Blog

UK growers may have heard of Next Generation Growing (NGG), but could be forgiven for not really knowing what it is. In essence, it refers to a set of growing techniques, developed in the Netherlands over the last decade or so, with the aim of empowering the plant – i. More

Rarely a week goes by when Elon Musk, of Tesla and SpaceX fame, is not featured in the news. Many will be aware of his desire to colonise Mars, and no one can deny his commitment to developing rockets that may one day take us there. Before anyone ever sets foot on the Red Planet, however, numerous supply ships will have had to deposit the essential equipment to support life. More

Over the last couple of years, I have been involved with an Innovate UK (IUK) funded research project focusing on improving storage conditions for potatoes. The fundamental aim is to improve the evenness of airflow in potato stores, allowing anti-sprouting agents to be distributed more evenly across the crop. More

Domestic greenhouses are usually standalone structures found in peoples back gardens, but one family in Stockholm have built their greenhouse around their home. More

Your car probably has it, so why not your greenhouse? Energy saving is all the rage these days, and rightly so. Everyone is at it, especially ‘heavy’ users such as growers heating greenhouses. I am currently involved with a Growsave project, the aim of which is to reduce energy consumption in greenhouses by optimising the climate control system. More

Following my recent blogs on the use of robots and technological advancements in farming, it was with interest that I read about the FarmBot Genesis. No, this is not another Terminator film, or the start of the machine uprising, but rather a personal robotic farmer. More

Geothermal energy, although most effective in regions of volcanic activity where underground temperatures are highest, is an available energy source all around the globe. Whilst the Netherlands (hopefully!) may not be about to erupt, a group of Dutch growers has invested in geothermal energy to heat their greenhouses. More

A Metro supermarket, in central Berlin, has arguably some of the freshest produce available. This is thanks to the installation of a modular box growing system within the shop itself. The system has been developed by a team of plant scientists, robotics specialists, industrial designers, IT personnel, architects, futurists and chefs. More

A group of growers attended an open day at Red Roofs Nursery on the 7th of July to hear about the results of an HDC trial into the performance of a refrigeration-based dehumidification system. The project, which is now in its second year, is showing an impressive reduction in heat use, but unfortunately this is coming at the expense of yield in the tomato crop that’s being grown. More

I came across the October 2013 edition of 'In Greenhouses' magazine today, and it contains some interesting articles. More