> However, an automated solution could potentially have other benefits, e.g. opportunity for a "pick on demand fresh for me at the time I schedule" option, e.g.

> However, an automated solution could potentially have other benefits, e.g. opportunity for a "pick on demand fresh for me at the time I schedule" option, e.g. via an app (assuming automated inventory etc.). If the pick-up times are at reasonable times (not 3 a.m.), they would already have people on site. The system could tell them to pick X amount of plant Y. So "on demand" doesn't necessarily mean "no humans involved". > Going one step further, if you had automated planting, pruning etc. you might even be able to create "black boxes" which would in effect be fresh produce vending machines. From the article and the company's website it seems that the growing cloths must be washed from time to time, possibly after each harvest. I guess you wouldn't want to build a washing machine into the system, but it might be done... > Does this scale to larger perennial plants, e.g. fruit trees? Even if this system doesn't do that, growing trees indoors might be interesting from the perspectives of controlling temperature, wind, and especially water runoff/evaporation. > salad [...] isn't going to make the world a better place You might say the same thing about fruit trees. The key crops would probably be legumes and rice.