Urban Farming: BK Farms

BK Farms in Brooklyn is a shop for urban farming gear, design, installs, projects and info. While they lead with hydro my gut is telling me what they are really selling is urban agriculture under the cover of  hydroponics. But you never know with hydro, right? I met Marco originally when he was at a competing shop in the Bronx. He was knowledgeable when I met him - Marco's new job transformed the man into a urban farming dynamo. His excitement and enthusiasm for BK Farms was so compelling I wanted to post a piece on the work they are doing there. Unfortunately due to someone stealing my bike the day I was headed over there this ended up as an email interview. CURSE YOU NYC BIKE THIEF!

MG:How long has BK Farms been in existence?

BK FARMS We opened in October, 2009

MG:Can you tell us about your role in veggie farming?

BK FARMS We provide the proper equipment, resources, and knowledge to get people growing their own food. We like to set our customers up for success, with the right equipment for their skill level and budget. We try to provide customer support 24 hours a day and try to make ourselves readily available to our customers as well as people that seek the the answers to their questions about gardening.

To date we also have Several installations. The first and most prominent is in the kitchen at Del Posto restaurant in Manhattan. Del Posto is currently in the spotlight for receiving a 4 star review from Sam Sifton of the NY Times, which is his first 4 star review since taking over as restaurant critic. ( http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/28/reviewing-del-posto/ ) Here we have installed a small hydroponic garden where the chefs themselves are growing rare and difficult to find Italian produce. We service the system weekly as they are a very busy restaurant and use what they grow very fast. The second installation we have is at The Brooklyn Kitchen which is located at 100 Frost St. and Meeker in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Kitchen and Meat Hook which are housed under the same roof, caters to locavores and people looking for local and sustainably produced Meat and Vegetables, as well as providing cooking classes and high end kitchen equipment. Here are some more blog write-ups ( http://www.thebrooklynkitchen.com/3320/weve-got-fresh-herbs/ ) ( http://blog.betterfarm.org/2011/06/ones-to-watch-brooklyn-farms.html ) Another installation we have is at The Brooklyn Grange rooftop farm, which is run by Ben Flanner, who also founded Eagle Street Rooftop farm but then defected to start one of the largest rooftop farms in NYC. This sprawling 1 acre farm is providing New Yorkers with fresh locally and sustainably farmed produce. (http://www.brooklyngrangefarm.com/ ) The system we have installed here is A Nutrient Film Technique with 24 plant sites and we are experimenting to see if we can increase the yield per square foot using hydroponics for some crops. We are currently growing salad greens, basils, and kales. It is wonderful to have the opportunity to work with Ben and his whole crew and we love the days that we get to spend on the farm overlooking the Manhattan skyline.

MG: I've been told you do some work in the schools - what can you tell us about this?

BK FARMS: We have worked with several schools and teachers throughout the NYC area already and have more plans in the works. We like to think of ourselves as educators as well. It's very rewarding to see teens and children interested in gardening and farming. We think that hands-on projects work best to capture the attention of these kids. Once these kids see the results and how simple and low maintenance a small food garden can be they become hooked and hang on to our every word. Most of the kids we work with in NYC are from less affluent areas of the city and if you live near any of these neighborhoods you would realize that access to fresh, healthy food is scarce. Within a reasonable distance from most housing projects you will find nothing but fast food and we want to make sure that people and especially our future generations eat healthier and are more aware of their diet. We help to decrease child obesity and health issues due to poor diets, and it can be done while still keeping the kids pro-active and involved in their own future.

MG: Any advice for new gardeners?

BK FARMS: Advice to new gardeners would be not to give up. Most of the people that come in and say that they cannot keep plants alive are killing their plants with love, usually too much water. It is important to regularly check your garden but to also let the plants grow on their own. As I already stated we like to set people up for success by setting them up with a system or plants that fit within their lifestyle as well as their gardening ability. Once people reap their first harvest or get a basic understanding of how to care for plants or an entire garden they are generally hooked and from their we step them up to something more elaborate, if that is what they want. One must also demonstrate patience. Plants are living things that have life cycles and we must respect those lifestyles and understand their needs during their various stages of growth. Making mistakes is ok in the garden in fact we generally learn the most from our mistakes. So do not be afraid to try things, it will make you a better gardener in the end.

MG:What do you see as your biggest success?

BK FARMS: Our biggest success(s) aren't necessarily the installs or projects we have going but rather the new people that we get into this whole world of gardening. There are customers that came in that didn't know anything about gardening and now come in regularly to purchase new equipment and fertilizers and bring us what they have grown. For some reason things taste better when you grow them yourself and it's awesome to see those same people that asked the most basic of questions maintaining a successful garden and loving what they are doing. I love what I do and I get pumped every time I convert someone into the world of gardening and urban farming. I feel that the more people that grow their own food the less we can depend on outsourced food and the lower the cost of that food, which right now in NYC is astronomical.

MG: Is there any downside to hydroponic gardening?

BK FARMS: I believe that traditional soil gardening tends to have a slightly better quality than Hydroponics but I also think that hydroponics has more viability in Cities. One can produce 3 times the amount of food with hydroponics than with soil gardening at with a fraction of the space. In our Brooklyn kitchen installation, we are using a 4' x 2' flood tray. That flood tray holds 24 plants at the moment. In my own backyard, which is 20' x 12' holds 18 plants. One can grow very high quality food in Hydroponics but its the quantity of food, the time it takes to get to harvest, the absence of many diseases and pathogens, and the small spaces required to actually maintain a hydroponic garden that attracts people. Hydroponics also has less room for error than soil so we like to get people started in soil if it's a possibility. Another upside to hydroponics is that it actually uses 30% less water than traditional soil gardens.

MG: What's the future look like from where you are sitting?

BK FARMS: The future looks great. There was negative connotations involved with hydroponics but the public is seeing it as a more viable option especially for city dwellers. Aside from providing food it also provides people with a small green space which does wonders for our souls. I think that as populations grow and people becoming increasingly aware of what they are eating and where their food comes from, we will see more and more people moving towards hydroponics for the sake of sustainability.