Week four kicked off with an air of excitement for the VE18-Food team. Continuing with our work on the Robotic Greenhouse, the team set out to buy the proper materials needed in order to build it. We began at the local wood shop where we bought the wood necessary to construct the base of the greenhouse and a proper garden bed for FarmBot to function on. From here we bought polycarbonate materials that will be used for paneling in order to properly insulate the space within the greenhouse and designed proper structuring to go along with it. We plan to have the greenhouse structure built by the start of December (as we will be on academic break from 11/21 – 11/25 due to the United States holiday of Thanksgiving). From here we will look into the components needed to automate the greenhouse windows.

In addition to continuing our work on the greenhouse, the team began planting seeds to be used in our prototype hydroponic system. If all goes well, the seedlings should appear within a week and will be available to be transplanted in the system to grow. We started with beets and radishes, as they are in season at the moment in Venice. Our team continues to research the best options for produce within bell towers. Additionally, our team obtained a time lapse camera from the company that may be used to capture the growth of the plants within our systems.

Ultimately, week four was our final week of preparation for the systems and structures we plan to put together as prototypes. In the coming weeks we expect to see our final parts arrive on site on site as we transition into building and begin testing these prototypes. Very exciting stuff!