UK vertical farming company GrowUp Farms is exploring strawberry propagation at its indoor growing facility in Kent, marking a potential shift for a business previously focused on commercially producing vertically grown salad leaves.
The development was reported by Fruitnet on 22 September, with the Kent-based company investigating whether strawberries could provide a new opportunity for its controlled-environment growing operation. GrowUp’s Pepperness farm, located in Sandwich, Kent, has been used for year-round production of salad leaves since production began there in 2023.
From leafy greens to soft fruit
GrowUp has established its business around indoor vertical farming, growing salad leaves in stacked layers under controlled conditions. The company’s own information says its Pepperness facility operates year-round and uses a controlled environment without pesticides, while the farm is powered by renewable electricity.
The move towards strawberry propagation represents a different application for the company’s infrastructure and expertise.
Strawberries are already being grown commercially in highly controlled environments across the UK, particularly in glasshouses and polytunnels. However, vertical systems introduce a different production model, allowing plants to be cultivated in stacked layers while environmental conditions such as light, temperature and irrigation can be controlled.
For GrowUp, investigating strawberries comes as the economics of vertical farming continue to evolve. The company previously built its commercial operation around supplying UK retailers with locally grown salad leaves, but the latest development suggests it is assessing other crops and opportunities within controlled-environment agriculture.
Why strawberries?
Strawberries are a particularly interesting crop for controlled-environment production because growers can manipulate growing conditions and, depending on the production system and variety, extend production beyond the traditional outdoor season.
The UK already has a substantial protected strawberry industry. Commercial growers use polytunnels, glasshouses, substrate systems, irrigation and environmental controls to produce fruit over an extended season.
Vertical production takes the concept of controlled growing further by using the vertical space within a facility. Rather than relying on a single horizontal growing area, crops can potentially be produced across multiple levels.
However, strawberries also present different challenges to leafy greens. Plants require substantially more space, have a longer production cycle and need careful management of flowering, pollination, fruit development and plant structure.
That means moving from salad production to strawberries is not simply a case of replacing one crop with another. The growing environment, lighting strategy, irrigation, plant support and harvesting requirements all need to be considered.
Controlled environment meets soft fruit
GrowUp’s interest in strawberry propagation comes at a time when technology is becoming increasingly important across the wider soft fruit industry.
UK strawberry growers are already investing in glasshouses, polytunnels, substrate cultivation, automated systems and precision irrigation to improve production and extend the availability of British fruit.
There is also growing interest in technologies that can address labour requirements and improve consistency. Strawberries are labour-intensive crops, particularly during harvesting, making automation and robotics an important area of research and investment across the sector.
The combination of controlled environments and automation is therefore attracting attention from both established berry growers and technology companies.
Earlier this year, for example, Dyson Farming announced a commercial-scale strawberry trial with LiVA Biotechnology, while its wider expansion plans include additional glasshouse and high-tech polytunnel production.
A different direction for vertical farming
GrowUp’s strawberry exploration also highlights how the vertical farming sector is continuing to experiment with crop selection.
Leafy greens have historically been one of the most common crops for vertical farms because of their relatively short growing cycles and compact growth. Strawberries, by comparison, require a more complex production system but potentially offer a higher-value crop.
Whether strawberries can be produced economically in a fully indoor vertical system remains an important question for the sector. Energy requirements, capital costs, pollination, plant management and harvesting all have to be balanced against crop value and potential production advantages.
For GrowUp, the current work appears to be an exploration rather than a confirmed move away from salad production. The company continues to operate its Pepperness farm as a commercial vertical salad-growing facility, supplying its own Unbeleafable brand to UK retailers.
The investigation nevertheless provides an interesting example of how UK controlled-environment growers are looking beyond traditional crop categories.
As commercial horticulture continues to adopt vertical farming, automation, protected cropping and precision growing technology, strawberries could become an increasingly important crop for experimentation within indoor growing systems.
For the UK soft fruit industry, GrowUp’s latest development will be one to watch as the company assesses whether technology developed for vertical salad production can be adapted to the more demanding requirements of commercial strawberry propagation.
Sources: GrowUp Farms, GrowUp Farms Impact Report, Fruitnet
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