JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — If I told you there was a farm in the middle of Jacksonville's Five Points area, would you believe me? Nestled between some homes on Post Street, one local farm is breaking conventional standards of farming by eliminating soil from the growing process. It's called aeroponic farming.
Newly opened 5 Points Farm utilizes aeroponic technology to use significantly less water, space, and energy to grow plants.
Inside the farm, there are 20 aeroponic towers that can hold up to 1,040 plants. The towers are custom-mounted to fit the farm's special needs, something owner and volunteer David Bane came up with.
"We are pumping the water to aid vertically and then it drains down over the roots of the plants that are growing in the towers," Bane said. "It's all gravity-fed."
The towers run on a timer and spray recycled, nutrient-filled water on plants every 45 minutes, but water consumption is surprisingly low, at just 20 gallons a day. With the help of LED lighting, temperature control, and a special nutrient solution, plants are growing stronger, and faster in a protected environment.
"These plants don't have to fight weather, they don't have to fight for survival," Bane said. "We can control the climate, we can grow whatever crops we want year-round. It's the future of farming."
Bane wants to offer choices for locals who want fresher products than they find at the grocery store.
"I hate going to the grocery store. You can't ever taste anything and everything is packaged," Bane said. "It seems like you open a package of lettuce and it just deteriorates rapidly."
On top of it all, 5 Points Farm is a zero-waste farm. Any byproduct that isn't used is sent to a local hog farm where it will be recycled. All the water is also recycled. Growers manually add nutrients to the water while also filtering out any unnecessary elements.
"It's nice having zero footprint," said Chloe Mallinson, a volunteer at 5 Points Farm. "You can just come to the farm, pick out exactly what you want, know what you're eating, where it came from, and it tastes even better."
Mallinson and her fiancé Thurman Picarelli, who is also a volunteer at the farm, said they struggled with cultivating their plants in their garden at home and were looking for remedies to help. After a deep dive on social media, Picarelli said he discovered a tower farm distributor that highlighted Bane's work at 5 Points Farm.
"This urban setup really sparked my interest and showed that it can really be done, and the fact it was in Jacksonville, I had to reach out," said Picarelli.
Above all else, 5 Points Farm is seeking to provide the greater Jacksonville community with fresh options, while also prioritizing sustainability.
"I think sustainability is something that's really important for our generation right now. I think we're all trying to lessen our footprint," said Mallinson. "So it's really nice that 5 Points Farm is prioritizing a greener mindset."
There will be a weekly farmers market held at the farm that will give anyone the chance to sample locally-grown produce. The first 5 Points Farmers Market was held Nov. 2, and featured several other local vendors and businesses. The market is held every Thursday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
For more information on 5 Points Farm visit here.