Creative and ingenious people never run out of ways to transform a shipping container from a corrugated metal box into something spectacular and inspiring. Such is the case with a newer trend in the eco-friendly practice of recycling shipping containers into new forms: container farming!
Now, at first glance, this might not seem to make much sense. A farm is a farm and a shipping container is a shipping container, after all. You can’t fit a farm into a shipping container and a shipping container isn’t big enough to become a farm.
We can’t really argue with the idea that a whole farm isn’t going to fit into a shipping container. But it’s absolutely possible to turn a shipping container into a self-contained, miniature farm. In fact, it’s already happening all over the world.
Furthermore, recycled and refurbished shipping containers can be useful on a farm for a variety of reasons. They can be turned into sheds, storage spaces for machinery and tools, office spaces, housing, restrooms, laboratories, greenhouses, lunch counters, and so much more.
But we’re getting a little sidetracked here. (It happens when one begins to talk about just how many different ways a shipping container can be reimagined.) Truth is, container farming is a reality right now.
Let’s examine further.
Farming and Shipping Containers
Container Stop can modify a shipping container to allow for an abundance of light. Irrigation systems can be installed inside and, depending on the crop, adjusted for maximum growth. Multiple containers can be arrayed together to increase crop sizes.
Shipping containers are ideal for hydroponic growing, too, as well as all manner of vertical farming. Nutrient-rich water can be used to grow food — everything from leafy greens (heads of lettuce, spinach) to high-quality and micro-produced fruits and vegetables.
Plus, shipping containers are modular, compact, and inexpensive. They’re also designed to be shipped, naturally; this means you can get them where you need them without much hassle — either across the farm or across the country.
Possibilities
Think of the possibilities. A restaurant can utilize a container to grow its own vegetable to be served fresh from the farm to hungry customers. Producing food closer to where it’s consumed saves on shipping and storage costs, too. Plus, the limited square foot space saves money on rent, mortgages, and utilities.
Plus, the clientele will love the fact that they’re eating local produce not from a conventional farm but from a climate-controlled environment; an ecologically sound farming unit for growing crops like a leafy green machine!
So what’s on your mind this growing season? The easiest herbs to grow or how much sun do herbs need? Wondering how to grow celery from scraps or about growing vegetables from scraps? The answers may be contained in a container!
As AgFunderNews.com reports, “Growing in retrofit shipping containers has received significant buzz over the past five to 10 years as produce is grown hyper-locally on a small footprint. The fully contained structure allows year-round growth regardless of the outside environment. Other benefits include less use of water than traditional farming as well as the lack of need for pesticides given the fully contained structure.”
Like to hear more? Get in touch with Container Stop today! We’ll show you how we reconfigure shipping containers to take advantage of limited space, no matter how many square feet we’re dealing with.
We look forward to speaking with you!