Installing a Vertical Farm Using Aeroponic Towers in Martinique

Agrotonomy traveled to Martinique to work alongside its partner, BDS-Farm, during the installation of this first growing area and to train the local team on how to operate the system. The goal was not only to assemble the aeroponic towers, but to establish the complete working foundation of the farm: the layout, irrigation lines, water treatment, nutrient delivery, solar power system, planting strategy and support structures required for larger crops.

Martinique is known for its tropical vegetation, but this farm is located on the drier Caribbean side of the island. With abundant sunlight and a climate that allows crops to be grown outdoors throughout the year, the location is particularly well suited to vertical farming using aeroponic towers, provided that the system is designed correctly for heat, water management and crop production.

Preparing the Site on Sloping Land

Before any tower could be installed, the land itself had to be prepared. The site is naturally sloped, which meant that flat terraces had to be created to provide stable, level surfaces for the aeroponic towers.

This is one of the less visible parts of an outdoor installation, but it is essential. Aeroponic towers need to stand perfectly upright, and the farm layout must remain practical for planting, harvesting, maintenance and access to the irrigation lines. On this project, the terraces also made it possible to organize the different growing areas according to the crops that would eventually be planted.

Some sections of the farm were planned for leafy greens and aromatic herbs, which can be grown in a tighter layout. Other areas were designed for crops such as cucumbers, tomatoes and watermelons, which require more space and dedicated support structures as they grow.

Once the growing terraces were ready, the location of each tower was measured and marked. This made it possible to keep the layout clean and organized before the assembly stage began.

Burying the Irrigation Lines in a Tropical Climate

One of the most practical features of this installation is hidden underground.

Martinique has intense sunshine, and on an outdoor farm, irrigation lines exposed directly to the sun can heat up considerably during the day. For an aeroponic growing system, keeping the water entering the towers at a suitable temperature is an important consideration, particularly when growing in a hot tropical environment.

For this reason, trenches were dug throughout the farm and the irrigation lines were placed below ground before being covered with soil. Burying the lines helps protect the water from direct heat as it moves across the farm toward the towers.

This is the type of detail that has a direct impact on how well an outdoor installation performs. Installing a vertical farm using aeroponic towers in the Caribbean is not the same as setting up a system in a mild climate or inside a greenhouse. The farm has to be adapted to the site, and in Martinique, protecting the irrigation water from excessive heat was an obvious priority.

The buried network connects the tower sections to a centralized gravity tank, allowing prepared nutrient water to be delivered efficiently across the growing area while keeping the installation neat and well organized.

Assembling the First 52 Aeroponic Towers

The installation began with the preparation of the bottom reservoirs. Each reservoir was fitted with its lid, float valve, submersible pump and support rod before the tower sections were stacked above it.

Because excavation and leveling work were still taking place on site, the completed reservoirs were kept away from the active construction area until the ground preparation was finished. With so much dry soil and dust being moved around, there was no reason to expose clean equipment before it needed to be placed in position.

Once the terraces were ready, the prepared reservoirs were brought into the growing areas and positioned according to the farm layout. The tower sections were then assembled to the heights selected for the different crop groups, and the net pots were inserted into the planting ports.

This first phase includes 52 aeroponic towers, with the towers required to reach the full 180-tower installation already delivered on site and ready for assembly. Beginning with this first operational growing area allows the BDS-Farm team to start producing crops, establish operating routines and prepare for the next installation phase while the expansion is already physically in place and ready to move forward.

The Water Treatment and Nutrient Dosing System

The towers are the part of the farm that immediately attracts attention, but the water treatment and nutrient dosing system is what makes the installation function day after day.

In a dedicated technical area, municipal water first enters a storage and filtration process before being sent through a reverse osmosis system. The filtered water then passes through UV treatment and continues toward the nutrient dosing equipment.

The nutrient dosing system uses Dosatron equipment. It operates through water pressure, without an electric motor, and draws precise quantities of ionic mineral nutrients from separate concentrated solutions. These nutrients are mixed into the treated water before the prepared solution enters the gravity tank that supplies the farm.

From there, the nutrient water is delivered to the individual towers.

Inside each aeroponic tower, the roots hang in the air and receive nutrient feeding cycles intermittently, with 100% oxygen availability. The plants receive the water and mineral nutrition they need without being grown in soil, while the system automates a large part of the daily irrigation process.

The technical installation in Martinique was carefully organized by BDS-Farm. From the filtration and reverse osmosis equipment to the UV treatment, Dosatron system and gravity tank, the entire setup was planned with efficiency and long-term operation in mind.

