FAQs

Do I need a green thumb to grow hydroponically?

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Anyone can grow food hydroponics. The innovative systems we represent are the simplest and cleanest ways to grow. The Flex Farm is the best system for those new to growing from seed. Everything you need to grow comes with the farm as well as step by step instructions for how to sow seed, harvest, and everything in between. Designed with the K-12 audience in mind the Flex Farm can easily and literally teach a child how to grow. Many who have had poor track records in growing outdoors have found that growing indoors restores their confidence and self esteem in providing the freshest food possible.

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How easy is the equipment to clean?

 

This is the simplest growing we have ever seen and the clean up is simple as well. Grow panels are dishwasher safe and everything else takes a Hydrogen Peroxide and water solution to spray down and wipe clean. No pressure washing or hard to reach crevices. Clean up on both the Harvest Wall and Flex Farm is a matter of minutes, not hours.

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How safe is the food coming from my indoor farm?

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The safest around. Food borne illnesses, particularly on leafy greens, come from flies that cross visit feces or contaminated water. No pests, no safety issues. Further, because a properly run indoor vertical farm doesn’t require pesticides or herbicides, there are no residue issues. You know your space and you control the safety of the food from it.

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Can hydroponics be grown organically?

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Yes, in most cases, growing indoors eliminates the need to use pesticides and fungicides. There are no weeds, so no need for herbicides. Where growing organically becomes a challenge is the nutrition. Historically the nutrition used for hydro and aeroponics came from fish – thus the term aquaponics. By utilizing a small fish farm, many could grow food in hydroponics organically. But this presented many challenges that made the barrier to raising food organically unreachably high. Further, commercial organic fertilizers were animal based posing challenges with odor control and adequate water flow through small nozzles, among other things. However, here at Eco, we were not satisfied with the status quo, and we are happy to announce that we have sourced the only non-animal based organic fertilizers complete with micronutrients so that you are now empowered to grow completely organically.

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Can these systems be used in a food service situation legally?

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In most cases, absolutely. Local health department rules will vary, and we haven’t heard of one that limits growing on site for consumption, but it would be possible. Also, some large chain conglomerates have internal rules about purchasing GAP certified food supply. However, these rules are in place to standardize facilities and to appease insurance policies. By and large there is no legal or food safety prohibition on growing your own supply. Health inspectors typically want to know if you can track it. Separating the food you grow from your purchased supply should be sufficient. Oddly enough, 100% of the media reported produce recalls and illness outbreaks come from GAP certified or FSMA controlled farms.

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How do Schools use hydroponics to teach?

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Educators have found the technologies we offer to be engaging cross-curricular learning tools that go well beyond the expected STEM and health-oriented applications. The robust, turnkey curriculum package offers hands-on, cross-curricular learning opportunities for grades K–12. Students learn while growing high-quality, nutritious produce. Fresh, student-grown crops can be used in school food programs, donated to local food pantries, and incorporated into micro-enterprise and fundraising projects. Installing a Flex Farm at your school opens unlimited programming opportunities. From getting students excited about planting your first crop, to inspiring changes in perceptions of healthy foods, we help you engage your students in the fresh food movement like never before.

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Who Manufactures the Harvest Wall?

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The Harvest Wall is manufactured by Harvest Today, LLC. Harvest Today is based in Broomfield, Colorado. They are an agri-tech company that empowers global and local communities to be able to grow fresh produce closer to home.

 

They are on a mission to revolutionize the global fresh food supply with a vision to embolden communities to grow accessible & nutritious food. They designs innovative, efficient technology that makes sustainable, locally grown food a reality from the arctic to the equator.

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Who Manufactures the Flex Farm?

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The Flex Farm is manufactured by Fork Inc. Fork Inc. is a mission-focused, agriculture technology company based out of Green Bay, Wisconsin. They believe that anyone can be a farmer and we exist to make the world a happier and healthier place. They develop innovative indoor hydroponic vertical farming technology to transform the way people grow and connect with fresh food.

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Fork Farms believe that having consistent access to the freshest, highest quality food is a human right and focus on the democratization of agriculture and farming. With help from their network of incredible partners, they are leveraging creative product designs to make the process of producing healthy food accessible to the world.