1 00:00:00,277 --> 00:00:03,446 (MUSIC PLAYING) 2 00:00:04,915 --> 00:00:08,985 Weird but true, ladybugs might look like cute little harmless beetles... 3 00:00:09,686 --> 00:00:13,156 CARLY: But they release toxic chemicals to protect themselves from predators. 4 00:00:13,890 --> 00:00:16,493 CHARLIE: Don't fret because they're nice little organic helpers 5 00:00:16,626 --> 00:00:18,261 at this farm where we're at! 6 00:00:18,428 --> 00:00:19,563 Can we tell them where the farm is? 7 00:00:19,663 --> 00:00:21,387 I don't know, it's a little shocking. What do you think? 8 00:00:21,512 --> 00:00:23,500 -No, just a little hint. -Just one hint? All right. 9 00:00:26,136 --> 00:00:29,105 -It's time for Weird But True! -It's time for Weird But True! 10 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:33,376 CHARLIE: Did you know there are more stars in the sky 11 00:00:33,810 --> 00:00:36,746 than grains of sand on the whole planet? 12 00:00:37,147 --> 00:00:38,248 CARLY: Whoa! 13 00:00:38,381 --> 00:00:39,649 -This is incredible. -I know, right? 14 00:00:40,250 --> 00:00:42,052 -CHARLIE: Charlie here. -CARLY: Carly here. 15 00:00:42,118 --> 00:00:43,620 -Yes! -We're best friends. 16 00:00:43,687 --> 00:00:44,688 -Let's go! -Let's go! 17 00:00:44,788 --> 00:00:48,391 -CARLY: We live here, in Chicago. -CHARLIE: With a little imagination... 18 00:00:48,658 --> 00:00:50,026 For the rest of time. 19 00:00:50,160 --> 00:00:51,461 And a whole lot of exploring. 20 00:00:51,528 --> 00:00:53,863 -CHARLIE: Whoa! -CARLY: This is so epic! 21 00:00:53,997 --> 00:00:56,633 CHARLIE: We're discovering just how weird the world can be. 22 00:00:56,766 --> 00:00:57,767 -Hey! -We made it. 23 00:00:57,901 --> 00:00:59,402 CARLY: This is unreal. 24 00:00:59,603 --> 00:01:01,338 (THEME MUSIC PLAYING) 25 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:05,108 -CHARLIE: Farming! -CARLY: Farming! 26 00:01:06,743 --> 00:01:09,379 -And a helmet. Nice. -Thank you. 27 00:01:09,512 --> 00:01:10,513 Hey, guys. Charlie here. 28 00:01:10,647 --> 00:01:11,781 -You know my friend, Carly. -Hey. 29 00:01:11,915 --> 00:01:14,551 We're so glad that you're here 'cause we got something cool to show you. 30 00:01:14,684 --> 00:01:17,253 So, you know I like working in the gardens outside HQ, right? 31 00:01:18,388 --> 00:01:21,791 Well, we started growing produce. Lots of produce. 32 00:01:21,925 --> 00:01:23,727 And now, we have more than we could eat. 33 00:01:23,960 --> 00:01:25,562 So, Carly whipped this up. 34 00:01:26,096 --> 00:01:28,832 CARLY: Charlie and Carly's garden stand. 35 00:01:28,965 --> 00:01:31,101 And we're open! 36 00:01:31,434 --> 00:01:36,906 All right. We are open, folks! Come and get your produce! Fresh produce! 37 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:38,541 CHARLIE: Hey, come on, one at a time! 38 00:01:38,675 --> 00:01:42,345 Hey, Patrick! Put down that tomato. Everyone, stay in line. 39 00:01:43,213 --> 00:01:45,382 -CARLY: Oh, Charlie! -You all right? 40 00:01:45,515 --> 00:01:47,784 -Yeah, I'm good. -This happens every week. 41 00:01:48,451 --> 00:01:50,820 CASEY: Oh, no. Guys, am I too late again? 42 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:52,822 -CARLY: Hey, Casey. -Yeah, we just sold out. 43 00:01:52,956 --> 00:01:54,958 You're supposed to be my suppliers. 44 00:01:55,091 --> 00:01:56,993 I have 12 orders for strawberry rhubarb pies. 45 00:01:57,427 --> 00:01:58,828 Hey, it's gonna be okay. 46 00:01:59,095 --> 00:02:01,698 We can reserve you some from next week's harvest. 47 00:02:01,931 --> 00:02:03,900 Charlie, write this down. How many orders do you need? 48 00:02:04,367 --> 00:02:07,537 -Four baskets. -All right, four baskets of strawberries 49 00:02:07,671 --> 00:02:09,205 -for Casey. -Excellent. 50 00:02:09,339 --> 00:02:10,407 -There you go. -Got it. 51 00:02:10,540 --> 00:02:13,243 MAN: Everybody, they're taking orders! 52 00:02:13,376 --> 00:02:15,445 Here they come! Oh, my goodness! 53 00:02:15,912 --> 00:02:17,781 Wait, wait, wait. Not my stand! 