GARY – For the first Innovators of the Month for 2013, the Society of Innovators of Northwest Indiana selected Green Farms Agronomics & Mycology. This is the first vertical farm in Northwest Indiana and is based in Valparaiso, said Eric Diamond, director of operations and one of the partners.
Growing herbs on one shelf and microgreens on another shelf, and producing hundreds of pounds of vegetables for area consumers and restaurants, this farm utilizes vertical as well as horizontal space to maximize yields with environmentally
This year-round vertical farm can produce as much as 480 pounds of a wide variety of vegetables every four to six weeks in a 20-foot by 20-foot “grow” room. Launched in 2011 in a reclaimed barn, it consist of four 20-foot long units that are each 8 feet high equipped with a hydro/aquaponics growing system, with each unit having at least four shelves. The initial investment was about $250,000, with $35,000 invested in 80 high intensity florescent and spectrum specific LEDS. Future plans call for a state-of-the-art building to add passive geothermal climate control, an aquaponics system utilizing fish, and solar collection to the existing model. Currently, the farm grows over 20 natural crops, including over 6 different lettuces, 10 varieties of herbs, and five varieties of microgreens, he said.
