SEA TO SKY BOTANICS
is a specialist in urban agriculture and green design.
We build custom growing systems and provide clients with consultation services. Our expertise in self-watering soil systems, aquaponics and hydroponics has allowed us to work with clients across Alberta and British Columbia. Currently, Sea to Sky Botanics is working towards the development of indoor farms that provide an alternative to the traditional hydroponic seatainer farm. These farms are a fraction of the price of hydroponic farms, are lower maintenance, have shallow learning curves and, unlike hydroponic seatainer farms, can grow root crops and large vining fruit crops.
CURRENT:
In Partnership
with the Alberta
Motor Association
Sea to Sky Botanics has developed a Micro Greens for Schools Program that is available through the Alberta Motor Association’s School Garden Studio.
Learn more on our Schools page.
Native Plants
Sea to Sky Botanics is now working with native plants to create a variety of installations, the first of which is this rooftop pollinator garden for Explore Edmonton’s head office.
Sub-irrigated Gardens
Our sub-irrigated systems can be used indoors or outdoors and for a variety of plants — everything from perennials to annual vegetables to tropicals.
Pictured:
A demonstration sub-irrigated wicking system for Explore Edmonton’s Innovation Pavilion. Watered once every 5 weeks.
Northern Food Security And a New Way of Indoor Farming.
The landscape surrounding Fort Chipewyan is extremely rugged and remote. Like many northern communities, supplies are delivered via plane or barge. A winter road is accessible from mid-December to late March, but as the climate warms there is uncertainty around how reliable this road will be in the future. This, combined with recent events around Covid-19, has emphasized the importance of local food security.
The current approach to indoor farming in remote communities involves the installation of high-tech hydroponic seatainer farms. These farms cost upwards of $200,000, have steep learning curves and are limited to growing leafy greens and herbs. As Andrew Spring, Canada Research Chair in Northern Sustainable Food Systems, says, “salad greens are not the answer to food insecurity. What’s needed from a food security standpoint are things that go in a stew” — hearty produce such as root crops and fruiting vegetables.
Repairs to high-tech hydroponic farms are also challenging when parts and technicians need to travel to isolated areas. Finally, consider that the synthetic fertilizers used in these farms lack trace elements, such as silica, which leads to produce becoming extremely limp after harvest.
SEA TO SKY BOTANICS solves all of these problems with its sub-irrigated, soil-based approach to indoor farming.
Our farms are a fraction of the price of hydroponic farms, are lower maintenance, easy to repair, have extremely shallow learning curves and can grow root crops and large vining fruit crops. In addition, we ensure a growing protocol that uses organic matter, beneficial microbiology and slow-release organic fertilizers. This means healthier plants that rarely get nutrient deficiencies. Finally, the skills learned and technologies used with our indoor farms are transferable to the outdoor environment.
Please contact us to learn more.