54 00:02:18,448 --> 00:02:19,683 No! 55 00:02:19,849 --> 00:02:21,451 (CROWD CLAMORING) 56 00:02:22,886 --> 00:02:24,454 -(CARLY GRUNTS) -You good? Come on. 57 00:02:24,587 --> 00:02:26,956 -What happened? -Look, this is crazy. Ugh! 58 00:02:27,123 --> 00:02:29,025 -There are like hundreds of orders here. -CARLY: What? 59 00:02:29,159 --> 00:02:30,860 CHARLIE: There's no way we can fulfill these. 60 00:02:30,994 --> 00:02:32,829 Wait, Charlie. Wait, no, no. This is perfect. 61 00:02:33,029 --> 00:02:36,466 If we convert your garden into a farm, we'll be able to fulfill all the orders. 62 00:02:36,599 --> 00:02:37,801 A farm? 63 00:02:37,934 --> 00:02:39,969 Plus, we'll have a real business on our hands. 64 00:02:40,136 --> 00:02:41,304 -Let's do it. -Yes! 65 00:02:41,438 --> 00:02:45,108 All right, guys, I guess that means today, we're unraveling the world of... 66 00:02:48,278 --> 00:02:49,345 -CARLY: Farming! -CHARLIE: Farming! 67 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:54,584 Okay. So, did you see these? There are like a million of these. 68 00:02:54,851 --> 00:02:58,455 Charlie, trust me, it's all gonna be fine because farms are incredible. 69 00:02:58,588 --> 00:02:59,823 Think about it like this. 70 00:03:01,057 --> 00:03:04,127 A garden is a space where you might grow a vegetable or two, 71 00:03:04,260 --> 00:03:09,332 and maybe some flowers, trees, and shrubs. But its primary purpose is to look pretty. 72 00:03:09,466 --> 00:03:11,000 (ROOSTER CROWING) 73 00:03:11,134 --> 00:03:13,369 CARLY: On a farm, you grow fruits and vegetables 74 00:03:13,436 --> 00:03:15,438 and raise all sorts of animals. 75 00:03:15,605 --> 00:03:19,876 Everything grown or raised on a farm can be used, eaten, or sold. 76 00:03:20,009 --> 00:03:21,344 That's the purpose of the farm. 77 00:03:22,846 --> 00:03:26,750 -See, it's gonna be a cinch. -Okay. Well, if we're gonna do this, 78 00:03:26,883 --> 00:03:29,552 -we gotta make a lot of changes, right? -Right. 79 00:03:29,652 --> 00:03:33,590 We can only grow things we can eat, sell, or use. 80 00:03:33,857 --> 00:03:36,559 So, that means no flowers, and we're gonna have to get rid 81 00:03:36,693 --> 00:03:39,395 of that stone pathway and the pond, 82 00:03:39,529 --> 00:03:40,563 gotta get rid of those benches... 83 00:03:40,663 --> 00:03:41,865 What? Come on, come on! I love that stuff. 84 00:03:42,098 --> 00:03:44,067 Charlie, maybe you'll love farming, too. 85 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:46,903 We're gonna have a lot more space and we're gonna have to figure out 86 00:03:47,036 --> 00:03:48,805 what to do with it, so... 87 00:03:49,305 --> 00:03:51,775 Carly, our garden is perfect. 88 00:03:51,908 --> 00:03:56,279 I seriously doubt there's anything we could possibly find that, oh... 89 00:03:56,780 --> 00:03:59,649 -We could have leech farm. -A leech farm? 90 00:03:59,783 --> 00:04:01,818 (GASPS) I can see it now. 91 00:04:04,621 --> 00:04:08,324 We could get a big tub, fill it with water and raise leeches. 92 00:04:08,591 --> 00:04:10,860 As leech farmers, we could sell our leeches to people 93 00:04:10,994 --> 00:04:12,996 who practice leech therapy. 94 00:04:13,496 --> 00:04:16,099 Weird but true, supposedly, it helps blood flow. 95 00:04:18,902 --> 00:04:20,804 -Wait! Here's another one. -(ELEPHANT SNORTS) 96 00:04:21,237 --> 00:04:24,040 CHARLIE: We should create a black ivory coffee farm. 97 00:04:24,174 --> 00:04:28,311 All we need to do is get a bunch of elephants and feed them a nice mixture 98 00:04:28,444 --> 00:04:30,280 of fruit and coffee beans. 99 00:04:30,413 --> 00:04:33,183 When the elephants poop out the beans, we'll collect them 100 00:04:33,316 --> 00:04:35,018 and brew them into coffee. 101 00:04:35,151 --> 00:04:38,721 Some people say, it's the most flavorful coffee in the world. 102 00:04:40,557 --> 00:04:43,126 A coffee farm where we brew coffee from beans 103 00:04:43,259 --> 00:04:45,829 that we pick out of elephant poop? 104 00:04:45,962 --> 00:04:47,130 Those don't exist! 105 00:04:47,263 --> 00:04:50,466 Weird but true, they do exist in Thailand. 106 00:04:51,034 --> 00:04:52,602 Charlie, I like your enthusiasm 107 00:04:52,735 --> 00:04:56,472 but our customers are not interested in leeches and exotic coffee. 108 00:04:56,573 --> 00:04:58,107 Ooh, you're right. Looks like they're looking 109 00:04:58,174 --> 00:05:01,344 for, uh, strawberries, rhubarb, cucumbers, 110 00:05:01,611 --> 00:05:04,781 -and tomatoes. Our specialties. -Exactly. 