Vertical Farming coming to Memphis | Community Spirit

A group of food professionals says they are planning a project that will help improve the health of Memphis residents while also fighting urban blight.

Green Girl Produce plans to create the city’s first indoor vertical farm, which will supply residents with microgreens that are organic, cost-effective and available year-round.  The company plans to lease an old 1,260-square-foot building on Broad Avenue for their farm.

Green Girl Produce plans to use special lighting and an automated, re-circulating hydroponic system. Emma Self, a gardener and veteran of the restaurant industry, said the system would use about as much light as a normal office building and 90 percent less water than conventional farming.  

“It’s one of these fantastic systems that’s new, but it’s not so new that it hasn’t been tested elsewhere,” Self said. “Our growing media doesn’t involve soil, so it’s a very simple cleaning method. You lay it down, you feed, and then you roll it up when you’re done. It’s literally just about 10 minutes feeding the entire space," she said.

Self and three others who make up Green Girl Produce say several restaurants have expressed a desire to have local microgreens. She said the group initially wants to fill local demand but eventually would like to broaden their scope to the region and maybe even nationally.  

The company plans to move into its location during the first quarter of next year and begin supplying restaurants by the middle of the year.