Indoor farming FAQs

Aeroponics is a method of growing plants without soil. Instead, roots are suspended in the air and irrigated with a nutrient-dense mist. In aeroponics, the roots have greater access to oxygen, which results in healthier plant root stock and significantly faster crop growth rates. For a more in-depth read, check out our literature review "Getting to the roots of vertical farming"

Aeroponics involves the roots being suspended in a nutrient rich-mist unlike hydroponics where plant roots are regularly submerged in a nutrient-rich solution.

When roots are fully submerged in hydroponics, plant roots can only access a certain level of dissolved oxygen. With aeroponics, roots have access to unlimited supply of oxygen, allowing them to breathe properly and develop faster. For a more information, check out our literature review "Getting to the roots of vertical farming".

Within an aeroponic system, plant roots have greater access to atmospheric levels of gases such as oxygen, which boosts plant health. Just as overwatering your house plant can drown it, plant roots can become water-logged and oxygen deprived when submerged - an aeroponic system ensures this won’t happen. Healthy plants, with a good root stock, grow faster. This results in more crop cycles per year and a greater yield being produced in your farm.

Our aeroponic systems provide the ability to apply nutrient solutions with great precision. The quantity of mist produced can be easily fine tuned per grow bed, so that you can provide specific crops with a feed that will best suit their developmental needs. This control will enable you to consistently tune the quality of your crop, while higher growth rates create a quicker turnover of your produce.

The position of roots means that plants are less susceptible to mould and other infections, largely due to seeds and growing materials remaining dry within an aeroponic system. UV sterilisation and filtration is used during the recapture and reuse of water in the system, ensuring that the chances of pests or disease outbreaks are kept to a minimum. This also means there’s no need to use harmful chemicals or pesticides.

In an aeroponic system, plant roots are easy to see and access. This is useful for plant scientists and researchers who wish to observe plant roots without impacting plant growth or killing the plant by up-rooting it. This allows for more regular testing and observation.

Our method of recapturing and reusing water vapour massively reduces the amount of water and fertiliser needed in the system, and also prevents fertiliser runoff into waterways, a type of water pollution which can damage ecosystems and kill aquatic life.

Aeroponic Rolling Benches combine LettUs Grow’s aeroponic technology with typical rolling bench set-ups found in hectare-scale vertical farms and greenhouses. They are designed to retrofit into the existing infrastructure of the greenhouse or vertical farm, allowing for minimal alterations and a smooth installation process. Indoor growers also have the option to create a dedicated aeroponic facility.

Aeroponic Rolling Benches have been designed to seamlessly integrate into your current benching set-up. Each installation would need a full review of the electrical capacity to ensure a smooth installation process, as well as a consultation call with our development team.

To find out more get in touch with our team here enquiries@lettusgrow.com

Currently, leafy greens, herbs, and micro varieties will grow best. When used in greenhouses, Aeroponic Rolling Benches have the potential to be utilised for larger fruiting crops, such as chillies, strawberries, and tomatoes. We are also developing our own crop portfolio to expand outside of leafy greens, which includes propagation of willow and apple trees.

We are always open to new crop developments with R&D trial partners. If you’re interested in growing a crop not listed, get in touch here: enquiries@lettusgrow.com

Initially you would have a call with our commercial team to understand your aims and requirements. Depending on the scope of your project, LettUs Grow’s delivery team would then attend your facility to complete a site assessment. This would gather key parameters and specifications of the site to inform our product recommendation and ensure compatibility.

Our in-house team would then modify or custom-build you an aeroponic trial setup to deliver to you. Some staff training would be required to ensure all operators and confident working with the aeroponic equipment confidently and safely.

The system will require the usual upkeep associated with any large-scale growing facility. Each pilot project is unique to the facility, so to discuss your project and requirements in detail please get in touch with our team here: enquiries@lettusgrow.com

Unlike similar CEA software, Ostara combines three core capabilities of indoor farming software: Management, Control and Data.

Management = The operational features which help track tasks, store and create crop recipes, view crop status and locations, as well as predict yields throughout the facility.

