For years, Taylor O’Sullivan dreamed of growing her own vegetables. But living in a 2nd floor studio apartment in Newport Beach, she realized that was a hard row to hoe. “I thought I was going to have to wait until I was retired and moved to the country to have a garden,” O'Sullivan said.
But then a friend introduced her to hydroponics, a high-tech vertical farming system that can be done right on your balcony or rooftop. The first time that I saw it I was completely blown away,” she said. “I was like, ‘I gotta have one of these.’”
Now O’Sullivan, a city girl who until recently had a poor track record of keeping plants alive, is harvesting everything from kale to basil to arugula. “You put down your phone, you come out here, you’re in sunshine. I can’t even express to you how much joy growing your own fruits and vegetables really brings into your life," she said.
Since the pandemic, the vertical farm industry has seen a boost, stemming from people like O’Sullivan who are looking for entertainment and a way to reduce trips to the grocery store. According to LA Urban Farms, where O’Sullivan bought her vertical garden, sales have tripled in the last year.
The cost is $600 for the tower and another $2 per seedling. For O’Sullivan, that’s the equivalent of about two months' worth of store-bought veggies.
Read the complete article at www.spectrumnews1.com.