Limitless Possibilities
01 03 05 07
/ INTRODUCTION
P ROJECT / URBAN GROW
GOING TO EXTREMES HYDROPONICS IN / THE FUTURE
/ CONTACT
02 04 06
WHY DO WE NEED TO FARM / VERTICALLY?
V-FARM IN / RESTAURANTS
WHAT CAN YOU GROW / IN A V-FARM?
01 / INTRODUCTION HydroGarden is the UK’s leading manufacturer and distributor of hydroponic equipment with a deserved reputation for product innovation. Established in 1996, the company distributes world-leading brands as well as manufacturing and delivering its own range of products which have been developed at its headquarters in Coventry, United Kingdom. HydroGarden is a wholesaler servicing retailers, commercial growers and research organisations worldwide. A growing company, it has representatives in the EU, the US and Australia and has exciting plans for further expansion.
INTRODUCING V-FARM – A REVOLUTIONARY VERTICAL FARMING SOLUTION FROM HYDROGARDEN V-Farm is a fully controllable, vertical farming concept which is completely bespoke to your needs. Whether you have a rooftop in Canada, a warehouse in Hong Kong or even a station in space, a V-Farm can be developed to work for you! The concept has been developed with a modular structure of mobile racks fitted with gully trays so that it can be completely tailored to fit the available space. The system uses the latest hydroponic technology along with Valoya LED lighting and bespoke ventilation equipment in order to be adaptable to most environments. The environment can be fully controlled using market-leading Autogrow Intelligrow systems via PC, tablet or smartphone and is a truly sustainable growing solution fit for the 21st Century. This versatile system is non crop-specific, allowing it to be adapted for growing a wide variety of fruit, salad greens and vegetables.
“THE V-FARM IS AN EXCELLENT SYSTEM FOR DEMONSTRATING THE CURRENT STATE-OF-THE-ART IN HYDROPONICS.WE HAVE SEARCHED FOR DEMONSTRATOR AND RESEARCH SYSTEMS AND THE V-FARM IS, IN OUR OPINION, THE BEST, MOST COSTEFFECTIVE SOLUTION AVAILABLE. IN ADDITION TO OUR RESEARCH USE, THE V-FARM WILL PROVIDE A GREAT FOCAL POINT FOR ENGAGEMENT EVENTS.” IAIN YOUNG PHD FSB – INSTITUTE OF INTEGRATIVE BIOLOGY AND INSTITUTE OF RISK AND UNCERTAINTY, UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL
02 / WHY DO WE NEED TO FARM VERTICALLY? HydroGarden believes that vertical farming is the future and that V-Farm can go some way in helping to alleviate the ever-increasing demand for food that faces us. It will allow countries that have poor growing conditions to produce their own food source and provide fresh fruit and vegetables locally all year round. It can be installed in very remote locations - for example, near or within the Arctic Circle, where otherwise everything would have to be trucked or flown in and where fresh produce is very hard to keep. Indoor farming could also help to utilise redundant buildings and warehousing in cities bringing high value production closer to consumers. As well as reducing food miles, the systems use 90% less water than conventional systems, use no pesticides and achieve much higher rates of growth, meaning the overall environmental footprint is very low. A completely controlled growing environment means that growing can take place in warm or cold climates, 24 hours a day. And beyond this planet, increasingly lengthy space missions mean that scientists are investing huge resources in trying to find a way for astronauts to grow their own food both in space and, incredibly, on faraway planets. The answer is hydroponics and more specifically, V-Farm.
“It has been estimated that the global population will expand by 3 billion people by 2050 and that 80% of the earth’s population will live in urban centres. With these statistics it would require an area about 20% more than the size of Brazil to grow enough food to feed them, if traditional farming practices continue as they are today.”*
*Source: Dickinson Despommier - The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century.
“THE V-FARM IS THE NEXT STEP IN URBAN FARMING. IT PROVIDES AN EXCEPTIONALLY COMPACT, HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE SYSTEM USING LEADING LED TECHNOLOGY. THIS SYSTEM CAN TRANSFORM SMALL, UNDERUSED URBAN SPACES INTO THE FARMS OF THE FUTURE. HYDROGARDEN’S V-FARM IS ALLOWING US TO DEVELOP OUR FARMS AT A RATE THAT WOULDN’T BE POSSIBLE WITH ANY OTHER SYSTEM OR TECHNOLOGY CURRENTLY AVAILABLE TO US.” DR. PAUL MYERS - MANAGING DIRECTOR, FARM URBAN
03 / PROJECT URBAN GROW HydroGarden has built a trial version of the patented V-Farm system in its manufacturing headquarters in Coventry - named Project Urban Grow. The Urban Grow unit has a footprint of 24m2 but utilises a growing area of 55m² by layering the hydroponic growing system. The trial project utilises the hydroponic method of NFT, where a thin layer of nutrient solution runs along the base of a gully direct to plant roots. This system can produce almost 2,000 lettuces in 28 days. Inside the unit are 3 adjustable NFT racks each with a growing area of just over 18m². This allows for room to comfortably harvest the crop but ensures that all growing space is utilised. The system has been rigorously trialled by growing multiple crops (salad leaf, herbs, mizuna, pak choi, strawberries and selected root crops) under varying growing conditions. Differing combinations of VitaLink nutrients and additives together with variations to the growing environment have demonstrated the degree of control that this system can achieve. High quality Valoya LED lighting has also been installed alongside other technical controls to ensure optimum energy efficiency and economy. All lettuces that have been grown in the Urban Grow trials have been donated to a grateful local charity - the elephants at Twycross Zoo!