Control =Ostara automates all hardware that adjusts Lighting, Irrigation, Fertigation and Environment in your farm, otherwise known as LIFE.

Data = Stores all data and performance from sensors, hardware and crop performance. You can also track resources and energy consumption per crop, allowing you to have full visibility of how your farm is performing.

This unique combination gives growers all the tools they need to drive productivity, increase visibility across every stage of the growth cycle, allowing them to reduce waste, improve productivity while using less resources.

Ostara is designed to help growers create the perfect conditions for their crops in controlled environment agriculture systems, including greenhouses, vertical farms and polytunnels.

With its user-friendly design and adaptive display, Ostara gives growers the tools to grow smarter, not harder.

Ostara has been designed to be a cost effective solution, tailored to your requirements. The subscription and installation cost will depend on the complexity of your farm, and our team will work with you to find the best solution for your needs.

For more information, get in touch with one of our team at info@lettusgrow.com

Ostara has been specifically designed to give growers full visibility across their farm, so they can make decisions which increase growth, whilst automatically controlling hardware to reduce resources and time intensive manual tasks

Your environmental targets heavily impact your crop growth, and energy use. Ostara monitors lighting, irrigation, fertigation and environmental control to create optimum conditions for each crop, so you know exactly where your energy is being used, and its impacts on crop growth.

By combining all crop and resource data in one platform, you can automatically adjust the conditions that allow your crops to flourish, without using excess resources.

We’ll start with an initial scoping call to better understand your needs, whether that be resource management, improved crop growth or data clarity. This includes a complimentary online demo where we’ll walk you through the platform, and how Ostara can integrate into your current facility.

To arrange a call, get in touch with our team here enquiries@lettusgrow.com

All that’s required is a certified electrician, the Ostara control hub and any additional hardware, which can be provided by LettUs Grow. Our delivery team will then be on site to guide you through the installation and the software to get you started.

Yes, Ostara has been designed to seamlessly integrate with the hardware you have running on site. If you need additional sensors or automation on site, our team can source these options for you.

Our team of in-house developers and growers will work with you to ensure your team has a thorough understanding of Ostara before we deliver to your site.

Once signed-up, we’ll arrange an onboarding session where we’ll take you through the platform and set-up crop recipes so you can hit the ground running. Once Ostara is installed, you’ll have access to our customer support team, where we can troubleshoot and advise, so help is only a message away.

Included with Ostara is a local hotspot. This means that if you lose wifi connection in your farm, you will still have local access to Ostara whilst on site, so you can keep on growing.

Behind Ostara is a team of software developers, engineers and agronomists who can guide and advise you on installing crop recipes or enhancing your current crop portfolio. You will also have access to our customer support channel where we can answer any questions in real time, so support is always on hand.

Yes, all growing and hardware data within the app is available to download.

If you cancel your subscription before you store your data, our technical team will be able to source and share this with you.

A DROP & GROW contains 24m² of vertical growing space with designated preparation space inside a 40ft container. We recommend DROP & GROW to pilot and research projects.

A DROP & GROW + contains 55m² of growing space, without any preparation space. We recommend DROP & GROW + be used to expand your growing operation.

The amount of produce you can grow per container varies depending on the crop, but can reach up to 11 tonnes per annum in a DROP & GROW+ container for produce such as pea shoots. For more information on crop productivity you can request a crop brochure from our business development team, who will be happy to share farm economic modelling tools to help you in your crop choices.

None whatsoever! Our systems are designed to be easy to use and our software platform Ostara will help you along the way by controlling and automating your farm. Our nozzle-free aeroponic system means the farm is low maintenance and we will provide ongoing support with any technical or growing issues. When you first receive your container farm, you'll be provided relevant training and we'll ensure everything is running as it should before you take over. You can read more about our training and support here.

A concrete plinth foundation is ideal, but not necessary with every installation. The base of the container needs to be flat and supported, but it can always be propped up with concrete blocks if the surface below is uneven.

