The 320-square-foot space inside a repurposed shipping container that sits in the parking lot of the Office of Sustainability is small and is a far cry from the 200-acre tree and shrub nursery in northern Illinois where Dr. Dave Kopsell, professor of horticulture in the Department of Agriculture, grew up.

Kopsell has been interested in horticulture for as long as he can remember, and today, that interest is taking the shape of the 40-by-8-foot container that houses Illinois State University’s Vertical Farm.

When it comes to making the most of small spaces, owners of tiny homes would be impressed with what Illinois State University (ISU) can do with its modified shipping container farm.

In its new 320-square-foot vertical farm, ISU will be able to produce as many herbs annually as it could in 2 to 4 acres in an outdoor field.

It all started in 2019 when a group of ISU students in the Innovative Consulting Community (ICC) approached horticulture professor David Kopsell about growing a garden for their entrepreneurial project. He explained how hard that would be during an academic school year and offered another alternative — a Freight Farm container hydroponic system.

“I had heard about Freight Farm since 2013 when some of my colleagues started talking about them,” said Kopsell. Through much collaboration, that idea germinated and grew to the point it will be ready to start growing leafy greens this summer.”