The Lettuce LocalMotive, an upfitted scaled version of a container farm coming to Mount Pleasant this weekend

Did you know modern farmers can grow lettuce without using dirt? Or land, for that matter? Did you know they can harvest crops 365 days a year, regardless of hurricanes or draughts? They can if they’re growing lettuce hydroponically in a container farm. Hydroponic farming is a method of growing produce that uses water and nutrients, instead of soil.

As part of a year-long program to educate Publix customers about the benefits of hydroponic farming, and truly hyperlocal produce, The Lettuce LocalMotive, an upfitted scaled version of a container farm, will be on-site at Publix in Mt. Pleasant at 162 1125 Park W Blvd, Mt Pleasant, SC 29466  from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm on Saturday, February 29, 2020.

Customers are invited to step inside the interactive mobile farm to experience an actual hydroponic farming environment. Guided by Charleston, SC-based Vertical Roots farmers, the family-friendly event will showcase “a day in the life” of a hydroponic farmer, feature hands-on activities, and include salad bar samplings and giveaways. From hearing about how the shipping containers are converted into farms, to diving into the cloud-based technology behind the soil-less farming method, guests will learn all aspects of the sustainable benefits of hydro-farming.

If you’re in the area, we’d love for you to stop by. I’ve included some images from the Lettuce LocalMotive’s last stop as well as tour date infographics here, and am happy to answer any questions. Curious about more hydroponic farming facts? Read on below the sig line and check out this blog post over at Publix’s Checkout!

Best,

Amanda

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More Fun Facts About Hydroponic Farming

• Hydroponic farms do not use soil, and instead utilize water and nutrients to grow produce. Vertical Roots lettuce is grown in a blend of all-natural coconut fiber, which is chemical- and pesticide residue- free.
• Vertical Roots uses a cloud-based technology that monitors and controls the farm pod environment including the temperature, lighting and water dosage.
• The technology even tracks every single seed to ensure food safety.
• The technology also manages the water recycling and filtration, which ultimately utilizes 98% less water than traditional farming.
• Vertical Roots farm pods are made from refurbished shipping containers and can be placed on any surface. This enables produce to be grown in communities that don’t have farm land, and promotes land conservation in communities that do.
• The lettuce is grown 365 days a year. Each farm pod can produce 3,400 plants per harvest, and are harvested 15-16 times a year. That’s a lot of lettuce.
• While 95% of lettuce is grown in Arizona and California and can travel up to 2,000 miles before it gets to the plate, hydroponic farms can be placed anywhere to provide fresh local produce to grocery stores within a closer radius.
• Because of the controlled container environment and technology monitoring, hydroponic grown lettuce often contains more nutrients than traditional grown lettuce.

Upcoming South Carolina Lettuce LocalMotive Tour Dates

2.29 | Mt Pleasant 1125 Park West Blvd
3.07 | Columbia 4611 Hard Scrabble Rd
3.14 | Mt Pleasant 1000 Johnnie Dodds Blvd
3.21 | Beaufort 61 Ladys Island Dr
3.28 | Clemson 1390 Tiger Blvd
4.18 | Hilton Head 11 Palmetto Bay Rd
4.25 | Myrtle Beach 2170 Oakheart Rd
5.02 | Charleston 1401 Sam Rittenberg Blvd
5.16 | Bluffton 80 Baylor Dr
5.23 | Mt Pleasant 1720 Shoremeade Rd (GreenWise Market)