111 00:05:04,914 --> 00:05:06,416 We'll grow those then. What's next? 112 00:05:06,549 --> 00:05:09,285 Well, we need to harvest a lot of crops in a short amount of time. 113 00:05:09,519 --> 00:05:12,522 Right now, you're doing everything by hand which simply will not do. 114 00:05:12,655 --> 00:05:16,359 We're gonna get you some brand-new state-of-the-art farming equipment. 115 00:05:18,294 --> 00:05:20,864 -All right, then. -Hey, sir. Hi, sir. How you doing? 116 00:05:20,997 --> 00:05:24,367 The name is Saskatoon Baudelaire, Salesman Extraordinaire. 117 00:05:24,500 --> 00:05:26,970 My farming equipment will have you farming so fast, 118 00:05:27,103 --> 00:05:29,739 you'll be on the back porch sippin' sweet tea in no time. 119 00:05:29,873 --> 00:05:31,774 Well, I sure do like the sound of that. 120 00:05:31,908 --> 00:05:37,347 All right, I'm gonna set you up with a 300-horsepower commercial tractor. 121 00:05:37,513 --> 00:05:40,516 And I'm gonna add some machinery for the back. 122 00:05:40,650 --> 00:05:43,786 A 25-foot field cultivator. 123 00:05:44,587 --> 00:05:49,859 A cultivator is a big piece of farming equipment that tills the soil. 124 00:05:49,993 --> 00:05:53,129 That means it stirs up the dirt and pulverizes it. 125 00:05:53,529 --> 00:05:56,933 This is one of the first steps you take when you plant a crop. 126 00:05:57,367 --> 00:06:00,270 We're gonna add a field planter. 127 00:06:00,336 --> 00:06:01,537 Oh, who-ho. 128 00:06:01,804 --> 00:06:02,805 CHARLIE: Wowee! 129 00:06:04,040 --> 00:06:06,676 CARLY: A planter is also towed by a tractor. 130 00:06:06,809 --> 00:06:09,779 Just pour a bunch of seeds into its giant seed tank 131 00:06:09,913 --> 00:06:11,514 and drive it over your field. 132 00:06:11,681 --> 00:06:14,784 The seeder will cut tiny trenches into nice little rows, 133 00:06:14,918 --> 00:06:18,021 deposit a neat line of seeds, and cover them right up. 134 00:06:19,222 --> 00:06:21,925 What do you think happens when that seed starts to grow? 135 00:06:22,058 --> 00:06:23,626 -Well, I... -Oop. 136 00:06:23,760 --> 00:06:26,763 Time to harvest. I have a something special for that. 137 00:06:26,930 --> 00:06:30,566 And that, my friend, is a combine harvester. 138 00:06:31,434 --> 00:06:36,239 A combine harvester is an all-in-one piece of farming equipment that can complete 139 00:06:36,372 --> 00:06:38,608 almost every part of the harvesting process. 140 00:06:39,042 --> 00:06:43,680 Let's say you have 400 acres of corn, the combine harvester can cut down 141 00:06:43,813 --> 00:06:46,149 your cornstalk, separate the cob from the stalk, 142 00:06:46,316 --> 00:06:50,520 and then separate the kernels from the cob, all in one machine. 143 00:06:50,653 --> 00:06:52,121 -(COW MOOING) -(SHEEP BLEATS) 144 00:06:52,355 --> 00:06:56,225 Carly, this is perfect. This equipment is definitely gonna speed things up. 145 00:06:56,359 --> 00:07:01,431 -How much is it gonna cost us? -Looks like 400,000 dollars. 146 00:07:01,564 --> 00:07:03,466 How much did we make at the stand last week? 147 00:07:03,599 --> 00:07:04,634 Uh... 148 00:07:05,868 --> 00:07:07,070 We're a little low. 149 00:07:07,537 --> 00:07:10,673 CARLY: Okay. You know, maybe the super big professional stuff 150 00:07:10,807 --> 00:07:12,108 is a little out of our league, 151 00:07:12,241 --> 00:07:14,277 so we could go for these smaller versions. 152 00:07:14,410 --> 00:07:17,447 They're just like the big ones, but a little more our scale. 153 00:07:18,381 --> 00:07:21,351 -CHARLIE: Well, Saskatoon... -Oh, hello there, young man. 154 00:07:21,484 --> 00:07:25,054 Ooh, I see you just picked yourself up a nice batch of farming equipment. 155 00:07:25,188 --> 00:07:28,658 That's right, ma'am, it's just a little too much for my small operation. 156 00:07:28,791 --> 00:07:30,727 Now, did my son, Saskatoon, sell you this? 157 00:07:30,860 --> 00:07:31,861 Yes, ma'am. 158 00:07:31,995 --> 00:07:35,498 CARLY: Oh, we don't need that big old tractor-pulled cultivator. 