Powering the Farm with Solar Energy

The farm is powered using solar energy, which makes particular sense in a sunny island location such as Martinique.

The installation includes 16 solar panels, each rated at 450 watts, for a total capacity of 7.2 kWp. During daylight hours, the solar panels provide electricity for the farm equipment, while excess production is stored in four batteries with a combined storage capacity of 20 kWh.

The inverter converts the electricity produced by the panels into usable power for the farm equipment, including the pumps and water treatment system.

The aeroponic towers do not require their pumps to operate continuously. The irrigation cycle is set to run for 3 minutes, followed by 12 minutes without pumping, throughout the day and night. This represents 12 minutes of pump operation per hour, or approximately 4.8 hours of actual pumping time within each 24-hour period.

This intermittent operation makes aeroponic towers particularly compatible with a solar and battery system. The farm can use solar production during the day, store excess electricity for later use and keep the towers operating through the night.

As with any agricultural operation, a backup solution remains necessary. In a tropical island climate, several days of heavy cloud cover or a storm can reduce solar production. For that reason, the system can be supported by a generator when necessary, allowing the batteries to be recharged and the farm to remain operational during extended periods of poor solar conditions.

Planting Leafy Greens, Herbs and Fruiting Crops

Once the aeroponic towers had been assembled and the irrigation system had been tested, the first seedlings were transplanted.

The farm was planted with a wide variety of crops, including lettuce, basil, arugula, leafy greens, beans, peppers, zucchini and eggplants. These crops occupy different sections of the farm according to their spacing and growing requirements.

Larger crops require a different approach. Cucumbers, tomatoes and watermelons produce vines and fruit that need room and physical support. For these crops, several custom-built grow cages were installed around specific groups of towers.

One of the larger structures was planted with cucumbers, with approximately 10 cucumber plants per tower across four towers. As the vines develop, additional cabling on the cage will allow the cucumber plants to climb and spread while remaining accessible for care and harvesting.

Other grow cage sections were prepared for tomatoes and watermelons. The tower heights and spacing in these areas were selected according to the way these crops develop, rather than trying to grow every crop under the same conditions.

This is one of the advantages of using aeroponic towers in a commercial growing project. The same farm can include aromatic herbs, leafy greens and larger fruiting crops, as long as the layout, spacing and crop support systems are planned correctly.

Preparing Seedlings and Training the Team

The project also includes ebb and flow tables for seedling production. These tables allow young plants to be irrigated automatically before they are transplanted into the aeroponic towers.

A reliable seedling area is essential for continuous farm production. Once crops are harvested, new seedlings must be available for transplanting so that tower space does not remain unused. Establishing the seedling process at the same time as the main farm helps BDS-Farm plan future crop cycles from the beginning.

During the installation, Agrotonomy worked directly with the local team on tower assembly, planting, irrigation checks, nutrient preparation, crop placement and the practical operation of the system.

Training is an essential part of a project like this. Installing the equipment is only the first step. The people running the farm need to understand how the system works, how to monitor the crops, how to prepare nutrients correctly and how to adapt the planting strategy over time.

The objective is for the local team to operate the farm confidently and develop production according to the crops that perform best in their own market and climate.

Vertical Farming with Aeroponic Towers in Martinique

The first 52 aeroponic towers installed in Le Carbet are now planted and operational, marking the beginning of the full 180-tower installation already underway for BDS-Farm in Martinique. The remaining towers are on the property, ready to be assembled, making this an active expansion rather than a future possibility.

The completed first phase brings together the elements required for outdoor crop production in this environment: properly prepared terraces, buried irrigation lines, treated water, automated nutrient dosing, solar energy, battery storage, seedling tables, grow cages for larger crops and direct training for the team responsible for operating the farm.

For Martinique, vertical farming using aeroponic towers offers a way to grow a broad range of fresh crops locally throughout the year while making efficient use of available land and solar energy. The project includes crops suited to everyday local demand, such as lettuce, basil, arugula, peppers, eggplants, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes and watermelons.

For Agrotonomy, this installation is also the result of working directly on location with a local partner that is developing the project with care and ambition. BDS-Farm has invested not only in the aeroponic towers themselves, but in the water treatment, energy infrastructure and growing structures needed to build a serious production system over the long term.

With 52 towers now installed, planted and operational, and the remaining towers already on location ready for the next installation phase, the farm in Le Carbet is moving directly toward its full 180-tower scale. It is already demonstrating what can be achieved with aeroponic towers in Martinique.

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