The Vertical Farm’s technology includes sensors and monitors to functionally control many aspects of the growing cycle, including:
- Temperature
- Lighting
- Relative Humidity
- Carbon Dioxide Concentration
- Nutrient Solution Concentration and pH
Within the shipping container, plants are seeded and grown to a transplant size over 3 to 4 weeks in small, compostable root cubes. A work bench with shelves holds seedling trays that are irrigated with the hydroponic system. Water delivery and lighting are controlled with timers. Crop transplants are then grown to a harvestable size in vertical towers over the course of another 3 to 4 weeks. The container holds 256 individual, 7-foot-long towers which hang vertically from hooks. Inside each tower is a removable, coarse spongy material that plant roots are suspended in. When plants are mature, each vertical tower is taken off its hook and brought to the work bench for plants to be clipped at their base, weighed, and bagged for delivery. Following replacement with a new young plant transplant, the transplant-filled tower is placed back in its growing location, ready to be harvested again in another 3 to 4 weeks.
“I still remember first proposing the idea back in 2019,” said Dr. David Kopsell, Professor of Horticulture within the Department of Agriculture at Illinois State. “From the very beginning, the Vertical Farm Project has been about our students, and I cannot express how excited I am to bring this opportunity to our campus and their learning experiences.”
Led by Kopsell, students will begin growing cilantro, basil, and parsley this summer. For more information, visit https://facilities.illinoisstate.edu/projects/vertical-farm/.