Sugar Coated Rainbow Sprinkles: Fieldtrip to Aeroponics Farm

Went for the first Geog fieldtrip to Tropical Aeroponics Farm along Neo Tiew Crescent early in the morning. The first group, comprising 5 guys, was conducting this field trip, as part of their field study package. The Essential Understanding was about aeroponics.

On the bus!

First, we watched a video on aeroponics, its origins, development in Singapore and advantages, and a farm guide let us sample some really fresh produce of crispy lettuce and their in-house concoction: Lettucino. This Lettucino was a tangy beverage filled with the goodness (and green pulp) of butterhead lettuce, but of course, lime and kiwi were needed to cover that grassy taste, so it did not taste too bad.

Next, the guide took us to visit their aeroponics greenhouses, where vegetables in various states of growth were kept and given optimal environmental conditions to develop. No soil is needed for aeroponics, only air (the roots take in oxygen from the atmosphere) and nutrient solution (which is sprayed at the roots in a mist form at 5-minute intervals).

Guide taking us to the aeroponics greenhouses

Aeroponics greenhouses

Young plants planted in polystyrene boards of the troughs

Cute little baby veggies

It was really hot in the greenhouses, because they trap heat. According to the guide, temperatures in the greenhouses can reach as high as 40 degrees C! But of course, technology allows for the adjustments of greenhouse temperatures, and temperate vegetables like butterhead lettuce and Batavia (the maroon lettuce used in salads) can actually be grown in Singapore.