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In January, agriculture-obsessed software programmer Tom Hallaran walked by a frosty vacant lot a couple of blocks from his Brooklyn apartment and decided the future of bionic gardening was staring him in the face. Three months later Hallaran and colleagues Clare Sullivan, Kallie Weinkle and Gregory Sogorka, known collectively as Feedback Farms, broke ground on an experiment that enables sensor-embedded planters filled with tomatoes and kale to wirelessly transmit information about soil conditions to a custom-designed dashboard installed on Hallaran's laptop.
With their creation, the techno-farmers can remotely track how their crops are are faring. "The irony is that you do want to go out and feel the soil with your fingers," says Hallaran, who points out that the big benefits of surveillance gardening will be reaped next summer.
Photo courtesy of Feedback Farms
