St. Helena Island Company Grows Vertically To Meet Demand

A wall of lettuce was rolled aside to make way for rows of colorful edible flowers as Selma Davis looked through her hydroponic farm like a librarian confidently sifting through shelves of books.

She picked a piece of bright green arugula. "Give that a try. It is the most unbelievable arugula," Davis said. "It's spicy because it's older."

The bushels of arugula are among dozens of greens grown vertically within a large shipping container dropped by a crane on St. Helena Island farmland. On the inside, the 320-square-foot structure is high tech, using water to produce large yields of pesticide-free greens and vegetables through hydroponics.

The container would be easy to miss while driving along the rural roads of St. Helena Island. Farmland plowed, planted and harvested for generations surrounds the 10 acre property. There are no permanent buildings on Davis' land, only a shed, an RV and the white container with the farm's logo painted on the side: New Leaf Produce.

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