A not-for-profit grocery cooperative in Muskoka is taking a unique approach to ease the burden of food insecurity by providing fresh produce year-round with a new hydroponic modular farm

Vertical farms can be narrow spaces with many hard-to-reach corners making it difficult for those with mobility needs to be an operator

What does a wheelchair-accessible farm look like? Ask Reena who collaborated with Growcer and the Rick Hansen Foundation to develop the first accessible modular farm in Canada

CSAs work best for small to medium-sized food producers who want to sell their product directly to customers

By the end of this blog, you’ll better understand the different types of systems and their advantages and disadvantages for you as an operator

There’s many types of hydroponic farming systems like nutrient film technique (NFT), deep water culture (DWC) and ebb and flow. All these systems deliver nutrient-rich water to the plants in different ways and fit under the umbrella of hydroponic farming

The problem is everyone describes their yields differently. Growing slots. Heads. Pounds per square meter. Units. This makes it difficult to compare equipment suppliers and discern what your reality will be once you start growing

Whether you are building a container farm yourself or sourcing a turn-key farm from a supplier, the best option for you will depend on your goals

Hydroponic farming saves limited arable land by growing 4x the number of plants that can be grown in the same space as conventional farming

The idea of using cargo containers for farming has already been explored by inventive companies like Ikea and researcher groups like the MIT Media Lab

Legacy Co-op will add a 10-foot-by-40-foot insulated, prefabricated modular growing system behind the Yorkton Food Store. “The container is currently in the building stages and will arrive for placement in the spring and the first crop will take six to eight weeks from grow until harvest,” Thurston said

Audrey and Dominic run a dairy and mixed grain farm in rural Quebec. In 2021, they took on a new adventure by adding a Growcer modular farm to grow healthy produce 365 days a year

Their Growcer farm is the first step in a long term plan to increase food sovereignty

P.S. Say hello if you see us in the crowd!

Have you ever wondered if you have what it takes to grow food year-round using hydroponics?

The Growcer, uses hydroponics (nutrient-rich water instead of soil and special plant lights instead of sun) and stacks plants to grow more lettuce, kale, spinach, and herbs in smaller spaces