Central Virginia is ‘berry ready’ for first strawberry season with world’s largest indoor vertical berry farm

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Despite the recent snow storm cascading over Central Virginia, one of the warmest, sweetest -- and juiciest -- seasons looms nearer. With strawberry season just months away, this will be Chesterfield County's first summer as home to "Plenty Richmond Farm" -- the world's largest indoor vertical berry farm.

The facility opened this past September. Traditionally, when one imagines a strawberry farm, they might envision vast fields covered in a blanket of sunlight -- all set on a standard, agricultural farm. However, Chesterfield County's relatively new farm conjures up an entirely different image.

Even though strawberry season generally lasts between May and mid-June, it's technically a year-round affair at Plenty's Richmond Farm as the facility grows their berries indoors.

It's designed to produce more than 4 million pounds of strawberries each year. While it may sound like this would require a massive space, the facility yields these results in less than 40,000 square feet of space. Farmers do this by growing the fruits vertically on 30-foot-tall towers.

Everyone has their favorite type and brand of berry, but at Plenty Richmond Farm, farmers exclusively cultivate Driscoll strawberries. According to Plenty, this partnership combines "Plenty's advanced technology with global premium berry leader Driscoll's advanced genetics."

The Virginia Cooperative Extension reports that each year in Virginia, agricultural producers cultivate around 390 acres of strawberries. Virginia Beach is known to have the most concentrated strawberry cultivation in the state. Plenty Richmond Farm helps further stimulate crop production locally, right here in Central Virginia.

When the farm first opened last September, Gov. Glenn Youngkin spoke about the innovative new landmark in the state.

“With agriculture serving as the Commonwealth’s largest private sector industry, Plenty choosing Virginia for the world’s first farm to grow indoor, vertically farmed berries at scale reinforces Virginia’s leading role in the controlled environment agriculture industry,” Youngkin said. “Plenty’s farm will boost local agriculture production and drive economic development, all while diversifying against risks and protecting the environment. We look forward to supporting their innovative approaches to revolutionizing the industry, and know that Plenty’s success will be Virginia’s success.”

The first strawberries from this special farm will be available early this year.

The plant has operated for around four months. 8News has asked Plenty for updated information regarding output and cultivation as the industry gears up for May and the official kickstart to strawberry season.