Farming of the Future Sets Up in Crested Butte South as Tassinong Farms begins their first growing season in Crested Butte. The non-traditional farm is set up inside two shipping containers in Crested Butte South, near Camp 4 Coffee. The shipping crates with built in hydroponic gardens arrived in December from Freight Farms and General Manager Kate Haverkampf is busy getting things organized as the very first batch of seeds are already started and making their way from seedling pot to the growing towers. Of course on a traditional farm, planting seedlings in January in this climate is out of the question, but by farming inside the shipping containers, they are able to outsmart the very short growing season in Crested Butte and will be able to provide produce to our community year round. The plants will grow in a high tech environment where they are monitored constantly. The readings and the settings can be viewed and controlled by the use of a cell phone app. Not only are the heat, moisture and nutrients monitored in modern ways, but the shipping container garden will also have a drastically smaller carbon footprint. The hydroponic farming technique uses 90 percent less water than an outdoor farm. There are no herbicides or pesticides used and the produce can be delivered locally rather than trucked in, which cuts down on fuel and pollution. You can check out Tassinong Farms here and when the produce is ready, get your orders in after you sample the veggies.
