Earth, Wind and Fire
Hamble Self Storage Ltd occupies 1.8 acres close to Hamble railway station and adjacent to the airfield. In total there are around 100 10ft and 20ft containers leased weekly or longer term by local businesses for the storage of their equipment, tools etc.
For the past 10 years, the business has been carbon neutral due to all the units being recycled containers and the power is provided by solar panel arrays located on the roofs of several units. By the end of September 2022 this will provide a total of 27 kWh.
Six years ago, in 2016, one of the directors of HSS Ltd decided to diversify and create another company: Earth, Wind & Fire.
With the help of four volunteers, a design created by Mat Playford and two semi-retired local mechanical engineers, they converted a container into an incubator unit, known as the Sprout House, for chilli plants, peppers and leafy greens
The Sprout House is capable of harvesting up to 4,000 litres of rainwater and is equipped with solar panels that provide it with electricity. On the day we visited, during the August heatwave, the temperature inside the container was significantly cooler than in the yard, without using air conditioning, and the indoor plants required 70% of the water needed for those outside. Nothing but rainwater had been used for irrigation since May and there was still enough to last until October.
Very subtle LED lighting is used for propagation so as not to force growth too fast. The lights use very little energy and given the controlled and enclosed environment, no pesticides are required, just organic fertiliser to maximise the yield to two crops per season.
At present, the company yields 150 kilos of produce and 1,000 mature plants with space inside The Sprout House for 6,000. Plans are afoot for a crop of sprouts in 2023. Plants are sold via the Hampshire Farmer’s Market and Virgin Radio and BBC 2’s The Farmers Country Showdown have featured the initiative.
EBC is delighted to have awarded an ARG Energy grant to Earth, Wind and Fire which has helped with the purchase of the solar panelling for The Sprout House.