Vertical farming could revolutionize how we grow food—saving water, space, and energy. But there’s a catch: most crops weren’t bred for indoor farming. Without optimized varieties, yields suffer, and profits shrink. Could open-source seedlings be the key to unlocking vertical farming’s true potential?
Why Vertical Farming Struggles to Turn a Profit
Vertical farms promise sustainability, but profitability lags behind. Why? Because today’s high-value crops are designed for open fields, not controlled environments. They don’t always thrive under LED lights or hydroponic systems, limiting yields and driving up costs.
The solution? Tailored breeding programs that develop crops specifically for vertical farming—maximizing growth, flavor, and efficiency[2][3].
Seedlings vs. Seeds: The Trade-Offs
Starting with seedlings (rather than seeds) can speed up growth and reduce germination risks—critical for fast-turnaround crops like leafy greens. But seedlings come with higher upfront costs and may limit crop diversity. Plus, transplanting them requires precision to avoid stress.
Still, for high-value crops, the trade-off often pays off in faster harvests and more uniform yields[9][11].
The Hidden Risk of Outdoor Seeds
Using seeds or seedlings grown outdoors? Beware: they can introduce pests, pathogens, or chemical residues into your sterile vertical farm. Contamination means higher costs for sterilization and pest control—or even crop failure.
The fix? Indoor-produced seeds and seedlings, ensuring cleaner, more reliable starts for vertical farming[9][14].
Open-Source Seeds: A Game Changer?
What if farmers had free access to high-performance seeds designed for vertical farming? Open-source licensing could democratize crop breeding, breaking reliance on big seed companies.
By sharing genetics, researchers and farmers could collaborate on better varieties—faster, cheaper, and more sustainably[8].
The Bottom Line
Vertical farming’s future depends on:
✔ Crops bred for indoor conditions—boosting yields and profits.
✔ High-quality, contamination-free seedlings—reducing risks.
✔ Open-source seed innovation—accelerating progress.
Anthea’s open-source approach could be a catalyst, making vertical farming not just viable—but revolutionary. The question isn’t if it will take off, but how soon.
References
[1] Open-Source Vertical Swinging Wood-Based Solar Photovoltaic Racking Systems https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/7ef46456d3064232ee8fd04513853a782f545e2f
[2] Protein plant factories: production and resource use efficiency of soybean proteins in vertical farming. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38470072/
[3] Combined Effects of Different LED Light Recipes and Slow-Release Fertilizers on Baby Leaf Lettuce Growth for Vertical Farming: Modeling through DoE https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/3a36d577bbe7abded3e2a81f781fe8276cabd7d6
[4] Performance Assessment of Japanese Mint Varieties for Growth under Open Field and Vertical A-Frame Structure https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/83390f62017b363736e5b9f28491f63639a94077
[5] Design and Implementation of a Digital Twin Platform in Vertical Farming Systems https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/79437697c68b05000e29332d27ae13cba11ba85d
[6] Design and validation of an open-sourced automation system for vertical farming https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10749908/
[7] A comparative analysis of the vertical accuracy of multiple open-source digital elevation models for the mountainous terrain of the north-western Himalaya https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/df19f6b707e0b649516459fb77c07c2d90f03ca3
[8] Bioleft: open-source seeds for low-input farming systems https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/d8b2b5776416b48a075a0e0d23f87efc4c4f831d
[9] A good deep dive into why the vertical farm industry is struggling … https://www.reddit.com/r/IsaacArthur/comments/1bhu3vv/a_good_deep_dive_into_why_the_vertical_farm/
[10] Why is indoor farming not the norm yet ? : r/solarpunk – Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/solarpunk/comments/11jxlms/why_is_indoor_farming_not_the_norm_yet/
[11] High tech, indoor farms use a hydroponic system, requiring … – Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/bdtsqz/high_tech_indoor_farms_use_a_hydroponic_system/
[12] I made this open source, affordable and accessible plant cultivation … https://www.reddit.com/r/arduino/comments/11qx2il/i_made_this_open_source_affordable_and_accessible/
[13] Fischer Farms (UK) – Europe’s biggest vertical farm already … – Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/1hx05fk/fischer_farms_uk_europes_biggest_vertical_farm/
[14] Vertical Farms are Greenwashing and are not the Sustainability that … https://www.reddit.com/r/solarpunk/comments/uhlv4n/vertical_farms_are_greenwashing_and_are_not_the/
[15] Next Gen Farming Without Soil Uses 90% Less Water – Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/videos/comments/rlfbpb/next_gen_farming_without_soil_uses_90_less_water/
[16] ‘World-first’ indoor vertical farm to produce 4M pounds of berries a year https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1ggn5x7/worldfirst_indoor_vertical_farm_to_produce_4m/
[17] Why Vertical Farming Is Failing—and How I’m planning to fix It – Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/Entrepreneur/comments/1hri380/why_vertical_farming_is_failingand_how_im/
[18] Why vertical farming just doesn’t work : r/Futurology – Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/14mzmbj/why_vertical_farming_just_doesnt_work/
[19] Starting An Indoor Vertical Farm Business? : r/verticalfarming – Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/verticalfarming/comments/12xhbhq/starting_an_indoor_vertical_farm_business/
[20] Vertical Farming: Everything You Need to Know | Eden Green https://www.edengreen.com/blog-collection/what-is-vertical-farming