For access to electricity, fresh water, commercial water waste, internet, you will need:

Electrical supply: Three phase, 63A supply (main intake cable: 16mm2)

Water supply: 15 mm diameter

Waste water drainage and access to commercial waste drain: 40 mm diameter

Internet: Either Wifi or a connection with an ethernet cable

More information about technical requirements can be provided on enquiry.

Depending on the scope of your project, deliveries within the UK can take up to 6 months currently, after procurement. For deliveries outside of the UK, the current waiting time can be longer but depends on the number of containers ordered.

We're currently working on being able to ship globally and hope to be delivering to countries outside of the EU in the coming year. For more information on international deliveries please get in touch with our business development team today.

Once the container farm has been delivered, one of our experts will help you set up the systems, and ensure everything is working correctly. They will then spend the following days with you to explain the different parts of the growing journey and how to get the most out of your container farm. Once you're up and running, the team will remain on hand to assist with any technical difficulties or growing advice you may have along the way.

We have a dedicated Farm Delivery team that will deliver your product, ensure you know how to use it and offer ongoing support throughout your container farming journey. We use the messaging app Slack, which all customers have access to, and allows us to be on hand with help and advice while you're on the move. We also offer dedicated training days at LettUs Grow HQ and on site, so we can work around you and your schedule to ensure you get the support you need.

We have a collection of ready to use crop recipes, but what you choose to grow is entirely up to you, and depends on your business model you're intending to use.

Our systems are best suited to growing leafy greens, herbs and microgreens, as these grow quickly in our systems, can be sold to a variety of markets and can be easily grown to order to ensure limited produce is wasted. Find out more about what can be grown in container farms before you get started.

There are a multitude of different options of who you can sell to, much of this will depend on where you are located and the business model you want to follow. If you're in an urban setting, you could sell flavourful microgreens and fresh herbs to local restaurants, delis and cafe's.

If you're in a rural location, you might want to create a year-round supply of fresh salad leaves for the community, and sell directly to the consumers or at farmers markets. For inspiration, make sure to read up on the different potential markets on our blog.

Our funding partner, Contain.ag, is a great place to start if you're looking for funding oppotunities. Depending on your background and location, there are also a number of government grants to make use of. To stay up-to-date with the latest in industry and funding news, be sure to sign up to our newsletter.

We can offer support building your business model based on our team’s in-depth knowledge and experience, and point you in the right direction for funding support, technical knowledge or business plan advice, get in touch with the team today.

Our controlled environment container farms have been designed for easy cleaning, so that if you adhere to our recommended cleaning practices, then microbial build up will be mitigated.

The HVAC system is fitted with filtration on the inlets to ensure pollutants and pests aren't able to access our internal controlled environment and the water network also has particulate and UV filters to prevent build up. We will happily point you in the right direction for any food safety standards and share our internal standard operating procedures (SOPs) to get you started!

Once you're familiar with the processes and activities required to run and maintain a DROP & GROW container farm, you can expect to spend approximately 6 hours labour time a week with general growing maintenance.

This includes all operations such as sowing, harvesting, packing, and cleaning, and could increase or decrease depending on the productivity of your farm, or potential adjustments that may be required.

This is dependent on which crops you intend to grow, but typically a DROP & GROW container will require 5,000 kWh per month, and a DROP & GROW+ will require approximately 9,300 kWh per month.

On average, a full container farm's plants will consume 620 litres of water per week. This is very much dependent on the crops, as some are thirstier than others!

Additional water consumption for operational uses (e.g. cleaning) is expected to be 700 litres per week. This is also crop dependent, as cleaning takes place at the end of each crop cycle.

Finally the system may need a refresh and a deep clean at quarterly/bi yearly intervals, which will use up to 1500 litres at a time.

Strawberries are an excellent crop to grow in an aeroponic system due to their seasonality, popularity and also their shortened crop heights. At the moment they require a gulley system to be grown in our container farms, which we are actively developing. To stay up to date with our latest technology developments, make sure you sign up to our newsletter.

To get the most out of crops grown in vertical systems, produce cannot exceed a certain height limit to get the best return on investment. There is an option to use our systems to propagate medicinal cannabis plants before they are transplanted out, but you wouldn't be able to grow the crop to their full capacity within the container.