Growing underground! Subterranean kitchen garden created in WW2 bomb shelters to grow exotic herbs and vegetables just feet below the Northern Line
- Garden set up more than 100ft below Northern Line in south London
- Uses special LED energy bulbs and hydroponics system to grow crops
- Produce includes a range of exotic herbs, shoots, vegetables and flowers
- Crops expected to be sold to restaurants and supermarkets later this year
- Masterchef star Michel Roux Jr teamed up with entrepreneurs Richard Ballard and Steven Dring to set up garden
- Air raid shelters, near Clapham North, were opened to public in 1944
Buried more than 100ft below the ground, it is an unlikely place to grow crops.
But two entrepreneurs have set up a subterranean garden in former World War Two air raid shelters in south London.
The 2.5-acre 'farm', created by Richard Ballard and Steven Dring, sits in dark, confined tunnels under the Northern Line, near Clapham North station.
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Unusual setting: Entrepreneurs Richard Ballard (pictured) and Steven Dring have set up a subterranean garden in former World War Two air raid shelters in London
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Lighting: The 2.5-acre 'farm' uses low energy LED bulbs and a hydroponics system to grow a range of crops
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Historic: The bomb shelters are part of the Clapham North tunnels, which opened to the public in July 1944
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Historic: Equipped with bunks, medical posts, kitchens and sanitation, the tunnels were constructed to accommodate up to 8,000 people, but more than 12,000 people swarmed into the tunnels during one raid
It uses special low energy LED bulbs and an integrated hydroponics system to grow a range of micro-herbs, shoots, miniature vegetables and other delicacies.
Mr Ballard and Mr Dring have spent the past 18 months conducting trials in the tunnels - with the first produce expected to start growing in March.
The crops - sold under the brand name 'Growing Underground' - are expected to hit restaurants, supermarkets and wholesalers later this year.
They will include a range of exotic herbs and shoots, including pea shoots, rocket, red amaranth (a leafy vegetable and grain), mizuna, broccoli, garlic chives, red vein sorrel, mustard leaf, radish, coriander and Thai basil.
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Team: Mr Ballard (left) and Mr Dring (right) have joined forces with acclaimed chef Michel Roux Jr (centre)
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Harvesting produce: The enterpeneurs have spent the past 18 months conducting trials in the historic tunnels
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Crops: The produce is expected to be sold to restaurants, supermarkets and wholesalers later this year
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Packaged: It will include a range of herbs, including watercress (left), pea shoots and red amaranth (right)
Meanwhile, edible flowers and miniature vegetables will also be grown in the 'farm' - with plans to move onto heritage tomato varieties and mushrooms.
Mr Ballard and Mr Dring have joined forces with Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux Jr, who has joined the company as a director.
He will advise the pair on crop selection, product design and partnerships.
HOW DOES THE SUBTERRANEAN KITCHEN GARDEN WORK?
Plants and herbs need two things to grow - light and soil.
Underground tunnels have neither, but both can be substituted for LED lights and a hydroponic system.
LED lights provide plants with the wavelengths of light they need for photosynthesis - essential for growth.
Modern LED systems can allow plants to grow perfectly normally without the need for real sunlight.
Hydroponics technology allows plants to be grown without soil.
It works by dissolving the nutrients that a plant would normally get from soil into water.
The roots of a plant or herb can then be suspended, flooded, or even misted with the nutrient-rich solution, allowing it to grow successfully.
Mr Roux Jr, who runs the acclaimed Le Gavroche restaurant, said: 'When I first met these guys I thought they were absolutely crazy.
'But when I visited the tunnels and sampled the delicious produce they are already growing down there I was blown away. The market for this produce is huge.'
In order to successfully grow the crops, the temperature in the tunnels is kept at 16 degrees celsius, while produce is grown in specially-designed three-layered platforms.
Meanwhile, special filters are used to keep the air in the tunnels free of pests, eliminating the need for pesticides.
The underground caverns are part of the Clapham North tunnels - under Clapham North tube station - which were completed in 1942 and opened to the public in July 1944.
Equipped with bunks, medical posts, kitchens and sanitation, they were constructed to accommodate up to 8,000 people.
However, more than 12,000 people swarmed into the tunnels during a bombing raid on July 24, 1944.
Mr Ballard and Mr Dring hope the new crop 'farm' will help the country to achieve a carbon-free economy and successfully deal with the pressures of urban population growth.
The tunnels will be carbon neutral, with any energy needs coming from green suppliers - while food miles will also be kept to a minimum thanks to the central London location.
Tube: The tunnels sit more than 100ft below Clapham North tube station (pictured) in south-east London
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Ready to sell: Exotic herbs, such as Thai basil (above), will be among the crops grown in the air raid shelters
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Fresh: Vegetables such as broccoli (left) and red sorrel, peashoots and radish (right) will also be grown
The entrepreneurs have now started fundraising to accelerate the development of the business.
'Steve and I are thrilled to be close to getting Growing Underground under way. We've been experimenting for months,' said Mr Ballard.
'Now that we've secured the site we're kicking off a crowd-funding campaign today. We have a detailed business plan and we've already had lots of interest from private investors.
'We're confident that investors of all sizes will see a significant return on their investment.
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Hopeful: Mr Ballard (left) and Mr Dring (right) are fundraising to accelerate the development of the business.
'Integrating farming into the urban environment makes a huge amount of sense and we're delighted that we're going to make it a reality.'
He added that Chris Nelson, an expert horticulturalist used to growing crops in some of the harshest conditions on the planet, will be acting as the company's advisor.
'There is no 'could', 'might' or 'maybe' about our underground farm,' he said. 'We will be up and running and will be supplying produce later this year.'
Investors are invited to buy a stake in Growing Underground from £10, while £25,000 will enable them to have voting rights.
The duo are aiming to raise £1million from their crowdfunding drive and hope to employ up to 15 staff at the south London site.
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