159 00:07:35,631 --> 00:07:38,134 No, this machine is also called a cultivator, 160 00:07:38,267 --> 00:07:40,203 but it's a much more manageable size. 161 00:07:40,336 --> 00:07:42,405 And bless your little rhubarb-pickin' heart, 162 00:07:42,538 --> 00:07:44,240 you don't need this big old planter. 163 00:07:44,374 --> 00:07:47,377 This seeder right here plants the seed, it'll be just right 164 00:07:47,510 --> 00:07:49,445 -for your little farm. -This is perfect. 165 00:07:49,812 --> 00:07:51,414 This combine harvester, well, 166 00:07:51,781 --> 00:07:54,384 I got something right here that'll do your job for you. 167 00:07:54,484 --> 00:07:56,819 You can pick all the rhubarb on your little farm 168 00:07:56,953 --> 00:07:59,389 using this small harvesting tool. 169 00:07:59,522 --> 00:08:01,991 You just be careful because it's a sharp knife. 170 00:08:02,125 --> 00:08:04,360 Mrs. Baudelaire, I sure do appreciate the help. 171 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:06,796 This right here is exactly what I'm looking for. 172 00:08:06,929 --> 00:08:11,567 That's why they call me Mrs. Baudelaire, Saleslady Extraordinaire. 173 00:08:12,468 --> 00:08:13,936 (BARNYARD ANIMAL NOISES) 174 00:08:14,237 --> 00:08:17,573 -Carly, these are perfect. -And purchase. 175 00:08:18,241 --> 00:08:20,510 -Farmers got it all figured out. -They sure do. 176 00:08:20,643 --> 00:08:22,879 And it makes me think, if we have better equipment now, 177 00:08:23,012 --> 00:08:25,248 -what if we had better plants? -Better plants? 178 00:08:25,581 --> 00:08:26,816 -Yeah. -CARLY: Wait, what do you mean? 179 00:08:26,883 --> 00:08:29,285 Aren't all the plants the same, like isn't one strawberry plant 180 00:08:29,419 --> 00:08:31,087 just the same as any other strawberry plant? 181 00:08:31,421 --> 00:08:32,922 Well, it kinda seems like that, right? 182 00:08:33,056 --> 00:08:36,359 But plant scientists have been able to create all different kinds 183 00:08:36,492 --> 00:08:39,662 of strawberry plants, you know, some with more strawberries 184 00:08:39,896 --> 00:08:42,799 or bigger strawberries, or tastier strawberries. 185 00:08:42,932 --> 00:08:45,768 They're making super strawberry plants. 186 00:08:45,902 --> 00:08:48,871 And it's all done through a process called selective breeding. 187 00:08:49,005 --> 00:08:50,306 Let me tell you about it. 188 00:08:51,207 --> 00:08:55,411 Selective breeding starts like this. Scientists choose a specific plant... 189 00:08:55,711 --> 00:08:57,914 I choose sunflower. 190 00:08:58,081 --> 00:09:00,583 ...and then select something they wanna change about it. 191 00:09:00,883 --> 00:09:05,121 I wanna make the flower part the size of a pizza. 192 00:09:05,621 --> 00:09:07,623 They'll start by growing a crop of sunflowers. 193 00:09:07,990 --> 00:09:09,926 Each one will be a little different. 194 00:09:10,793 --> 00:09:13,429 They'll choose the two with the biggest flowers 195 00:09:14,063 --> 00:09:15,898 and use them to pollinate each other. 196 00:09:16,466 --> 00:09:19,268 Next, they'll harvest their seeds and plant them in the ground. 197 00:09:21,037 --> 00:09:23,372 This will grow a new crop of sunflowers. 198 00:09:23,573 --> 00:09:28,211 They'll do this over and over and over, only choosing the biggest sunflowers 199 00:09:28,344 --> 00:09:29,612 to pollinate and plant. 200 00:09:29,712 --> 00:09:32,982 Over time, the flowers will get bigger and bigger and they'll end up 201 00:09:33,116 --> 00:09:35,017 -with a pizza-sized sunflower. -Perfect. 202 00:09:35,184 --> 00:09:38,187 Then, they'll package up those seeds and sell them to farmers like you and me, 203 00:09:38,254 --> 00:09:40,890 so that we can grow pizza-sized sunflowers on our farm. 204 00:09:41,023 --> 00:09:42,959 That's how selective breeding works. 205 00:09:43,392 --> 00:09:47,430 So, they start with the best of the best to pollinate and grow 206 00:09:47,563 --> 00:09:49,599 until they come up with something totally unique. 207 00:09:49,732 --> 00:09:53,236 Exactly. See, plant scientists can even take one plant 208 00:09:53,369 --> 00:09:56,305 and turn it into something entirely new. 209 00:09:56,772 --> 00:10:00,643 These are wild mustard plants, they're fairly ordinary looking, 210 00:10:00,776 --> 00:10:05,047 not super tasty, but in the past, scientists used selective breeding 211 00:10:05,181 --> 00:10:07,817 to turn them into entirely new things. 