Long ago and far away when we lived in Alaska, there was a commercial greenhouse in town. This was the tiny city of McGrath, way off the grid, an outpost accessible only by dogsled or plane. The Native Corporation, flush with funds from the sale of oil and gas rights, decided to build the greenhouse in town to provide people with fresh veggies and of course, to make money. Here you can see the greenhouse in back of the local tavern, which was ever the bigger money maker. See the moose antlers over the door?
The greenhouse was built on 18 inches of gravel to protect it from permafrost. It was heated by waste heat from the nearby FAA facility. What a wonderful, sustainable idea. Or so it seemed. I was hired as a helper there. That summer we grew cucumbers, tomatoes, and strawberries, most of which no one in town would buy. Who ate fruits or vegetables, especially when they weren't wrapped? Most of the tomatoes our landlady fed to her turkeys.
Within a couple of months the advanced, expensive system of hydroponics got clogged on the peat moss inside. There was a proliferation of spider mites on the strawberry plants that quickly attacked the rest of the crops. Operations were closed for awhile in the fall while prodigious pesticides were applied to the whole space. And that winter people found they couldn't grow anything. Surprise! There wasn't a reliable source of light.
The weight of the first big snow brought the structure down and that was the end of the McGrath greenhouse.
What does this have to do with gardening in malls? Today's New York Times ran a piece on empty shopping malls being used as indoor gardens. It reminded me of our greenhouse which, incidentally, was staffed with a professional horticulturist brought down from Fairbanks.
What can be the fate of a mall garden? Where will the expertise come to run it? How can it provide the kind of light needed for growing plants? One of the people they interviewed for the article found that aphids spread fast indoors. The solution? A container of ladybugs! Do we really buy the idea that this would cover the whole interior of a mall? What about heating the mall? Maintaining it? Keeping it safe? Does anyone think the kale they grow inside will cover the enormous costs of running thousands of square feet of former retail space? The concept that mall spaces, overbuilt in the first place, could provide conditions for indoor growing at a commercial scale seems to me outrageous and as poorly thought out as the malls themselves.
Maybe you think otherwise, I'd love to hear! Meanwhile here's a picture of our little log cabin in McGrath, Alaska, where we lived during 1981-1982.
very interesting in terms of how a business can be so directly impacted by the enivronment
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ReplyDeleteDepending on the location of the malls they can use some form of a Green roof system. http://www.liveroof.com/
ReplyDeleteGardening requires a lot of maintenance inside or out.
This is really interesting. I think that gardening indoors is really strange though and not natural at all. I also don't think that the idea of gardening inside of malls is very well thought out either and I am not sure I understand exactly how that would work.
ReplyDeleteEmily
I like the idea of using empty malls for a productive and natural purpose, but it seems like a huge financial risk. We have no idea how much money it will actually take to make a successful "mall garden" and I'm just not sure if that's a project worth taking such a large risk for.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great example of the link between business and environment.
ReplyDelete-Matt Auerbach
At first glance a mall garden sounds like a great idea. However, maybe it is just one of those things that sound good on paper. I agree with you, professor; I do not think it could work out.
ReplyDeleteThe mall garden is an interesting topic and reminds me of the Eden Project in the UK. It shows how ecosystems are so delicate and depend on every factor to produce and function the way they do now.
ReplyDeleteBrittany Sebade
Building and sustaining a greenhouse inside a massive mall is ambitious. Ambitious, but poorly planned. With your experience in the McGrath situation, it seems that many have not completely thought out the process and work that must be involved in creating such a successful environment. Maybe shelling out a ridiculous amount of money can help the greenhouse malls - but then we could create a greenhouse anywhere. Or perhaps - gasp! - we could have enough funding to aid the environment elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
AJ Earle
Hmm. If this whole gardening façade is in the name of sustainability, I have a better idea: Run the air-conditioning system at 2 degrees higher in summer, and the heating system at 2 degrees lower in winter. Very interesting though.
ReplyDelete-Gunita Singh
The idea of utilizing former malls as places to garden is interesting. Personally, I feel that this solution would be very costly and ineffective. By considering some factors such as heating and maintenance, it seems difficult to convert the atmosphere of a mall into a garden. A serious consideration for renovation would be need.
ReplyDelete-Cheryl T.
An interesting idea - one which I thought would actually be very profitable but it turns out not at all! It seems very risky, especially since there is no guarantee that the process will go smoothly, and also expensive to run.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting experience in Alaska. It is a shame it didn't work. i think retro fitting a mall to become a greenhouse is a cool idea but the initial capital investment would be too extreme for any wise investor.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if growing a lot of plants in a mall would work. I don't know much about greenhouses, but it seems to me that a small confined space is easier to maintain, control and keep track of how the plants are doing. A greenhouse the size of the mall would take a lot of planning and upkeep.
ReplyDeleteNot sure how planting things inside a mall would work. However, if the mall were altered to be like a greenhouse then maybe? Nonetheless, probably the main reason as to why they consider such an idea is to make use of vacant non-revenue generating malls. To restore these malls and make use of them, could stir the local economy, help the local community, and be eco friendly.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that they would try to convert a shopping mall into a garden. Perhaps results would be better if they just razed the building and made it a park!
ReplyDeleteGene
This is a very interesting concept. But, I think I personally would prefer to eat crops from the “great outdoors,” grown “normally” (preferably organically, though I will admit I have not checked/kept up on ensuring the produce I buy is pesticide free...) But, after reading about the problems of the Alaskan greenhouse, my convictions against greenhouses/indoor garden produce was strengthened. It just doesn’t seem natural... If it could be proved to me it was just the same, I might change my mind though. - Alex Shadrow
ReplyDeleteGardens Under Glass in Cleveland set out to repurpose a downtown mall (original glass ceiling) but it has turned into a retail training hub. I am sure Valerie or others would explain what they were up against so others could learn from their experience. Www.gardensunderglass.net I am representing aeroponic vertical growing systems that are now accessible for homeowners or commercial growers. I am excited to offer this as a step individuals can take especially if in an urban environment. Www.talk2deb.towergarden.com It provides the best food and pays for itself.
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