Pittsburg High School is on a mission to get its students to be more health-conscious about their meal choices.

The idea is so important that they decided to have a hydroponic container farm on school grounds.

Hydroponically grown plants are lining the shelves at Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry, thanks to a new partnership between the food pantry and a Castine-based nonprofit hydroponic farm called the Good Table Foundation.

Hydroponic plants are grown without soil. At the Good Table Foundation, they are grown in a 40-foot shipping container on a rotational basis, so the produce can be harvested and delivered to Loaves and Fishes each week throughout the year.

The farm has been running for over a month and is already churning ingredients for meals and salads, producing nearly 200 pounds of greens weekly. John uses 90% less water than a traditional farm, growing 2.5 acres of greens in 325 square feet of space.

“We have our Tropicana leaf lettuce, our summer crisp lettuce, and our red leaf lettuce, which is down here,” Johns said, ripping off different plants. There is also basil and arugula, among other plants.

The farm has been running for over a month and is already churning ingredients for meals and salads, producing nearly 200 pounds of greens weekly. John uses 90% less water than a traditional farm, growing 2.5 acres of greens in 325 square feet of space.

“We have our Tropicana leaf lettuce, our summer crisp lettuce, and our red leaf lettuce, which is down here,” Johns said, ripping off different plants. There is also basil and arugula, among other plants.

NYPA is funding the $300,000 facility branded “Feeding the Roots. Blossoming a community” and “The power of love can grow communities,” and will be launching a slate of community engagement programs on site

The new agriculture program is being called "The Farm," which is absent of soil and uses water-based nutrient solution at the base of the plants. The crops and herbs are potted and grown inside of repurposed freight containers

Freight Farm intelligent farms are fully enclosed shipping containers filled with watering, lighting, fertilizing, and sensors with a Wi-Fi or cellular connection to help new farmers grow crops

Himalaya has partnered with Vertical Crop Consultants, Inc., provider of the Cropbox, to offer indoor agriculture solutions, including container-based farms. The Cropbox was brought to life by Tripp Williamson while managing Williamson Greenhouses, a company his father started over 35 years ago

Students in a Haverhill YMCA after-school program are growing their own vegetables and herbs. Only they aren't doing it on a plot of land, but instead hydroponically inside a specially designed shipping container called a Freight Farm

Start container farming for yourself. There’s never been a better time to start a hydroponic farm.

Research from the past ten or so years has shown that the more ultraprocessed foods a person eats, the higher the chances that they feel depressed and anxious. A few studies have suggested a link between eating UPFs and increased risk of cognitive decline