US (CO): Restaurant-supplying indoor farm to expand in size and crops
Suspended from the ceiling in hollow fiberglass fencing, her 4,000 plants are kept in a near perfect environment that accelerates their growth and allows them to thrive year-round, Wyatt said.
Since the container was delivered in November, Wyatt’s business, Peak Season Farms, has started supplying about five restaurants in town, including Zia Taqueria, she said.
To boost its supply of locally grown greens, Zia Taqueria recently bought a second container that Wyatt will manage for the fast-casual Mexican restaurant, Zia owner Tim Turner said.
“We felt it was a great opportunity to support more locally raised food,” he said.
Zia must buy some of its greens from Arizona, California, New Mexico and Mexico.
But Turner’s goal is to buy it all locally from Peak Season Farms and Twin Buttes Farm, he said.
Plans for the farm’s expansion are not set, but Wyatt has room for six containers on her property on the ground. They can also be stacked, which would allow her to expand further.
She plans to work with Farm to School programs so students can learn about the hydroponics system and how technology, agriculture and sustainability can work together.
For the summer, she is planning to produce some specialty greens that can’t be grown locally such as skyphos, muir and truchas lettuce for restaurants.
It’s possible to grow other types of crops in the containers as well such as flowers, cherry tomatoes and radishes, she said.
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