It hasn't taken Marquee Farm, the indoor vertical farm in Lount Township near Sundridge, long to expand. Romano Marchi launched his vertical farming operation during the summer of 2022 and in the last two years he's doubled his growing capacity while keeping the operation's footprint to a minimum.
Marchi uses no soil to grow his plants year-round. Rather his plants grow in hydroponic nutrient-rich water, each in its own plastic container, and LEDs simulate the sunlight they need.
The temperature in the indoor farm fluctuates from 18 to 22 C. A big plus to vertical farming is because the operation is indoors, Marchi doesn't have to worry about pests eating his product and it never has to be sprayed with pesticides.
The towers the plants sit in are about eight feet high and a few inches wide. When they are all lined up, they form 16-foot-long rows. When Marchi first set up his operation he separated each tower by several inches giving him 20 towers over a 16-foot length.
Read more at Penticton Herald