Alaskan family use shipping containers to grow produce in unlikely place

When thinking about shipping containers the first thing that comes to mind may not be lettuce and herbs, but that may soon change according to a family of growers from Alaska. The Aleutian Greens farm is located on Alaska's Aleutian Islands and are using hydroponic farms to grow lettuce and herbs in an uncommon place, Anchorage Daily News tells.

Aleutian Greens co-owner Blaine Shaishnikoff says there are many benefits to his style of growing, and one being that the shipping containers offer protection. Recently two storms blew through the community, and thanks to the shipping containers, their crops were unharmed. Each shipping container can grow up to 450 heads of lettuce every week and Blaine is counting on the extra freshness help in a recent expansion into Unalaska.

Normally produce has to travel around 2,000 miles to get to residents in the town, but with the expansion planned to begin in January, shoppers will be able to buy produce grown locally, using the shipping containers.