May/June 2022 - 16

FEATURE
EDIBLE GARDEN
growers must determine how to block
pests from entering the packing area.
Consecutive days of rain bring water
outside the greenhouses, which attract
fungus gnats. Soon, the difficult to
detect gnats are inside the greenhouse.
Edible Garden's production crew
possesses decades of greenhouse
growing experience and knows what
to do to protect the plants.
" The challenges sometimes come
down to continuing to strive to
make sure that you're learning from
what doesn't work and applying that
knowledge to what you can to make it
better, " Kras said. " Greenhouses don't
run themselves, but the challenges are
there every day. "
The biggest challenge affecting all
 A view of Edible Garden's facility in Belvidere, New Jersey.
farms advice and support, particularly
newer growers, to show what Edible
Garden's staff has learned about what
to do and not to do, and how to get in
front of potential problems.
" It's always about what you don't see
that can get you, " said Kras.
Edible Garden uses its patented
GreenThumb app technology, developed
in 2020,
to optimize greenhouse
production and map inventory, retailer
demand versus supply, as well as waste
and other factors. The software adjusts
how Edible Garden grows crops and
works with automated environmental
controls, which allows workers to
ensure tight production controls via
phones and tablets. The technology is
greenhouse format agnostic and works
with traditional greenhouses as well as
vertical grows.
" Greenhouses were kind of untapped
as it relates to telling the story of
sustainability, " said Kras. " It's incredible
how quickly this has accelerated. "
Greenhouses receive signals from
the software to adjust shading or other
practices, which could compensate for
any weather issues. The technology
helps cut spoilage and shrink, big pain
points for growers and buyers.
16 MAY/JUNE 2 0 2 2
" We truly understand what demand
and seasonality look like, " said Kras.
" All this is done by the major CPGs
(consumer packaged goods) companies
because the devil is in the inventory,
the devil is throwing out perfectly
good plants because the supplier didn't
anticipate a buyer. "
Challenges indoors
Despite crops being grown in
protected environments, production
challenges, though not as numerous
as field growing, remain. Hail storms,
which can destroy glass roofs, are one
of the biggest threats. Heat, which can
flex and crack the glass, is another.
Gears in motors that open and close
glass can wear out. Energy - the cost
to heat and power an operation - is
the biggest greenhouse cost.
Though Edible Garden's closed-loop
production system helps mitigate many
challenges, greenhouse growers face
challenges from pests and diseases,
including mites, fly outbreaks, fungus
gnats and downy mold. Integrated pest
management helps reduce bugs, but
sometimes greenhouse growers deal with
excessive hunter flies, bugs that fight the
detrimental bugs. Suddenly, greenhouse
of organics is pricing, according to
Kras. Theoretically, growers should
receive some kind of premium because
growing organically tends to be more
costly than conventional.
" It's being able to drive value and
being at a price point that makes sense
for everyone where everyone can make
money, " he said.
The costs and effects of logistics
remains a concern. Kras said he
wants to become better at logistics
and determine how Edible Garden
can lessen its environmental impact
through transportation.
" For me, sustainability starts as
growing, then comes packing, " said
Kras. " How can we cut our footprint
as much as possible? "
Kras recent ly visited Salinas,
California. He said it was heartbreaking
seeing what was going on with the
water shortages, fires and soil issues.
" It's tough, " he said. " Then to ship all
that across the country, it's even crazier
with that environmental impact. "
Recent reports of increasing global
temperatures may accelerate industry
activity to combat climate change.
" We don't want to think about it, but
we have to think about it, " said Kras.
" We are fortunate to be in an industry
where we can start the push to do more.
But we are only one small part of it. If
we can do our part, it will hopefully
help incite change a little bit, which has
to be happening faster now. "
May/June 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May/June 2022
