Indoor Farming / en Indoor farming takes root at U of T Mississauga /news/indoor-farming-takes-root-u-t-mississauga <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Indoor farming takes root at U of T Mississauga </span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/farmwall2_0.jpg?h=58088d8b&amp;itok=XiRtLLyk 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/farmwall2_0.jpg?h=58088d8b&amp;itok=DDzFqJx1 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/farmwall2_0.jpg?h=58088d8b&amp;itok=h32ycHxu 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/farmwall2_0.jpg?h=58088d8b&amp;itok=XiRtLLyk" alt> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>ullahnor</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2017-03-09T17:07:22-05:00" title="Thursday, March 9, 2017 - 17:07" class="datetime">Thu, 03/09/2017 - 17:07</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Student startup, Just Vertical, is growing an indoor farm wall hydroponically at U of T Mississauga – with nutrient solution, instead of soil (photo by Sarah Jane Silva)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/sarah-jane-silva" hreflang="en">Sarah Jane Silva</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Sarah Jane Silva</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/indoor-farming" hreflang="en">Indoor Farming</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/utm" hreflang="en">UTM</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/students" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/education" hreflang="en">Education</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/agriculture" hreflang="en">Agriculture</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>At Ƶ Mississauga, a plastic tower sprouts produce including curly starbor kale, buttercrunch and collard greens.</p> <p>Rising almost six feet off the ground and illuminated by high output fluorescent bulbs, the indoor farm wall grows plants hydroponically&nbsp;–&nbsp;with nutrient solution, instead of soil. The water nourishes the roots, collects in a gutter and then recirculates back to a nutrient tank that feeds back into the hydroponic system.</p> <p>The farm&nbsp;wall was the idea of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/mscsm/">Master of Science in Sustainability Management (MScSM)</a> students&nbsp;<strong>Conner Tidd</strong> and <strong>Kevin Jakiela</strong>&nbsp;who partnered with Modular Farms Co., which&nbsp;specializes in vertical farming systems, to create distribution channels and services.</p> <p>“You can grow pretty much anything,” Jakiela says. “Here, we’ve already grown three different types of lettuce, Genovese basil, joi choi, peppermint and parsley.”</p> <p>From seed to harvest, it takes about four weeks to grow leafy greens and herbs.</p> <p>“If you stagger it correctly, you can harvest it almost every day,” Tidd adds.</p> <p>The wall costs just under $25 a month in electricity.</p> <p>The seedlings, nestled in plugs made of peat moss, begin in a tray and are placed under a humidity dome where they germinate and are fed different levels of nutrients and pH. After a couple of weeks, they're ready to be transplanted into the tower.</p> <p>Wicking strips help water find the path of least resistance by controlling the water flow and taking the water directly to the seedling roots.</p> <p>“It’s a white cloth that you open up,&nbsp;put the plug in, then you close it like a sandwich, and put it into the tower,” Jakiela says.</p> <p>Although the produce the farm wall yields is not organic-certified yet, the students'&nbsp;startup company, Just Vertical, uses organic-based practices, foregoing herbicides and pesticides.</p> <p>“When you’re outside, you’re exposed to pests and fungi,” Tidd says. “Unless you’re using herbicides and pesticides, it’s going to be a problem especially when you’re growing strawberries and tomatoes.”</p> <p>“With Just Vertical, Kevin and Conner have a great product in place, and manufacturing is lined up so now the initial focus will be on market validation,” says&nbsp;<strong>Sam Dumcum</strong>, the programs, strategic relationships and innovation lead at&nbsp;<a href="http://icubeutm.ca/">ICUBE</a>, U of T Mississauga's incubator that provides startup support to new ventures at any stage.</p> <p>Dumcum says that by focusing on market research during the next phase of their startup, Just Vertical will be able to have a solid base with which to advertise and sell their product&nbsp;but also to appeal to investors.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 09 Mar 2017 22:07:22 +0000 ullahnor 105684 at