At the weekly market, urban-grown microgreens from the Berlin startup Berlin Farms are particularly well received. The microgreens are grown in racks on top of each other and without sunlight in a container. Since the seedlings are harvested after 10 to 14 days, they require less water to grow and do not need fertilizers. This saves space and energy, so it is sustainable and climate-friendly. Vertikal Farm was founded last year by Silke Wehrle and Vahik Soghom. "We are united by our passion for healthy food and the sustainable use of our planet's resources," Soghom told Berliner Woche.
Innovative microgreens production in southwest Berlin / Image: Berlin Farms.
The seedlings thrive in soil without the addition of man-made fertilizers. Most microgreens, on the other hand, are grown in water-fertilizer solutions. This also means they are not organic. The Steglitz-Zehlendorf company is different: "We are well underway to be the first indoor farm in Germany to have organic certification," Wehrle proudly explains. Growing in soil also allows for a greater variety of products, he adds. Not only lettuces and herbs thrive here, as in the water-fertilizer solution, but also vegetables. "We currently grow more than 20 varieties, and it would be possible to grow far more than 50," says Soghom. Among them are exotic varieties such as amaranth, alfalfa, or mizuna.
For more information:
Berlin Farms GmbH
Goerzalle 299
14167, Berlin
Tel.: +49 15902186430
silke@berlin-farms.com
www.berlin-farms.com