TOTAL CONTROL The whole environment is controlled by a 24 volt Autogrow Multi system which features a modular construction to facilitate maintenance. As well as heating and cooling, CO2 is supplied from bottles and can be set to dose at different times. The daylight regime is one of the parameters being tested in trials and is fully customisable. The entire unit is covered by two CCTV cameras and the control panel can send alert messages to a mobile phone or other remote device when environmental parameters fall outside expected levels. Such remote management is another advantage for the system in situations such as remote oil fields where horticultural expertise may be lacking.
PROJECT URBAN GROW The Numbers
Everything stacks up.
20% HIG HER R
GRO WT H
ATE S OF
CROPS PER YEAR
90% LESS WATER THAN CONVENTIONAL SYSTEMS
PESTICIDES
5 GULLEYS PER LAYER
1,965
3 MOVEABLE RACKS
PLANTS PER MONTH*
4
LAYERS *DATA REFERS TO TRIALS UNDERTAKEN IN URBAN GROW SYSTEM PICTURED IN SECTION 1
Impressive statistics indeed but due to the scalability of V-Farm, (as Project Urban Grow has now become known), the number of layers and racks that can be built into a bespoke project are only restricted by the available space. More layers, more racks, equals more produce.
Limitless Possibilities
03 / PROJECT URBAN GROW CONTINUED VALOYA V-Farm utilises high quality, commercial grade Valoya LED lighting units that are built to exacting standards in order to offer a long and stable service life. Whilst LED lighting is significantly cooler running than HID or even fluorescent lighting, an optimal temperature must be maintained within the unit to ensure a consistent quality of light in both overall output and spectrum. The majority of LED luminaires available achieve this by means of cooling fans, which can be both noisy and prone to failures. The Valoya range of LED units manages to maintain a stable internal temperature without the use of fans by having more than adequate heat sink capabilities. This ensures not only a very stable light source, but also goes a long way to providing a long life span (>50,000 hours). This also means that the Valoya lighting systems have a very high ingress protection rating (IP), which make them perfectly suited for use in schools and research facilities that require this level of safety.
“WHEN I VISITED HYDROGARDEN TO SEE THE PROJECT IN ACTION I WAS VERY IMPRESSED. IT’S GREAT TO SEE HOW FAR HYDROPONICS HAS COME AND WE’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO KEEPING IN TOUCH ABOUT FUTURE PROJECTS. IT’S EVEN BETTER WHEN OUR ANIMALS GET TREATS AS A RESULT!” JULIAN CHAPMAN – TEAM LEADER OF LARGE MAMMALS, TWYCROSS ZOO
04 / V-FARM IN RESTAURANTS With an ever-increasing consumer demand for fresher foods and unique flavours, a growing number of restaurants have added hydroponic systems to their premises. In the basement, on the roof, even in the restaurant itself – anywhere there’s a space that can be utilised to grow microgreens, herbs, edible flowers, etc.
V-FARM IS AN IDEAL SOLUTION Its scalability is perfect for restaurant designers. It can be designed to fit almost any area and the potential benefits are considerable. The concept has a number of key selling points. Not only will it save on ingredient costs and delivery, it can become an exciting talking point, setting restaurants apart in a highly competitive market. Initially adopted in some of the best fine dining establishments, the fruits of hydroponic gardening are now filtering down to more casual restaurants. So, whilst customers are poring over the menu, some key ingredients are, literally, still growing a few feet away. You can’t get much fresher than that!
