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We’re “growing up” in the Eco Lab. No, our educators haven’t gotten any taller, nor is this a commentary on maturity. We’re growing up with the help of the Babylon Micro-Farms STEM Garden, our new hydroponic vertical farming unit that resides on Level 2 of the Science Museum of Virginia.

The unit is an example of Controlled Environment Agriculture. The innovative farming practice utilizes indoor spaces to maximize crop output. By stacking crops in vertical layers and controlling indoor climate factors such as light, water, temperature, humidity and nutrients, urban farmers–like the educators in our Eco Lab–are able to plant more seeds per acre and buffer against climate uncertainty.

The STEM Garden produced by Richmond-based Babylon Micro-Farms can grow up to 90 plants at a time, including leafy greens, herbs, edible flowers and microgreens. Unlike a traditional garden where plants are grown in soil, this hydroponic system grows plants in nutrient-rich water.

The best part: because of the controlled environment, plants can be ready to harvest in as few as two weeks. The STEM Garden can produce 8-16 pounds of herbs, 12-20 pounds of leafy greens or approximately 24 pounds of microgreens per month.

The early returns from our STEM Garden have us excited (and a little hungry). Unfortunately for us, the bok choy that’s coming in isn’t for staff or guest consumption. We’re currently experimenting with different plants, but the end goal of the hydroponic system is to use leafy greens grown in the unit to feed our friends in the Animal Lab!

Some of our members and guests may already be familiar with the unit making this possible. Back in September, Babylon Farms’ Co-Founder and CEO Alexander Olesen joined us for a Sunrise Science event to explain vertical farming to our attendees. From that conversation sprouted an opportunity to take part in the practice right here in our Eco Lab!

Not only do our Animal Lab residents benefit from the partnership, but guests also get to see the system in action every time they visit the Science Museum. That’s just another way we’re inspiring guests, this time to think about how they could experiment with a hydroponic farming system at home.

As the weather gets colder and daylight is in short supply, the STEM Garden will help us keep “growing up” in the Eco Lab year-round, day and night. There you go … another unbe-LEAF-able STEM innovation that enhances our lives!