Dyson is doing strawberries

* https://dysonfarming.com/strawberries/

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA6BCIWPJ30

The rationale there is a combo of profit (from off season strawberries) and mark-up possible from unique branding (Dyson) and social fuzzies (eco-friendly, etc (regardless of cold economics)).

The challenge is finding something that is energy dense, that grows quickly, and has a high value to justify the length of trouble you have to go through. Things like potatoes, grains, rice, etc. Are relatively low value and they don't grow that quick.

Potatoes especially don't like to be submerged. But otherwise they are not that hard to grow. A simple grow bag will do. That's true for a lot of root vegetables and tubers. For vegetables like that, greenhouses are more common.

With rice and grains, they grow well enough in hydroponics but you just need an enormous amount of area to get to interesting amounts. Also the growing season for that is quite long. Hydroponics favor things that you can harvest in weeks rather than say 2-3 times per year.

I grow kale, mustard greens, herbs, and sprouts. I'm not looking to erase my need for produce. I just want to always have some fresh staples. Easier to pull off a few sprigs of parsley or some basil than it is to buy those little packs all the time.

I remember seeing people suggest vertical algae farms that could (in the marketing theory) be a very high nutrient source. The problem then is that you're eating algae. Spirulina is an acquired taste.

I'm more intrigued by duckweed, which grows very fast and is a common food in some countries.

Fruiting plants require more space. You're not going to grow tomatoes or peppers in a server rack. Density works well for leafy greens and microgreens.

Isn't the idea that you get to do that with all the fertile land you liberate from the lettuce?

afaik soybeans can grow perfectly well in hydroponic setups, and I'm sure you can do many other beans too.

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jf203275m

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S194439862...

there's no free lunch - the plants are just rearranging what you give them.

Turns out you’re meant to eat multiple plants.

Bioflavonoids are important.

Mushrooms!