“OUR COMPANY WAS SET UP TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR RESTAURANTS AND CATERERS TO SOURCE SALAD LOCALLY. HYDROGARDEN’S VERTICAL FARMING SOLUTION MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO REDUCE FOOD MILES TO ZERO - AND WHAT’S MORE, CROPS CAN BE EASILY GROWN ALL YEAR ROUND.” DR IAN TENNANT - LOCAL ROOTS LIMITED
05 / G OING TO EXTREMES – HYDROPONICS IN THE FUTURE Deserts, the Arctic, outer space - Mars? The challenge of providing fresh fruit and vegetables to people who live and work in inhospitable climates is one that man is already embracing. Water shortages, transport costs - think of the logistics involved in keeping workers in polar exploration sites supplied with fresh produce all year round – and the extreme temperatures and conditions that make conventional agriculture impossible are all reasons why hydroponic growing is becoming more and more commonplace in these areas.
HydroGarden is already collaborating with developers in Norway, Serbia and Sweden, planning exciting, large-scale V-Farm installations in cold climate locations. Beyond our planet, the scientists at NASA know that hydroponics will play an important role in the future of space exploration and the challenge of how to best equip a manned spacecraft for deep space travel. Looking even further ahead, speculation has it that humans will be on Mars by the mid-2030’s. Such missions are likely to be one-way and as it would be impossible to send enough food to last the astronauts a lifetime, they will need to grow their own produce.
V-Farm will soon be playing an important part in the provision of locallygrown, high-quality, fresh produce in inhospitable climates. As for Mars? For now, that’s for the future.
“WHILST AT FIRST GLANCE GROWING INSIDE CLOSED ENVIRONMENTS, INDEPENDENT FROM THE NATURAL SUNLIGHT, MAY APPEAR COUNTER PRODUCTIVE, IN EXTREME TEMPERATURE CLIMATES IT IS THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL, NOT THE LIGHT COSTS THAT ARE CRITICAL. ADDED TO THIS, HUMIDITY CONTROL IN SUCH CLIMATES IS OFTEN EVEN MORE DIFFICULT THAN TEMPERATURE CONTROL, LEADING TO POOR YIELD PERFORMANCES COMPARED TO MORE MODERATE CLIMATES WHERE LIGHT LEVELS WOULD BE SEEN AS LESS FAVOURABLE...
...IN AN INSULATED, HIGHLY ENERGY-EFFICIENT GROWING SPACE THE V-FARM SYSTEM ENABLES OPTIMAL, PRECISE GROWING CONDITIONS TO BE MAINTAINED AT ALL TIMES, IRRELEVANT OF THE OUTSIDE WEATHER CONDITIONS. ONCE YOU ARE INSIDE THE UNIT, YOU COULD BE IN AN ARCTIC SCIENCE RESEARCH STATION OR A SAHARAN DESERT OIL FIELD OPERATION. YOU - AND MOST CRITICALLY THE PLANTS – WOULD HAVE NO IDEA. THEY ARE IN PLANT HEAVEN, AND WILL REWARD YOU ACCORDINGLY WITH THE BEST POSSIBLE PRODUCE FOR YIELD, QUALITY AND FLAVOUR.” DR PHILLIP LEE - EVOLVE GROWING SOLUTIONS
06 / WHAT CAN YOU GROW IN A V-FARM?
Lettuce (Cos, Little Gem, Butter Head)
Radish
Basil
Spinach
Pak Choi
Edible flowers
Microgreens
Strawberries
...and much more.
Mizuna
“THIS IS A GREAT HYDROPONIC SYSTEM FOR GROWING LEAFY VEGETABLES UNDER LED LIGHT. IT IS A SIMPLE SYSTEM, BUT IS EFFICIENT FOR PLANT GROWTH. THE ROOTS ARE CONSTANTLY FED BY THE FRESH NUTRIENT SOLUTION, RESULTING IN FAST ROOT GROWTH, HIGH YIELD AND HIGH QUALITY CROPS.” CHUNGUI LU - HEAD OF CENTRE FOR URBAN AGRICULTURE, UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM
“WE’RE CONVINCED THAT WE’RE ONLY BEGINNING TO SEE THE POTENTIAL FOR VERTICAL FARMING AND V-FARM IS A GREAT PLACE TO START. WE ARE CONTINUING WITH EXTENSIVE TRIALS ON DIFFERENT PROCESSES TO SEE WHERE WE CAN TAKE IT NEXT, THE CONTINUED RAPID ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY MEAN THAT THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS.” STEPHEN FRY
08 / CONTACT
Contact Stephen Fry, our Commercial Sales Manager, about your V-Farm project via email
STEPHEN.F@HYDROGARDEN.CO.UK or phone
+44(0) 2476 608 097 +44(0) 7980 932 424 V-FARM.CO.UK @V_FarmHG
@v_farm
facebook.com/V.FarmHG
V - F A R M . C O . U K
V-Farm is a patented system. Designed and manufactured by HydroGarden. 2 Progress Way, Binley, Coventry, CV3 2NT, UK Tel: 024 7660 8097 Email: stephen.f@hydrogarden.co.uk