Under ground food

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Under ground food

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Ty Gwyn

Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 4613
Location: Lampeter

Posted: Sun Dec 02, 18 1:39 pm Post subject: Under ground food
Well there`s no need to worry about imports,its all being taken care of,lol. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-46221656?SThisFB

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46238
Location: yes

Posted: Sun Dec 02, 18 4:23 pm Post subject:

grow room tech has improved a lot recently, low cost full spectrum/adjustable leds are ace kit and have far less issues than hot bulbs, not least the leccy bill and heat extraction system cost.

as they have a stable start condition it is fairly easy to get a cave ( or similar hole ) set up to run at optimum conditions.

a huge insulated overground box is also viable and might be cheaper than converting most holes into farms

if there is a suitable hole and investment cash to set it up it can be profitable but might take quite a while to cover the investment before it shows a good profit with carrots, other crops have a better mark up.
iirc the clapham folk were specialising in 3 wk herbs and fast salads.

oranges and olives maybe have a bit of a lead time issue

staple carb/protein crops and economically viable fodder crops i have serious dought about viability

as to jobs a few horticultural and techy folk to monitor and set the controls and robotics can do the rest. a few in the installation crews.

lots of jobs is mud, a dibber and a sharp knife.

Ty Gwyn

Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 4613
Location: Lampeter

Posted: Sun Dec 02, 18 5:30 pm Post subject:
Mushrooms have been grown in abandoned slate mines before now,but coalmines is a different job altogether. Diagrams in the post are pretty but don`t show the full picture. No mention of methane,black damp from old workings,and in South Wales,of the contaminated water to deal with.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46238
Location: yes

Posted: Sun Dec 02, 18 9:19 pm Post subject:

shrooms need little more than a suitable place , a substrate and a knife, under railway structures and such spaces has been done for ages

the suitable place thing does include not being full of water ever, not being gassed or blown up, not finding the walls and/or ceiling getting closer rapidly etc etc

plenty of holes , very few might be suitable. those that are could be used.

a digger and a box produces a not a bad hole , no need to be deep to be a stable temp etc.
all the advantages of most holes and a lot less of the disadvantages.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15987

Posted: Mon Dec 03, 18 8:36 am Post subject:

I thought they did gloss over the problems of coal mines a bit. I have never been down anything but a shallow drift mine, now open to the public at the Black Country Museum, but I have heard that they are wet, can be hot, and of course the presence of gas is a problem as you say Ty. I am sure you know more about mines than anyone on here, so they will have to choose their mine very carefully.

There used to be a lot of mushroom growing in old railway tunnels round here in the past, but think the company went bust because of cheap imports. Cost is going to be key in this I think.

sgt.colon

Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.

Posted: Mon Dec 03, 18 10:57 am Post subject:
Would contamination not be a problem? It would be interesting to see the sort of costs involved converting a coal mine to make it safe for food growing.

Ty Gwyn

Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 4613
Location: Lampeter

Posted: Mon Dec 03, 18 12:55 pm Post subject:

The mention of £30,000 to fit out a shaft was stated,you`d have to add on a wayleave agreement with the land owner,planning,and a bond for sealing when production is finished,a mines rescue assessment before entering a shaft,environment assessments for water pumping the figure mentioned is peanuts.

With iron and acid content in the water underground I would imagine all water used for growing would have to be brought to the site.

It will be interesting were the first shaft would be,i`d pin a bet on Yorkshire if anywhere.

sgt.colon

Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.

Posted: Mon Dec 03, 18 2:13 pm Post subject:

Ty Gwyn wrote:

The mention of £30,000 to fit out a shaft was stated.

Yeah but this is the UK so that will probably turn in to something like £100,000

One to keep an eye on though.

Slim

Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6612
Location: New England (In the US of A)

Posted: Wed Dec 05, 18 12:59 pm Post subject:
Ty that means you should be selling your services as an overpriced consultant to these folks. They typically have more money than sense

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