The Whole Foods in Gowanus, Brooklyn, can boast that it has the freshest leafy greens and tomatoes available in any supermarket in the city—thanks to its rooftop tenant, Gotham Greens, which owns and operates a 20,000-square-foot greenhouse. It is the only grocer that gets produce delivered by elevator just hours after being picked.
Gotham Greens is not only running the first greenhouse on top of a supermarket, but the company also asserts that it has the only commercial rooftop greenhouse in the entire country. It is also the fastest-growing greenhouse company in the city using hydroponics instead of soil to grow crops. It harvested its first tomatoes, lettuces, basil, bok choy and kale a couple of weeks ago. All are pesticide-free, though not certified organic.
The Brooklyn-based urban farmer is taking the locavore movement to a new level by growing produce year-round like competitors in California, where New York gets a big chunk of its produce. Local farmers are quick to point out that a typical shipment from the West is already a week old by the time it hits store shelves in New York.
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