London is a city with more space than the cities of the north and midlands have, but land is very expensive and the price of houses is so excessive that ordinary people cannot afford to buy. Any land is snapped up very quickly,so while there are a few urban farms in the city, they occupy a small fraction of the land. But the demand for food in a conurbation of ten million people is great, and most of it comes from outside. But there are enterprising people who grow either on roof tops or in cellars, and while there is no space in cellars or tunnels for animals, who should not be imprisoned thus, it is possible to grow certain vegetables beneath the ground if the conditions are made right.
You have all seen pictures of London during the Blitz, with citizens crammed into tunnels where they slept on the ground while bombers pounded the city above. The bombers have gone, Germany is now a much-valued friend and ally, but the tunnels remained, dark and silent, almost forgotten, but not by everyone. Then along came two friends, Steven Dring and Richard Ballard, men with an ecological conscience and a yearning to use urban space to grow food for cities. Having looked above ground their fears were confirmed, there was no space for urban farming,but what about the tunnels, they wondered? It soon became clear that they would be permitted to rent the tunnels for growing, and so the enterprise,Growing Underground, began.
There are advantages and disadvantages to underground farming, and to be exact what they are doing is more akin to market gardening than to traditional farming, for it resembles a market garden more than it does a farm. The two friends, however,are not ones to cavill over tight definitions. The lack of light is remedied by low cost, low intensity led lights. There is a water recycling system and there are fans to circulate air. This is essential as plants kept in still air can develop fungal diseases such as botrytis, which is always lethal to the plants that suffer it. On the other hand the lack of soil means that there are no weeds, and as one who has had to struggle with weeds on an allotment that is one sure advantage. The growers are also very near to their markets, which are restaurants and some high quality greengrocers in London, which cuts down their costs. The growing of vegetables in the cities is very ecologically beneficial, as it cuts down air miles and CO2 production, and they also make the most of otherwise unproductive urban space.
The farm specializes in herbs, with about twenty varieties being grown. These include peashoots, red mustard, chives and coriander, among others. Clearly the hydroponic system cannot be suitable for all crops, and the tunnels, which had space for eight thousand people are now fully used up. But specializing in a crop for which there is a good market is advantageous as it enables the growers to develop their expertise.
Comments
Not necessarily replaced,but cleaned.
Do the trays have to be replaced regularly because of deposits from the hydroponic-system water?
I don't know who owns the tunnels or the rent that Ballard and Dring are paying, but as they are in London rents will be high.
I and my family eat oyster mushrooms, but mainly as an ingredient of soup, in which they are delicious. I have noted a specific pest or pathogen which stands out as causing problems.
FrankBeswick, This is so interesting, particularly since this really is underground activity, not as in Montréal's underground city, tunnels connecting above-ground businesses. Who owns the tunnels, and what is the rent that the Ballard and Dring partnership is paying?
Do you and your family eat your oyster mushrooms fresh or otherwise? What is the biggest pathogen or pest problem that you face in oyster mushroom gardening?
Interesting, my daughter and I were just discussing what to plant this season, spring is tomorrow. We love gardening it is a hobby, past time or necessity we have shared over the years and one that will connect us throughout our lives. As you have highlighted, where there is a will there is a way and gardening is always a positive aspect of life.
I have not written an article on mushroom growing, as there was one already some time ago. I may well do so in the future.
What a good idea to utilize the empty tunnels as farms. I also did not know that LED lights would grow plants. Have you written an article here at Wizzley about growing your mushrooms Frank?
I have just checked the article where I sourced the information, the LED lights are long lights arranged over every tray. So they are focused and there are many of them.
I did not know until I read an article on the farm, but i imagine that they use them in a very focused way.
I did not realize LEDs could be used. This is great, since they use little energy.