212 00:10:07,950 --> 00:10:10,286 They took one bunch of wild mustard and bred the plants 213 00:10:10,419 --> 00:10:13,556 with the most flower clusters over and over, 214 00:10:13,689 --> 00:10:15,925 eventually creating cauliflower. 215 00:10:16,292 --> 00:10:20,296 They took another bunch and bred the ones with certain flower and stem traits, 216 00:10:20,429 --> 00:10:22,398 turning them into broccoli. 217 00:10:22,899 --> 00:10:26,369 And they took a final bunch, only breeding the ones with the biggest 218 00:10:26,536 --> 00:10:30,006 and broadest leaves, eventually creating kale. 219 00:10:30,339 --> 00:10:33,543 Weird but true, broccoli, cauliflower and kale all were made 220 00:10:33,676 --> 00:10:36,245 from mustard plants using selective breeding. 221 00:10:38,681 --> 00:10:39,682 This is incredible. 222 00:10:39,815 --> 00:10:43,452 Yeah. See, selective breeding leads to all sorts of super plants 223 00:10:43,586 --> 00:10:44,587 that grow on farms. 224 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:48,090 All right, from now on, we are only growing plants with the most fruit 225 00:10:48,224 --> 00:10:50,393 -and the biggest leaves. -You got it. 226 00:10:50,526 --> 00:10:52,795 We are gonna harvest more crops than we know what to do with. 227 00:10:52,929 --> 00:10:54,630 Ooh, uh, Carly. 228 00:10:54,764 --> 00:10:56,966 -Not so sure about that. -What's wrong? 229 00:10:57,099 --> 00:11:00,770 Just doing some calculations here, looks like even with some super plants, 230 00:11:00,903 --> 00:11:02,538 we're not gonna fulfill those orders. 231 00:11:03,039 --> 00:11:04,674 Well, can't you just farm faster? 232 00:11:04,807 --> 00:11:07,410 I mean, I can farm a little faster with that new equipment, right? 233 00:11:07,543 --> 00:11:09,278 But, uh, our problem is space. 234 00:11:09,412 --> 00:11:12,481 See, there's just not enough room to grow more things outside. 235 00:11:13,015 --> 00:11:14,684 -Charlie, that's it. -What's it? 236 00:11:14,817 --> 00:11:18,421 So, we've run out of room to grow crops outside, like a standard farm 237 00:11:18,554 --> 00:11:20,523 but we've got plenty of room inside. 238 00:11:20,656 --> 00:11:21,757 -Inside? -Yeah. 239 00:11:22,458 --> 00:11:26,362 I was reading about a farm in New York City that grows crops inside. 240 00:11:26,495 --> 00:11:29,365 If we expand part of our farm indoors, we might be able to fulfill 241 00:11:29,498 --> 00:11:32,301 -all the orders. -How do you fit a farm inside? 242 00:11:32,501 --> 00:11:34,370 I don't know, but we are about to find out 243 00:11:34,503 --> 00:11:37,607 because I just booked us two tickets to New York City. 244 00:11:37,740 --> 00:11:40,142 Meet us there, guys? All right, see you soon. 245 00:11:42,612 --> 00:11:46,048 CHARLIE: We're off to one of the biggest cities in the United States 246 00:11:46,182 --> 00:11:48,150 to learn how to grow crops indoors. 247 00:11:48,884 --> 00:11:51,220 Weird but true, New York City is so diverse 248 00:11:51,354 --> 00:11:55,124 that as many as 800 different languages are spoken here. 249 00:11:56,259 --> 00:11:58,227 (TRAFFIC SEISMIC NOISE) 250 00:12:00,896 --> 00:12:03,032 -Hey, guys, we made it. -New York City. 251 00:12:03,165 --> 00:12:05,201 -The Big Apple. -Home of Central Park. 252 00:12:05,268 --> 00:12:07,670 -CHARLIE: The Statue of Liberty. -CARLY: The Empire State Building. 253 00:12:07,803 --> 00:12:10,539 Weird but true, the Empire State Building has a lightning rod on top, 254 00:12:10,706 --> 00:12:13,909 that's, on average, struck 23 times a year. 255 00:12:14,043 --> 00:12:15,411 (THUNDER CRACKS) 256 00:12:15,578 --> 00:12:17,913 All that is very cool but, Charlie, 257 00:12:18,047 --> 00:12:20,449 nothing here looks even a little bit like... 258 00:12:20,583 --> 00:12:22,418 -CHARLIE: Like a farm, right? -CARLY: Yeah. 259 00:12:22,518 --> 00:12:24,754 -This is the address? -Oh, Farm One. 260 00:12:24,820 --> 00:12:25,788 -It says it. -Yes. 261 00:12:26,055 --> 00:12:27,123 -Let's check it. -Come on. 262 00:12:28,124 --> 00:12:30,393 Ah, perfect. Ooh, Farm One. 263 00:12:30,526 --> 00:12:32,328 CARLY: Charlie, it says it's in the basement. 