Vertical farming method to produce UK strawberries ‘nine months a year’

The strawberries are produced in vertically stacked beds under fully controlled conditions, with plants watered using a hydroponic feed instead of in the soil. 

Strawberry pickers at Wickes Farm (Ben Stevens/Parsons Media/PA)

Strawberries grown in Birtian could be on supermarket shelves nine months of the year using a new vertical-growing technique that is also better for the environment.

The system, which is being pioneered by a fruit-grower in Arundel, West Sussex, England, uses 50% less water and has a 90% lower carbon footprint but has yields five times higher than normal production methods.