On a beautiful afternoon 25 Sierra Club members toured an indoor organic community share farm in South Arlington. Area 2 Farms grows its produce using a multilevel, vertical conveyor belt system that replicates a plant's day-night growth cycle. The fresh produce is sold directly to consumers via delivery within a 10-mile radius, putting their motto “Move the farm, not the food” into practice. This farm is the only USDA Certified Organic farm within 50 miles of Washington, D.C. Detailed logs are required to comply with certification requirements. Leftover produce that is not sold is listed in the Too Good To Go app at discounted prices.
An indoor farming business can operate year-round and the vertical architecture can fit into densely populated areas. As the plants move along the conveyor belt, they spend time under the grow lights and also receive eight hours of darkness as they would outside. Because there is no wind, fans are used to keep the indoor air moving to ensure the plants grow sturdy as they would outdoors. The vertical conveyor belt system takes advantage of heat naturally rising with the top section mimicking midday heat. An automated irrigation system ensures that the plants get adequate water but not too much, which would make the plant trays too heavy for the equipment.
Area 2 Farms grows a variety of produce, including lettuce, root vegetables, herbs, and microgreens, and at the end of the tour participants enjoyed delicious samples. Microgreens are the fastest growing plants, which are harvested two to three weeks after germination. One thousand plant trays are currently in use at the farm, with each tray being washed and sanitized between plantings. Pests are less of an issue than with outdoor farming but some insects can still come from the neighborhood or visitors to the farm. The farm uses natural methods of pest control when needed. Used soil and plant material are composted, and to add nutrients, farmers mix compost with coco coir—a coconut fiber product made from the interior of the coconut shell. The farm also raises its own worms, which are added to the soil to speed up composting. The farm even has an R&D area to experiment with improving the taste of produce from plants that would normally need more space to grow, such as tomatoes.
Farmer Andrew led the tour and answered our many questions. Area 2 Farms delivers produce year-round for $30 a basket. Some of the group continued on to enjoy lunch in nearby Shirlington.