264 00:12:32,461 --> 00:12:34,497 -How do you grow plants in a basement? -I don't know. 265 00:12:35,931 --> 00:12:38,167 CHARLIE: No way! This is so crazy. 266 00:12:39,368 --> 00:12:42,938 CARLY: We're underground and there are plants growing all over the place. 267 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:46,275 CHARLIE: It's like they took a farm 268 00:12:46,409 --> 00:12:48,511 and put it on a bunch of shelves in a basement. 269 00:12:48,644 --> 00:12:51,947 Rob Laing is the CEO and founder of Farm One. 270 00:12:52,081 --> 00:12:54,984 His favorite weird but true fact is, they grow a plant known 271 00:12:55,117 --> 00:12:56,285 as the Toothache Plant 272 00:12:56,419 --> 00:12:59,588 because it numbs the mouth and delivers crazy flavors. 273 00:13:00,222 --> 00:13:02,958 Rob, this place is incredible. This is your farm? 274 00:13:03,092 --> 00:13:06,362 It's called a vertical farm, which means we stack the growing layers 275 00:13:06,495 --> 00:13:08,898 on top of each other and we use hydroponics, 276 00:13:09,098 --> 00:13:10,366 which means we're growing plants 277 00:13:10,499 --> 00:13:13,402 in a water-based nutrient solution instead of soil. 278 00:13:13,536 --> 00:13:17,907 I can hear the water trickling from, like, everywhere. 279 00:13:18,040 --> 00:13:22,044 ROB: The plants are also under these LED lights which mimic the sunlight. 280 00:13:22,178 --> 00:13:26,349 We can control the temperature, humidity, the nutrients that the plants are getting, 281 00:13:26,482 --> 00:13:29,352 even the color of the light they may get through the day. 282 00:13:29,485 --> 00:13:32,021 We can keep it the same way in February or in August, 283 00:13:32,154 --> 00:13:34,290 whether it's freezing outside or boiling hot. 284 00:13:34,423 --> 00:13:37,026 CARLY: Do you think of yourself as a scientist or a farmer? 285 00:13:37,159 --> 00:13:41,163 ROB: We're very much farmers but also, we use software, we use the latest data. 286 00:13:41,297 --> 00:13:44,400 -So we're tech farmers, I guess. -Very cool. I like that a lot. 287 00:13:44,633 --> 00:13:46,802 CHARLIE: What are the sorts of things are you growing? 288 00:13:46,936 --> 00:13:49,839 ROB: We generally say herbs, edible flowers, 289 00:13:50,005 --> 00:13:52,308 and microgreens, which are really young plants. 290 00:13:52,441 --> 00:13:55,845 So, they often have a lot of flavor to them, but they also look really great. 291 00:13:56,078 --> 00:13:57,413 And what do you do with everything 292 00:13:57,546 --> 00:13:59,281 -you grow here? -We sell to chefs. 293 00:13:59,415 --> 00:14:02,885 There's loads of chefs in New York City who are desperate to get rare, 294 00:14:03,018 --> 00:14:04,587 unusual ingredients year-round. 295 00:14:05,154 --> 00:14:08,157 (MUSIC PLAYING) 296 00:14:09,291 --> 00:14:11,927 ROB: What I'm gonna show you now is our hydroponic system. 297 00:14:12,595 --> 00:14:14,130 You can see the plants' roots 298 00:14:14,263 --> 00:14:16,232 -all hanging out here, right? -Oh, man! 299 00:14:16,365 --> 00:14:17,933 So, this is normally what's in the soil, 300 00:14:18,067 --> 00:14:19,835 but this is coming through in the water here. 301 00:14:19,969 --> 00:14:24,039 It's like grabbing a big bag of compost and squeezing out that brown juice. 302 00:14:24,173 --> 00:14:25,741 That's pretty much what goes inside here. 303 00:14:25,941 --> 00:14:28,644 The best parts of the soil, all in this liquid mixture. 304 00:14:28,778 --> 00:14:32,448 ROB: Exactly. There's many different types of systems in hydroponics, 305 00:14:32,581 --> 00:14:35,551 but all of them really rely on giving water to the roots, 306 00:14:35,684 --> 00:14:38,053 oxygenating that water so the roots can breathe, 307 00:14:38,187 --> 00:14:39,455 and giving nutrients. 308 00:14:39,588 --> 00:14:41,991 -What are we looking at here? -It's called nepitella. 309 00:14:42,491 --> 00:14:44,894 -CHARLIE: Nepitella. -ROB: It has a minty oregano flavor. 310 00:14:45,027 --> 00:14:46,162 Would you like to try it? 311 00:14:46,295 --> 00:14:47,329 -Yes! -Yeah, let's try it. 312 00:14:47,463 --> 00:14:48,531 Just grab a little leaf. 313 00:14:48,664 --> 00:14:49,698 -Yeah. -Cheers. 