Scott Cameron

Where to purchase your own shipping container 

The following companies are turnkey farms and offer shipping container farms, all ready to go, for purchase. This means that there is no retrofitting required and you’re able to grow food in them as soon as they arrive to your home. We will look at each company’s distinct set-up, and how they are using containers to bring urban farming in to food deserts.

 Freight Farms

Freight Farms are a leading company supplying local urban growers with prefab farms. As of 2017, they had over 200 farms in 15 different countries. The applications seem endless, with schools using containers as learning labs; grocers using them to grow produce; restaurants using them for hyper local produce; and even non-profits growing vegetables in food deserts.  

Freight Farms’ flagship shipping container is called Greenery, built from the ground up. With an R28 insulation rating, you can use this product in most parts of the world. Greenery puts all their climate control, water, and power in one location, recessed in the back of the shipping container, making it accessible and protected from damage during transportation. 

Not only does this container have an air condition unit, it also uses heat pump technology, meaning if the outside air is cooler than the inside temperature, the machine will pull in the exterior cold air to cool the interior. This is a lot more efficient when it comes to energy use. 

It comes with two stainless steel germination areas that also double as workstations. The germination areas have their own pH control and watering cycle. 

Freight Farms are able to house up to 7480 potential growing sites. The company used to use ZipGrow, which I discussed in a previous post, to house their plants, but have since developed their own strategy. Its racks are hung from the ceiling on movable unit, making it easy to clean the floors, shift plants for easier harvest, and adjust lights.

Many companies are getting their shipping container farms from Freight Farms, including Square Roots and co-founder Kimbal Musk, Elon Musk’s younger brother. They started with ten freight farms to be part of the farm-to-table movement.

It costs about $150,000 to set up the operation. Freight Farms state that the break even point occurs within two to three years, depending on the market conditions.

 FlexMod Solutions

This company really set the bar with shipping containers. Just like the urban cultivator, FlexMod Solutions had its humble beginnings in growing cannabis. FlexMod continues to advertise for cannabis but really changed the seed of creation — you can grow anything in these units now. 

The main difference with FlexMod is their specialized system for larger crops, so if you want a fully functional system to grow tomatoes, or even dwarf citrus trees, these containers are for you. 

Their systems range from $48,000 to $97,000 for a 20′ or 40′ container, respectively. FlexMod also has a tiered system for starting crops, which can be used for microgreens and sprouting.

 Cropbox

The rentable CropBox packs a fully-installed hydroponic greenhouse full of delicious plants inside a 320 ft² shipping container that easily fits in a backyard. Thanks to the efficiency of hydroponics and the tight setup — with horizontal growing beds allow for rows of hydroponic plants — a full acre of lettuce (2200 ft²) can fit inside this compact footprint. A 40′ container can grow 5 acres of food with 97% less water and runs for under $90,000. 

CropBox has a 6-month service package for those that need assistance getting the hang of growing food with its product. The company also has resources to make sure you understand what you are getting into and how things should be working. 

Their growing style uses a nutrient film technique (NFT, but not to be confused with cryptoart) hydroponic system, so the plants are stacked on top of each other. What’s nice about the NFT system is that you can grow micro-greens, strawberries, and even cattle fodder.

 OPCOM

OPCOM has different growing systems for your kitchen to container farms. It uses horizontal hydroponic NFT systems to grow crops in containers. These systems are fully functional and come with everything that you need to grow food. Their MASS Production interactive CLOUD farm uses a horizontal shallow water system (SWS) to grow their crops as well. 

Something that sets this company from the other is that they can grow mushrooms! OPCOM adds misters and humidity control to their units, so you can plant not just vegetables. Your mushrooms will fruit at different times, and having the ideal climate control in place ensures consistent crops.

What I learned in my years of experience is that growing mushrooms is easy if all conditions are perfect. Having a shipping container like this is a blessing to the urban farming marketplace. Growing mushrooms is worth a lot more than produce, so you will get a better return on your investment. 

This company offers 20 and 40 feet containers, starting at $49,000 and with NFT hydroponic or soil based options. The containers come fully equipped with LED lights, automated climate and nutrients, remote monitoring, and a water filtration system.

 Growtainer

This shipping container is organized with a proprietary modular racking system they call Growracks. The racks are customisable to your specific growing needs. In addition, they are flood racks, so your plants can suck up water when they sit in the Growracks. Under each of the levels of racks are LED grow lights. This style is great for microgreens, potted plants, and even a nursery during the colder months of the year.

According to the company, the units can grow up to 2000 heads of lettuce, which can turn into about $70,000 to $80,000 in annual revenue.