional farming. I wonder if a family can get most of it's food from one of these units ?

2014 Oct 19
When I read it, it seemed that they were only growing particular plants. Perhaps those were the ones that produce the most money per unit of area. I was immediately struck with the thought that maybe not all plants would grow in this type of environment.

Now, I can't see why, but I'd want to do a bit more research into it before investing $60,000 and the space and time.

Do not get me wrong! I think this is an amazing idea and would jump on it in a heartbeat if I was just a bit more brave.

2014 Oct 20
Cheaper system on a smaller scale (aquaponics):



www.kijanigrows.com/buy_now/

2014 Oct 20
I know a couple that grow basis for their local market year round using good old fashioned hydroponics. They make a living at it and before investing in a trendy new shipping container I would take a serious look at alternatives. Especially cheap commercial buildings in the small towns surrounding Ottawa.

Call me skeptical but I doubt that you can get more produce from a shipping container than an acre of land.

2014 Oct 20
The key to this thing might be the LED lighting.

I note it's red / pink / violet light. Plants don't need green light.

Then it occurred to me that the conversion efficiency from solar panels to grow light might exceed 1. Because photovoltaics convert all colors of light to electricity, but the LEDs only produce the colors the plants use.

2014 Oct 20
It looks interesting but not really suited to our location.

In the huge mega cities of the USA where you have to drive 3+ hours just to get out of the 'burbs it has an appeal.

Here land is cheap and easy to get even near the big-smoke, maybe have to drive an hour...

A well thought out green house with heat and some supplemental lighting will cost way less and be able to produce just as much. Maybe not as small a 'foot-print' but we really don't have to worry about that in Canada, even Ontario.


2014 Oct 21
It's also hydroponics and an automated system so not much work required. It would take a lot more work to farm 1 acre than to run one of these. Do they really yield as much as 1 acre of land ? Also we have the winter in this area and they system runs all the time.

freightfarms.com

2014 Oct 22
I think the key is that it will produce year round, so even if your 'summer' harvest works out to be less than you would get from 1 acre of land, your overall annual harvest will likely be considerably more. I'm also pretty impressed by the technology, and am curious how one would go about determining if the City of Ottawa would even consider it, and if so, under what circumstances?

2014 Nov 15
Toshiba is converting some if its clean factories into indoor agriculture centers.

qz.com

2015 Jan 12
Desktop model :-)

www.amazon.com

2015 Jan 12
When my brother lived in Japan in the late 80s / early 90s he said a lot of supermarkets had these kind of hydropondic lettuce / herb setups right on site and were selling produce that they grew on premises.

2015 Jan 13
Ya I hear both Colorado and WA state now have them ;)

2015 Jan 13
It makes sense, especially in a climate like ours . . .

Besides fresh produce has more flavor and nutrients.

2015 Feb 7
I saw on FB there is an aquaponic farm being setup in Edelweiss.

www.facebook.com

2015 May 24
Farming in the sky: www.theatlantic.com

2015 May 25
We have an abundance of vertical farms in the Ottawa area and much of the yields go to waste. They are sustainable, low cost, low maintenance, biodynamic, ... trees!

ottawa.hiddenharvest.ca/

2016 Apr 20
Just bumping this up because a couple of Ottawa U students are using shipping containers, retro fit with aquaponics technology, so residents of Nunavut can grow some of their own food to keep costs down: www.metronews.ca