314 00:14:52,368 --> 00:14:54,036 (SNIFFS) Ooh. 315 00:14:54,170 --> 00:14:57,072 -Ooh, it's minty. -It clears up my nose very nicely. 316 00:14:57,640 --> 00:15:00,242 ROB: And that's just one of over 50 plants 317 00:15:00,376 --> 00:15:02,344 that we grow in this space at any one time. 318 00:15:02,812 --> 00:15:05,347 CHARLIE: It's so incredible how you can stack everything 319 00:15:05,481 --> 00:15:06,715 right on top of each other. 320 00:15:06,849 --> 00:15:09,151 Even though we're in this, like, tiny basement room, 321 00:15:09,285 --> 00:15:10,986 it's like you triple the size of it 322 00:15:11,120 --> 00:15:13,456 'cause you have three layers of plants here. 323 00:15:13,722 --> 00:15:16,459 Is this something that a person could do in their home? 324 00:15:16,625 --> 00:15:19,728 Yeah, absolutely, there are small systems, you can start from something 325 00:15:19,862 --> 00:15:23,132 that's about the size of your hand all the way up to something like this. 326 00:15:23,232 --> 00:15:24,934 CHARLIE: All right, guys. So, what Rob and his team did 327 00:15:25,067 --> 00:15:26,569 is they thought of everything a plant 328 00:15:26,702 --> 00:15:29,104 needs to grow outside and they brought it inside. 329 00:15:29,238 --> 00:15:31,273 Let's look into that a bit more closely. 330 00:15:31,707 --> 00:15:34,376 There are seven things that all plants need to grow. 331 00:15:34,443 --> 00:15:40,883 Space, the right temperature, light, water, air, nutrients, and time. 332 00:15:43,652 --> 00:15:46,422 Plants can easily get all of this in an outdoor farm. 333 00:15:46,555 --> 00:15:47,623 (COW MOOING) 334 00:15:47,857 --> 00:15:50,326 CHARLIE: There's plenty of room to grow in a wide-open field 335 00:15:50,459 --> 00:15:53,362 and farmers usually grow crops in the summer when it's warm. 336 00:15:53,496 --> 00:15:55,998 There's plenty of fresh air outside, light from the sun 337 00:15:56,332 --> 00:15:58,367 and water and nutrients in the soil. 338 00:15:58,934 --> 00:16:02,438 Farms like Farm One bring all of these things indoors. 339 00:16:03,506 --> 00:16:06,509 Inside, there's not that much space, so they stack the plants 340 00:16:06,642 --> 00:16:08,577 on rows and rows of shelves. 341 00:16:08,711 --> 00:16:11,113 They set the right temperature, pump in fresh air 342 00:16:11,247 --> 00:16:14,717 through the ventilation system, rig up special LEDs to give plants 343 00:16:14,850 --> 00:16:17,820 all the light they need, and grow crops in special solutions 344 00:16:17,953 --> 00:16:19,755 of water and nutrients. 345 00:16:20,256 --> 00:16:22,925 So, outdoor farms and indoor farms are pretty similar. 346 00:16:23,192 --> 00:16:25,861 They both give plants everything they need to grow. 347 00:16:25,961 --> 00:16:26,996 (WIND BLOWING) 348 00:16:27,329 --> 00:16:30,399 ROB: I'm gonna give you a taste of something that chefs really like to use. 349 00:16:30,533 --> 00:16:34,370 Look at this. This is called a Purple Oxalis leaf. 350 00:16:34,503 --> 00:16:36,071 -So, try this. -Thank you. 351 00:16:36,171 --> 00:16:37,373 -Okay, ready? Yeah. -Yeah. 352 00:16:37,506 --> 00:16:39,041 -Yeah. -All right. Cheers. 353 00:16:39,108 --> 00:16:40,109 (CHUCKLES) 354 00:16:42,111 --> 00:16:43,913 -(LAUGHS) -Whoa. (GIGGLES) 355 00:16:44,046 --> 00:16:45,681 Right? It's got some power to it. 356 00:16:45,814 --> 00:16:46,982 -That's a ride. -Yeah. 357 00:16:47,116 --> 00:16:48,117 That stem is really acidic. 358 00:16:48,250 --> 00:16:49,552 -Yeah, it tastes like grapefruit. -Yeah. 359 00:16:49,618 --> 00:16:51,120 Yeah, like you chewed into a lemon. 360 00:16:51,253 --> 00:16:52,788 -That's the acid in the taste... -That's so good! 361 00:16:52,922 --> 00:16:53,923 -Yeah. -It's really good. 362 00:16:54,023 --> 00:16:56,425 I don't like vegetables, but that's good to me! 363 00:16:56,559 --> 00:16:58,661 (MUSIC PLAYING) 364 00:16:58,794 --> 00:17:00,963 CARLY: So, every element is super controlled. 365 00:17:01,163 --> 00:17:03,198 ROB: Yeah, this is a very precise environment. 366 00:17:03,899 --> 00:17:05,935 Luckily, we have an amazing engineering manager, 367 00:17:06,135 --> 00:17:07,336 and her name is Kate. 368 00:17:09,271 --> 00:17:11,840 Because we're trying to replicate outdoor settings, 369 00:17:12,441 --> 00:17:16,845 we've developed a software that monitors and tracks every single plant 370 00:17:16,979 --> 00:17:19,114 from seed to harvest. 