A REALLY BIG greenhouse

Now this is a seriously big greenhouse. It will provide 15% of the UK's salad produce.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/7844285.stm

 

Its BIG.:D

 

Dave, I thought the one I work in was big but at only only 80x120ft I guess it's not.:hehe:

 

Strongy, at 480m long imagine how you'd feel walking half way down it and then realising you'd forgotten your trowel :dh:

Marley, I've a cousin whose PhD is in hydroponics, he's now been retired for ten years but still gets invited to deliver lectures around the world on the subject. He grows all his own veg on an allotment, won't touch shop bought veg because of the chemicals they've had flung at them, but maintains a hydroponic greenhouse for his toms.

 

"I just don't like all this chemical hydro growing of stuff"

I'm not as paranoid; Hydroponics is just some N-P-K and trace minerals, The plant will take what it wants. Of course Thanet may be "Plus-insecticide", "Plus-growth-hormone" and "Plus-plus" for all I know.

But if its much-of-a-muchness compared to vegetables trucked over from Spain, Israel, etc., then I'm happy that the produce uses fewer air-miles.

Bt having said that I haven't grass-over my Veg plot ...

 

"realising you'd forgotten your trowel"

In a hydroponics greenhouse like that I reckon you only need a trowel if you get taken short s00k

 

"So the fruits etc are all uniform in size & shape & ripen for picking at the times they the growers want"

Actually I would say it was to accommodate what the Supermarkets say they want (which I believe) ... and in turn the Supermarkets would say is what the Consumer told them they want (which I don't believe - I believe the Consumer has been told / brainwashed by the Supermarket into having Fat-less meat; bright-red meat, rather than marbled; tasteless, perfect looking, veg out of season ...)

 

It would have been nice to see something other than petroleum based fertilizers being used.
I wonder how many thousands/millions of gallons they need to dispose of and more importantly where :wink:

 

Unfortunately this is mass production needed these days to feed the populace,I choose to be organic were possible but not everybody can afford to or have the room to grow their own,supermarkets thrive because people have let them at the cost of all small independant shops and buisnesses.

 

I'm glad I grow my own!

 

I presume it has all the safety features it can posibly have, storm bracing etc but I wonder if it could stand up to the kind of storm we had in '89(?) Our glasshouse at work vibrates in severe gales due to air pressure and with 100's of 3mm sheets of glass 730x330mm above me I usually go in the polytunnel.