This London Underground Farm Grows Salad in a WWII Bomb Shelter

Posted on Oct 2 2015 - 7:57am by UOG

This post is originally from http://www.fastcoexist.com

3051209-slide-s-2-this-london-underground-farm-growsDeep below the streets of London, something is growing in tunnels that once kept people safe from World War II bombs. One hint: It’s leafy.

3051209-slide-s-6-this-london-underground-farm-growsAn old bomb shelter is also pest-free, as well as weather free, and there’s never a frost. That means no pesticides. And because the farm is hydroponic, all the nutrients remain in the tanks, instead of running off into the soil and then into rivers.

3051209-slide-s-9-this-london-underground-farm-growsGrowing Underground is a company that makes “kilometer zero” eating possible in London, by growing salad in LED-lit, underground factories right beneath the customers’ feet.

3051209-slide-s-3-this-london-underground-farm-growsThe Growing Underground farm sits 100 feet under Clapham in South London.

3051209-slide-s-1-this-london-underground-farm-growsIt uses hydroponics and low-energy lighting to grow salad, including mizuna, watercress, Thai basil, radish, pea shoots, mustard leaf, and red vein sorrel.

3051209-slide-s-4-this-london-underground-farm-grows

They grow year-round on racked beds that look like warehouse shelving. Best of all, the process uses 70% less water than regular surface farms.

3051209-slide-s-5-this-london-underground-farm-growsBeing underground has many advantages. One is food miles, or the lack thereof. Transport makes up a significant proportion of the cost of food, both financially and environmentally, so growing in a city center cuts that cost almost to zero.

2 Comments so far. Feel free to join this conversation.

  1. Mark October 13, 2015 at 10:08 am -

    Wow, this is wonderful. We should have similar setups everywhere!

  2. SDisQue January 18, 2018 at 9:28 am -

    It’s 2017. Needs to be automated. In one of the pictures you have a person pulling the pallet. Amazon buys this out and automates in 3… 2…

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