Boston Company Creates Vertical Farms In Containers That Can Be Moved Anywhere In The World

June 21, 2023

by J. A. Allen

In a parking lot at 20 Old Colony avenue in Boston there are two white containers that don’t seem to be special on the outside, but inside they have the necessary technology to create a vertical farm where you can plant all kinds of plants, and this is done by a start up call Freight Farms.

The containers are called Greenery S with a small size is capable of growing lettuces, leafy greens, herbs, certain root vegetables, microgreens, edible flowers and many other crops in any location, regardless of the weather outside.

To date, Freight Farms has experimented in-house with more than 500 different varieties of crops. “It is made up of two areas, the first where the seeds germinate and the second where they receive nutrients and grow,” he explained. Robbie DiMinico, Manager of Brand Engagement & Strategy, Freight Farms.

You can plant all kinds of plants, but you can’t plant vegetables or fruits that grow on trees. | Freight Farms Image

One of Greenery S’s major innovations is its flexible Grow Area, with aisles that can be physically moved to accommodate larger or smaller crops that cannot be grown on other container farms.

“Everything is done with hydroponic technology, the nutrients are placed in the water and this is how they receive them. The panels are led light and are blue, red and purple. The blue is used to germinate and the red and purple to help the plant grow,” said Hector Hernandez, a Venezuelan who works as an office manager at Freight Farms.

The lights help in the growth of plants. | Freight Farms Image

And it’s all managed from an app called Farmhand where you can remotely turn lights on and off and customize the nutrients each crop receives.

These containers are portable in that they can be taken to the desired location. “We have sent farms to places where it is difficult to grow crops like Alaska, Egypt and they have plans to send containers to Latin American countries,” added Hernandez.

A Freight Farms Greenery S currently costs $149,000 (prices may vary for international orders). You should also factor in the cost of shipping, which varies depending on how far your facility is from Boston. And the team trains the people who buy the container for a year so that they can maintain their crops.

The difference between a vertical and a traditional farm is the amount of space and resources they use. A Greenery S consumes only 5 gallons of water, it only measures 40’ x 8’ x 9.5 and can produce from 2 to 6 tons and all the products are organic and free of pesticides.