Janet Colston

Scotland

Writer at Urban Ag News

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Articles

Choose your banker crops well and you will laugh all the way to the bank

3 weeks ago | urbanagnews.com | Janet Colston

Banker plants provide an alternative food source, habitat and often a reproduction site for natural pest enemies. Banker plants can be particularly useful during periods of high nitrogen boosted growth i.e. when the apices are actively growing like the tomatoes above. Even though we operate in controlled environments, working with the natural ecosystem in a greenhouse could help to cheaply and efficiently control pests alongside trap tapes and other biocontrols.
What’s your New Year’s Resolution?

Jan 15, 2025 | urbanagnews.com | Janet Colston

As 2025 begins, many farmers will be considering which crop to grow in the year ahead. Most will have been in planning mode well before now, but if you are considering berries this year it’s important to recognise they require a different growing strategy from leafy greens, tomatoes or other commonly grown greenhouse and indoor crops. Towards the end of last year we saw how strawberries were elevated to prime-position in vertical farms like Oishii.
Can CEA save Ginseng?

Nov 6, 2024 | urbanagnews.com | Janet Colston

‘Prince of Herbs’, Ashwagandha or Indian Ginseng (Withiana Somnifera) grown in hydroponics under LED lights. Image courtesy of The Functional Plant Co. Aryvedic medicine relies on a natural and balanced approach to physical and mental health. At its core are plants, herbs and roots with additional phytonutrients that exert positive effects on our health. One of the most popular ayurvedic herbs is Ashwagandha, otherwise known as Indian ginseng.
How many in CEA grow watercress? It has surprisingly good health benefits

Sep 30, 2024 | urbanagnews.com | Janet Colston

Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Greenhouse for Growing Leafy Greens in Texas. We know the CEA industry is advancing with facilities like those above producing food with great health benefits. But, how many of us know the benefits of individual leafy greens and herbs? We want to delve into one in particular that stands out for us; – watercress, is a powerhouse in health circles, and is rich in vitamin A, C and E, as well as an excellent source of iron, magnesium and calcium.
Who ate all the flowers?

Sep 4, 2024 | urbanagnews.com | Janet Colston

Nasturtium (Tropaeolum spp.) in hydroponics, courtesy of The Functional Plant Co. Given the chance, we all appreciate the beauty of flowers, their color, perfume, diversity and sometimes their edible portions. We wonder why more people do not grow these commercially, especially those that love to be grown hydroponically. Nasturtiums are often added to salads and both leaves and flowers give a peppery feel to any salad.
Which crops do we need to graft in CEA and why?

Jul 24, 2024 | urbanagnews.com | Janet Colston

Vegetable production with grafted young plants originated in Japan and Korea as a way to avoid serious crop loss caused by soil-borne disease, aggravated by successive cropping. Grapes of course are a well known grafted crop, as are apples and other stone fruits. They have been grafted for centuries to avoid similar issues originating from soil-borne disease.
Strawberries: Does bigger mean better?

Jul 9, 2024 | urbanagnews.com | Janet Colston

Strawberries have an interesting lineage that many people may be unaware of. The story goes that the humble garden strawberry (fragaria x ananassa) originated from a spontaneous cross between two wild alpine strawberries, fragaria virginiana and fragaria chiloensis in 17th century France. Below we have grown them out in tissue culture to see what they were like.
Stress busting foods

Jul 2, 2024 | urbanagnews.com | Janet Colston

We all experience stress at some point in our lives. It’s not inevitable though, and our mood could be altered by the foods we eat. How we handle stress is very much down to the individual, but we can learn tricks and techniques to help us cope better, in the same way some of us use yoga or fishing to de-stress. Of course, there are many ways to combat stress, but in this article we are only concerned about how foods can impact how you feel.
Growing Vanilla in Hydroponics

Jun 24, 2024 | urbanagnews.com | Janet Colston

Ice cream would not be ice cream without Vanilla. I am fortunate to have the most famous Scottish ice cream parlor on my doorstep. Nardini’s in Largs, is an institution and draws people from across the world, even Chris Higgins has eaten here! They sell the best Vanilla and Scottish tablet ice cream. The active ingredient of Vanilla, Vanillin, is the most commonly used flavoring in the world, but did you know it is normally produced by a synthetic reaction that involves petrochemicals?
Why don’t you drink this?

Jun 17, 2024 | urbanagnews.com | Janet Colston

Many of us drink coffee because it makes us feel good and gives us a boost in the morning. Caffeine, the active ingredient in coffee has a number of effects, including increased alertness, which it does by blocking a chemical messenger in the brain that makes us sleepy. Some cultures swear by this ‘pick me up’. I recall ‘shots’ during a working trip to Barcelona, grabbing a double espresso hit in the morning rush hour with the locals. I remember how jittery I felt.