Welland VF growing leafy greens with the technology used by NASA

That's the goal of Vision Greens, a vertical farm in Welland's industrial park near Highway 140, which has been growing lettuces, arugula and basil since last May.

Vertical farming is a process of growing crops indoors in a stacked formation. The Enterprise Drive facility has the capacity to harvest about 450 kilograms per day, said chief executive officer Lenny Louis, noting there are plans for a major expansion that would put an annual harvest up to 317,500 kg.

The annual harvest today is about 158,750 kg.

Products are shipped to grocers the same day they're plucked — many stores being in the Greater Toronto Area, as well as some in Niagara, including Commisso's and Lococo's.

Vision Greens' products are non-GMO (genetically modified organism) and pesticide-free, and promote sustainability by using only five per cent of the water that would be used in traditional farming to yield the same-sized harvest.

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Photo created by Petr Magera - Unsplash

Source: Toronto Star