Thinking outside the box horticulturally
Thinking outside the box or approaching problems in new innovative ways, conceptualizing problems differently, is always fascinating. Recently I read some articles about growing produce in the heart of foggy, crowded London town. We know that growing people has proven more profitable than crops, hence large housing developments and condos are taking over the land. We are striving to grow more food on less land.
Two enterprising gentlemen, Richard Ballard and Steven Dring, have teamed up with Michelin-starred chef, Michel Roux Jr., to produce the “Growing Underground” company in the heart of London, near the markets and restaurants. It doesn’t get any fresher than just picked greens rushed up to the restaurants.
How many people would visualize abandoned, empty, forgotten World War II underground air raid shelters under Clapham, England, as a place to grow hydroponic microgreens? They have taken a place of destruction and turned it into a place of creation. Where rows of beds lined the sides, there are now three/four stacked rows of shelves with growing LED lights, trays of seedlings and watering/feeding lines for crops to package and sell, all by using Microsoft technology; the first underground farm 100 feet below street level.
Raising 300,000 pounds ($1.1 million in U.S. money), after several years of planning and research, these founders have launched Phase I, saying last June, in a press release, “After 18 months of research, development, growing trials and tribulations, we are about to start supplying into the market.” Phase I crops are pea shoots, several varieties of radishes, mustard, cilantro, red Amaranth, celery, parsley and arugula (rocket).
Housed in London’s Northern Line of south London, the tunnels, of “Growing Underground” have a constant temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit, without being touched by the air from the London Tube, giving it a sealed, clean-room environment, custom ventilation system, to which they add advanced lighting, an irrigation system of reclaimed water, and using very little energy powered by wind turbines. There are no air-born pests, a simple filter, so, no need for pesticides. Using 70 percent less water than traditional open-field watering, their closed loop system gives them no risk of contributing to agriculture run-off as they work for their carbon neutral certificate.
It leaves no carbon footprint.
London’s mayor, Boris Johnson, has been a big supporter through his London Leaders business start-up program that helps lead the world in green business innovation.
With 2.5 miles of space to develop, “Growing Underground” will soon be expanding into Phase II.
How important it is for our health, to have nature around us, as well as healthy food. I wrote an article about the importance of “Forest Bathing,” Shinnin-yoku, for which Japan has a government Agency Post .When Tom Becker, our former Master Gardener agent, came back from a trip to New York City, he brought slides of the High Line and amazed us. It is an elevated freight rail line transformed into a 1.45 mile long linear public park in Manhattan’s West side. It runs from Gansevoort Street to West 30 Street and 11th Avenue. It can be accessed at 10 places, with wheelchair access. Owned by the City of New York, it is operated by the Friends of the High Line.
Founded in 1999 by community citizens that fought for its preservation and transformation, the non-profit conservancy raises 98 percent of the funds for maintenance, operations and public programming, supporting the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. It is now finishing the transformation of the High Line rail yards, the third and final section of the structure.
The High Line landscape was created with a planting designer, Netherlands-based Piet Oudolf. After looking at the existing plants growing naturally along the line, the plant selection favors native, drought tolerant and low maintenance plants. He found varied microclimates according to the conditions of light, shade, exposure, wind and soil depth. Tough, drought-resistant, site specific plants filled the landscape, cutting down on water and other resources needed for maintenance. This ecosystem provides food and shelter for wildlife species and pollinators.
Drip irrigation is provided, and hand watering also, but due to the drought tolerant plants, little is needed. Committing to avoiding pesticides or chemical fertilizers whenever possible, a sound IPM program is followed. Snow is a concern in New York, at 30 feet above the street, quick freezes and high winds do a number on the vegetation. There is a maintenance crew ready for that situation.
The High Lines opened to trains in 1934. The last train ran in 1980. Friends of the High Line formed in 1999 to save the structure and use it for public open space. Planning started in 2002, by 2004 the selection of the design and designing team started. In 2005-2006, the city accepted ownership, ground breaking was in 2006. Sections opened to the public as they were finished. The grand opening was in 2009. The New York City Planning Commission approved the zoning in 2012, and the third section, the northernmost section, the Rail Yards, opened to the public. Friends of the High Line celebrated 15 years of advocacy to preserve the entire structure Sept. 21, 2014.
Paris, France, has the original prototype, The Promenade Plantee Promenade. Their trains arrived in 1859 and ceased running in 1969. Abandoned until the early 1990s, the city and a society started to save the structures, transformed the weed infested track into the Promenade Plantee and Viaduct des Arts. The linear elevated park was inaugurated in 1993.
The 70 red brick viaduct arches were glassed in and became shops. The Jardin (Garden) de Reuilly at the end is the site of the old train station. Rose plants abound. The opening and closing hours vary by month.
I’d say that these are the visionaries that know how to make lemonade.
Find a park with trees and thank the trees for our quality of life.
-Joyce Comingore is a Master Gardener, hibiscus enthusiast and member of the Garden Club of Cape Coral.