You may be thinking of a large produce garden to supply your clients with the freshest seasonal fruits and vegetables - summer and winter - or a smaller herb garden. Either way, the choices are many. Anything on our Products and Services page can be adapted to the needs of restaurants, but you may have still other requests to suit your particular menu and style. See our Recent Urban Agriculture Projects for some ideas.
Saving Money on the Freshest Produce
In terms of cost per square foot of growing space, your resources are best focussed on growing leafy greens, herbs, and large vining plants such as squash, tomatoes, pumpkins and peas. Greens, herbs and vines are also the produce that benefits the most from being served as fresh as possible. In contrast, most root vegetables are cheap to buy and their flavour is not notably enhanced by being served moments from the garden.
For those with very limited space, we would recommend a herb garden as the best place to start: fabulous flavours, cost effectiveness, small footprint, and low labour to maintain.
We Can Farm Your Garden for You
If you don't think you have time to farm the garden yourself, we will do it for you, and bring the harvest right to your kitchen door! The cost for ongoing garden maintenance & harvest depends on where it is, what you're growing (some kinds of plants are a lot more labour intensive than others), and what your particular goals are. The cost is calculated from a combination of a basic hourly wage and a commission based on the amount of food we produce for you. We consult closely with you, to forecast upcoming seasonal harvests, so you can plan your menu accordingly.
Where to Put Your Garden:
Rooftop Gardens
A growing trend in tight spaces, rooftops can provide considerable space for you to develop a fabulous restaurant garden! Lightweight growing mediums and shallow beds make for a small structural impact - but we always consult a structural engineer to be absolutely sure that your building is suited to such a solution.
From there, the basic issues are same as in any garden design - what works best in the space for your particular needs.
Container Gardens: Tomato Terraces, Herb Gardens and Custom Planters
Any plant that grows in a garden will grow in a planter box! Planters are the most versatile option for where to put your garden and for dealing with limited space. We can custom build a set of beds and/or planter boxes to fit your space and needs. Tomato and Lettuce Terraces come in standard sizes, but we can also build planters to any shape and size.
Instant Herb Garden
Taking off from the design of the Tomato Terrace, we offer an all-inclusive Herb Garden - the terraced planter box(es), soil, and your choice of herb plants. We install and plant it for you, and it’s ready to go. With good sun and regular watering, most herbs are very easy to grow, and provide the ultimate in fresh, compelling flavour.
Watering: Drip Irrigation
Simple, inexpensive drip systems provide water efficiency, convenience and great results. As part of our service, we will set up a watering system for you, and help set an easily maintained watering schedule. Or, if you opt for FarmCity to maintain your garden for you, we will of course do the watering for you, too.
Anything Else You Need? Don't hesitate to ask!
