ST. PAUL, Minn.- "Green has never been more beautiful than when the ground is snow white." That couldn't be more true than on a snowy Thursday morning when you set foot into a true urban indoor farm and the smell of basil takes over your senses. That is what happened to me and Bobby this week. It is such a growing trend of sustainable indoor farms in the middle of the city.
Urban Organics is a beautiful farm in the one of the old Hamm's Brewery buildings in St. Paul. The farm reaches three stories high and the plants are amazing. They are doing an herb garden right now so mint, basil, watercress are their main crops. They also are practicing Aquaponics. Farming 1000's of tilapia and using that resource to fertilize the plants in a sustainable closed loop hydroponic system.
Dave Haider, the urban farmer we interviewed today, has been raising fish since he was a kid with his dad.
He built nearly all of the Urban Organics growing system and manages daily operations. A Saint Paul native, Dave grew up with close ties to the Hamm's Brewery. His great-grandfather worked there for more than 40 years. Dave and his wife Kristen are both partners in Urban Organics.
Thanks for the tour and good luck with your business and venture!
Belinda
