The Conservation Issue: Just Add Water

4Roots Farm grows a wide variety of plants such as romaine lettuce headed for SeaWorld, kale, tomatoes, strawberries, carrots and edible flowers.

Farming isn’t necessarily about getting your hands dirty anymore, y’all. Some people have even found a way to grow food without dirt. Hydroponic farming is revolutionizing agriculture and dining worldwide by merging technology with sustainability to create a network of efficient, local food production. And while the systems can be expensive to operate, Central Florida seems to be ground zero for hydroponic experimentation. 

Hydroponic farming is just what it sounds like, farming with water. This sounds kind of dumb if you meditate on it too long because all farming is done with water. But this type of farming uses a nutrient-rich water solution full of all the Flintstone goodness plants need, and it is all contained in a series of aqueducts or pipes that the plants grow into, with their roots flowing free, just raw doggin’ it to get all the things they need right at the tip of their tips.

Systems can be indoors or in greenhouses to control factors like temperature, light and pests, and since the water is recirculated, it reduces overall water use. It’s expensive to do and requires a lot of science know-how along with a green thumb so you don’t see them often outside of larger farm setups, like Treadwell Farms in Umatilla, which uses the technology to crank out CBD at a remarkable rate. 

EPCOT’s “Living with the Land” immersive boat journey showcases the evolution of agriculture through history and features several state-of-the-art greenhouses.

At EPCOT’s “Living with the Land,” visitors embark on an immersive boat journey that showcases the evolution of agriculture through history. The attraction features several state-of-the-art greenhouses, including the Tropics Greenhouse, Temperate Greenhouse and Creative Greenhouse. In these controlled environments, crops are grown using nutrient-rich water rather than traditional soil, demonstrating innovative methods to conserve water and increase yields. 

When Disney built this living laboratory, it was meant primarily as an educational experience, but it also plays a vital role in supporting the on-site dining venue, The Garden Grill. Here, guests enjoy a farm-to-table meal where ingredients are sourced directly from the greenhouses. It’s a Small World-like hydroponic systems on display. While the menu isn’t as impressive as the ride—plates of green beans and buttered seasonal vegetables—they do make a good Bloody Mary if you need some liquid strength to deal with all of the screaming kids running around. 

The integration of technology, education and dining creates a powerful narrative about sustainable food production while providing an authentic, fresh culinary experience. By bringing hydroponics into the realm of entertainment and fine dining, EPCOT effectively bridges the gap between futuristic agricultural practices and everyday food consumption. 

One of the most remarkable examples of hydroponics tech in Central Florida was the short-lived Hydroponics Cube at the Orlando World Marriott Center. This installation, which opened in 2018, reimagined a traditional outdoor pagoda structure as a cutting-edge indoor hydroponic facility designed for commercial food production, that looked like something straight out of Star Trek; a shining pink Borg cube.

The 25-foot glowing HyCube, created in partnership with Eco Convergence Group (an Orlando-based engineering firm that focuses on sustainability) featured vertical shelving towers capable of supporting between 15,000 and 25,000 plants simultaneously. Utilizing a recirculating water system, the facility used up to 90% less water compared to conventional farming methods, where water can run off or evaporate before really sinking in and nourishing the plants. 

The Cube has since been decommissioned and turned into a special events pavilion, due to the high cost of upkeep and investment needed to keep it operational. But plenty of other operations are keeping the tech in play, just not in such a showy way. And if anything, the need to cut costs is a great motivator for better design. 

Onions grow via aquaculture at 4Roots Farm’s greenhouses.

Outside of the parks and closer to downtown Orlando, 4Roots Farm is pioneering a community-centered approach to sustainable agriculture. As a nonprofit initiative, 4Roots Farm is dedicated to transforming the local food system by using fancy, advanced hydroponic technologies—some imported from Israel—to grow fresh produce year-round. 

