What is Container Farming?
Container farming is a method of indoor, small-space farming that was pioneered by Freight Farms in 2011 with the Leafy Green Machine™.
In the decade since then, container farming has evolved into an important subset of the indoor agriculture industry. Used or purpose-built 40-foot containers are used as shells to house hydroponic farms which can be set up vertically or horizontally. The containers are climate controlled and use indoor growing lights to replicate the sun.
The Advantages of Container Farming
Container farms have many unique advantages over other types of indoor farming (like greenhouses and warehouses). The primary advantage is the small-space design, which allows people to grow food without needing access to large amounts of land. This makes it an ideal format for urban spaces where square footage is at a premium.
Additionally, container farms are designed to travel anywhere in the world; they are built using the same specifications as standard shipping containers, meaning easy transportation. Finally, container farms come as pre-assembled modules, meaning operators have low infrastructure and start-up costs compared to other indoor farming methods while also having the freedom to scale by simply adding more container farm units.
The Greenery™ S
The Greenery S is the latest container farm from Freight Farms. Unlike traditional farms, the plants in the Greenery S grow vertically indoors without soil: The plants get all their nutrition from water and their light energy from powerful LEDs. The Greenery S grows year-round in any location, climate, or season, allowing us to make our mission of enabling food production anywhere in the world a reality.
Learn about the Greenery S with our six-part web series!
Dive deep into the technology that powers the Greenery S and makes it the ultimate growing platform! Over the course of our online event series, we will showcase the fundamentals of the Greenery S design principles and the features that make it possible to control the air, light, water, and space in the farm.
Container Farming in the Greenery S
The Greenery S is designed specifically for people who are looking to farm locally in their communities, with the potential to start small and grow quickly.
Go-Anywhere Farm
While the container is purpose-built specifically for Freight Farms, it is designed with the same dimensions and materials as standard shipping containers, making the Greenery S just as easy to transport anywhere in the world. Using classic freight routes, we have delivered over 350 pre-assembled farms to 48 U.S. states and 32 countries across five different continents.
Custom-Built Protective Shell
The container is developed specifically for the purpose of growing food in all environments, providing plants with the proper insulation to protect them from inhospitable outdoor climates. To date, we have seen the Greenery S operate in temperatures ranging from -40ºF - 120ºF while maintaining an average indoor temperature of 70ºF.
Modular & Turnkey Design
The Greenery S is the perfect modular container farm solution. It is simple and relatively inexpensive to start farming with one container farm and easy to scale effectively with additional units, which can be placed or stacked together with little investment in infrastructure. The farm is designed for farmers of all levels and is delivered pre-assembled, making it possible for anyone to begin farming quickly.
Complete Control with Container Farming
Within its protective shell, the Greenery S uses several specialized systems to optimize air, light, and water conditions and grow the highest-quality plants year-round at a commercial scale.
Water: Hydroponics
The Greenery S is a soil-less hydroponic farm that uses water to deliver plants all the nutrients they need. The entire system is closed-loop, making the farm extremely water-efficient: The farm uses less than 5 gallons of water a day to support over 13,000 plants.
Light: Indoor LED Grow Lights
The Greenery S recreates the sun indoors, no matter the time of day. High-efficiency LED boards combine the most compatible red and blue light wavelengths with strategic light schedules to stimulate plants to grow at a faster rate.
Air: Controlled Environment Agriculture
The Greenery S creates and maintains an ideal growing environment 365 days a year with a precise airflow management system that regulates temperate, humidity, CO2, and air circulation.
Benefits of Starting a Container Farming Business
Container farming is one of the best farming methods for people who have limited land access, capital, or farming experience.
Grow Food Year-Round
This indoor farming method keeps plants safe from pests and the elements, so you can grow, harvest, and sell the freshest local food, regardless of the season.
Full Transparency & Food Safety
Container farming allows food to be grown closer to its final destination, which simplifies the food supply chain, creating better transparency and reducing the risk of food-borne illness.
No Land Necessary
With container farming systems like the Greenery S, you can grow fresh food anywhere in the world, even in places with limited space or poor soil conditions.
Create Positive Change
No matter which causes you champion–sustainability, local business development, or good nutrition–container hydroponic farming systems give you a platform to build a business with a strong message.
Sell A High-Quality Product
Plants growing in indoor vertical hydroponic container farms always have perfect conditions, allowing them to develop beautiful structures and strong flavors.
Reduce Labor
Container farming requires no tilling, weeding, heavy-lifting, or extensive stooping and kneeling. All you need to maintain healthy yields is regular cleaning and maintenance.
Have questions about how our system works?
Featured
If you’re interested in bringing a Greenery™ to your community, you must familiarize yourself with local zoning regulations. In this article, we cover the zoning basics and our 7 tips for successfully navigating zoning laws to implement your container farm.