Picture this. You’re in your own little studio, or single-bedroom, apartment and there is no fresh produce in the fridge. It’s too late to go to the market. If only you had a farm or a bigger garden, then you could, probably, come up with fresh produce at the drop of a hat. Well, here is something you don’t see every day.
What On Earth Is a Nanofarm?
As the name implies, with nano meaning small, it’s a small farm. No, we are not talking about an acre. Smaller. No, it’s not your backyard, but you’re getting warmer. A company in Atlanta, Georgia came up with the concept of a teeny-tiny farm. The company, Replantable, designed a system with a water tray, a plant pad, some special lighting, and the cabinet to fit everything in. This means that every Tom, Dick, and Harry can be experts at gardening with minimal effort.
How Does It Work?
The idea is that you place the seed in the plant pad, designate the number of weeks needed for your veggie to grow and Presto! You’ve got yourself some healthy, pest-free and element-free greens to put on your sandwich, or in your salad.
We say the produce is free from pest and elements for the obvious reason. It’s practically a closed ecosystem. You don’t have to worry about your plants fighting diseases and bugs. They certainly won’t be crushed by winds, drowned by floods or trampled by vermin.
The materials from which the nanofarms are constructed are durable, and the system implemented prevents the nanofarm from interfering with your everyday life. For example, its ventilation provides plants with carbon dioxide, while pumping the home with oxygen.
Is This a Marketing Scheme?
Not really. We can say that based on the fact that when you usually come across things that people label as “revolutionary”, or “dirt-cheap”, there’s usually a catch. The company sells its nanofarms for under $400, plus your selection of seeds.
What’s amazing about this product is that its materials are durable. Remember when your grandpa used to complain that, back in the day, things used to be built to last? Well, this is something like that.
I’ve Heard of Nano-Farming. Is That the Same Thing?
For the sake of disambiguation, here’s the deal. There are two more types of nanofarms. One of them is the study of nanoparticles, in the hopes of strengthening the crop against pest and diseases, as well as providing a greater yield. So far, research has been done with wheat and tomatoes, but it is still experimental and has a long way to go.
Another type of nanofarming is close to what we were talking about before. The idea was to go back to the roots of farming and produce many different types of crops within a limited space. Of course, producing enough certain veggies for your needs is a big bonus. This nanofarm involves a raised bed for heirloom seeds. The native plants go around it, in their own soil. You can do this at a community garden, or in your own backyard.