Situated in the Packing District, a private development led by Dr. Phillips Charities, the farm serves multiple purposes: it is an educational hub, a community gathering space and a supplier of high-quality, locally grown ingredients. The farm’s innovative design incorporates various growing systems, including hydroponics and aquaponics, which maximize space and resource efficiency while reducing water usage. 

Only recently open in its first stage of development, 4Roots Farm plans to actively engage the community by hosting cooking classes, workshops and tours, providing hands-on learning experiences that demystify modern farming techniques.

By directly connecting with local restaurants and consumers, the farm reinforces the idea that sustainable, urban agriculture can help solve food insecurity and foster community resilience in an increasingly urbanized world.

While the bulk of the leafy greens currently being produced by the farm’s hydroponic system are being sent to SeaWorld to feed convalescing manatees, they have also launched an online retail hub called Fresh By 4Roots (freshby4roots.com) where you can subscribe for a regular delivery of boxed, fresh, locally-sourced vegetables and they partner with other local farmers to offer organic fruit boxes, heritage pork and more. 

Workers at AdventHealth Celebration’s Freight Farm tend to hydroponically grown lettuce. The hydroponic farm, which is housed inside a 40-foot-long by eight-foot-wide shipping container, is controlled by an app that monitors and regulates the climate, watering and lights. Photo by Roberto Gonzalez.

AdventHealth Celebration launched a hydroponic project back in 2022 called the Freight Farm, a hydroponic operation inside a retrofitted shipping container. It measures 40 feet long and eight feet wide, and the whole operation is managed through an app on someone’s phone; the climate, watering schedule, lights, all at the tap of a finger. 

After the seeds are planted into a spongy plug of peat moss and other organic matter, they are sprayed with nutrients and water and nested under lights that produce an artificial day and night cycle. When the sprouts grow to about two inches, they are stacked into the vertical towers of the freight farm, allowing water to trickle down from plant to plant. The container’s LED lights stimulate photosynthesis, and it takes about six to eight weeks until plants are ready for harvest.

The produce gathered from the container is sent to the hospital’s onsite cafe, where it is available to team members and visitors. At the time, hospital leadership hoped to eventually expand the program to every AdventHealth campus, but that has yet to bear fruit. 

As I said at the beginning, the best examples of hydroponic gardening in the region are on larger privately-run farms. Green Life Farms in Lake Worth recently expanded into Punta Gorda, operating massive greenhouses filled with hydroponic networks that pump out produce for Florida dinners. California produce gluts Florida grocery stores with vegetables that were picked over a week before we see them in our local markets. But Green Life’s extensive, East Coast operation ensures that their product is available all year round, and you can purchase their produce at Publix and Winn-Dixies across the state. Look for their sticker with the old Ford pickup truck on it so you know it’s fresh, and likely harvested the day before it hit the shelf.

Green Life takes great care to showcase the benefits of hydroponic produce vs. organic produce, citing that urban farming creates a lower carbon footprint where 90% less water is used and short crop cycles mean plants can grow year-round. 

Yenny Malave of Yenny’s Hydroponic Farm tends to Boston and green leaf lettuces.

Yenny’s Hydroponic Farm, a family-owned farm in Orlando (tucked away behind MetroWest and Gotha, close to Bob Ross’s grave), is cranking out hydroponic-powered produce too, and you can buy it all onsite at their own market.

With a focus on quality and taste, the farm offers vegetables, herbs and microgreens such as lettuce, basil and mint. They prioritize sustainability and environmental consciousness; by using hydroponics, they conserve water and minimize the need for pesticides, creating an eco-friendly farming solution. These techniques offer produce free from the chemicals that may otherwise end up on your plate.

Yenny’s also believes in fostering transparency and connection with their customers, and any and all questions about its products and growing practices are encouraged. 

These pioneering projects are not only transforming the way food is grown and consumed in Central Florida—they are also setting a new standard for sustainable practices across the nation. As these initiatives continue to expand and inspire, the future of food production looks decidedly greener, healthier and more connected to the communities it serves. 

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