Day 3: Grow it Forward and Fork Farms by Anais

Today our second stop was at Grow it Forward where we learned so much about their relationship with Flex Farms and Fork Farms. Grow it Forward is a local food pantry and a grateful receipt of donations made by Flex Farms. Flex Farms was established in 2016 and now has over 2,000 locations across the nation. Flex Farms uses hydroponic technology designed and patented by Fork Farms to grow anything from fresh lettuce varieties to herbs and cucumbers. 

Forks Farms was created by Gil Shaw and partners to create a sustainable way to grow fresh produce for a needy community. They began by selling to schools for lunch and snack programs but when Covid hit, that was no longer possible. They were forced to reach out to needy people hit strongly by the pandemic or restaurants in the local area.

Over the years the business has taken off incredibly as it is energy efficient, water efficient, and yields large amounts in such a small space.

Flex Farms is run by Nina Loomis where she has 51 towers sitting in an old Presbyterian Church basement. She grows lettuce and herb varieties from germination until harvest and then packing and shipping. She grows these at a rate of less than a dollar a pound and sells them to restaurants and the local food bank, Grow it Forward. 

She has mastered all the techniques using a flood tube to begin the growing process after germination and then moving her plants to the Fork Farms towers where they are supplied with nutrient filled water and artificial light. Her nutrients include calcium, nitrate, nitrogen, and phosphorus. The water is constantly cycling through the towers and artificial light comes on for 18 out of 24 hours a day. 

This is the second step of growing that Nina uses before putting her plants into the Fork Farm towers. This is her flood tub system, where every 8 hrs water flushes into the black, plant filled tubs from the white holding tank. After 15 minutes all the water will be sucked back into the white tub. This process then repeats using a timer to ensure accuracy and consistency.

Here is the inside of a Fork Farm tower growing heads of lettuce. The center is the light source that is operated on a timer. On the outer wall is where the water pumps up from the holding tank at the bottom, and trickles down to the plant holders on the walls. 

This is the Flex Farm garden set using the Fork Farms Towers.