371 00:17:19,248 --> 00:17:22,084 So, each one of these plants has a unique QR code. 372 00:17:22,217 --> 00:17:25,521 Cool tech word, "QR Code." That stands for "quick response." 373 00:17:25,654 --> 00:17:28,223 It's a unique way of labeling things electronically. 374 00:17:28,457 --> 00:17:31,393 It's this boxy kind of image here that they have labeled on all the plants. 375 00:17:32,895 --> 00:17:35,364 We use a lot of technology here on the farm, 376 00:17:35,497 --> 00:17:40,436 but sometimes the easiest and best solution for some of our pest issues 377 00:17:40,569 --> 00:17:41,837 is mother nature itself. 378 00:17:41,971 --> 00:17:44,006 This is a bag of ladybugs 379 00:17:44,239 --> 00:17:46,909 and they eat all of our yucky bugs, 380 00:17:47,042 --> 00:17:50,913 like aphids and thrips, whiteflies, and things like that. 381 00:17:51,046 --> 00:17:52,815 They actually go ahead and snack on them. 382 00:17:52,948 --> 00:17:55,284 CHARLIE: So bringing in good bugs to attack the bad bugs... 383 00:17:55,384 --> 00:17:57,119 -KATE: Yeah. -CHARLIE: ...that are eating on the crops. 384 00:17:57,252 --> 00:17:59,855 How many ladybugs do you think we're gonna release today? 385 00:17:59,989 --> 00:18:02,691 -KATE: About 1,500. -Fifteen hundred! 386 00:18:02,825 --> 00:18:04,226 -Fifteen hundred ladybugs. -Wow! 387 00:18:05,394 --> 00:18:07,296 -Oh, man. -Look at them go. 388 00:18:07,429 --> 00:18:08,864 Go forth, ladybugs. 389 00:18:08,998 --> 00:18:12,234 -CARLY: They're like, "We're free!" -CHARLIE: Eat as many thrips as you can. 390 00:18:13,569 --> 00:18:17,473 The cool thing about it is the ladybugs are so good at their job 391 00:18:17,606 --> 00:18:20,442 that they don't have to use harmful chemicals and pesticides. 392 00:18:20,776 --> 00:18:24,380 CARLY: This is a great example of just one of the reasons why indoor farms 393 00:18:24,513 --> 00:18:26,315 are beneficial for the environment. 394 00:18:28,317 --> 00:18:31,754 If you wanna get your hands dirty, I have a few jobs for you. 395 00:18:31,854 --> 00:18:32,855 Great. Let's do it. 396 00:18:32,988 --> 00:18:34,023 -Yeah! -Let's do it. 397 00:18:34,556 --> 00:18:36,825 CHARLIE: Carly takes a turn placing 400 seeds 398 00:18:36,959 --> 00:18:39,261 in a growing medium to get the plants started. 399 00:18:39,595 --> 00:18:41,497 I was sort of thinking that once we got here, 400 00:18:41,630 --> 00:18:45,200 we find all these shortcuts for farming, but it turns out 401 00:18:45,334 --> 00:18:47,269 whether you're indoor farming or outdoor farming, 402 00:18:47,403 --> 00:18:49,204 it all takes a lot of time. 403 00:18:50,205 --> 00:18:51,173 Hey, Charlie. 404 00:18:51,340 --> 00:18:53,475 CHARLIE: And Marissa sets me up to make some deliveries. 405 00:18:53,709 --> 00:18:56,683 We have a magic rose and an Amazon neon cherry. 406 00:18:57,246 --> 00:19:00,549 Unique small crops like these can be hard to grow outdoors, 407 00:19:00,683 --> 00:19:03,218 but they thrive in this controlled environment... 408 00:19:03,352 --> 00:19:06,722 while bigger crops that need lots of space do better outside. 409 00:19:07,690 --> 00:19:10,325 All right, we all packed up, ready to deliver to the restaurants? 410 00:19:10,426 --> 00:19:12,594 -MARISSA: Yeah, we're ready to go. -CHARLIE: All right. Let's roll! 411 00:19:12,728 --> 00:19:14,263 Let's deliver some greens. 412 00:19:14,396 --> 00:19:16,865 (MUSIC PLAYING) 413 00:19:16,932 --> 00:19:19,635 (TRAFFIC SEISMIC NOISE) 414 00:19:22,871 --> 00:19:24,139 All right, game time, everybody. 415 00:19:24,640 --> 00:19:28,544 I feel like I'm smuggling treasures across the city of New York. 416 00:19:32,715 --> 00:19:34,683 This is the life of a New York City farmer, right? 417 00:19:39,855 --> 00:19:42,491 Eugene... got your delivery. 418 00:19:42,624 --> 00:19:45,394 -Got your, uh, dianthus, neon cherry... -Yep. 419 00:19:45,527 --> 00:19:47,863 -...nepitella. -Looks good to me. 420 00:19:47,996 --> 00:19:49,898 -Good to go? All right. -Thank you. Appreciate it. 421 00:19:50,032 --> 00:19:51,033 Thanks for coming. 422 00:19:51,734 --> 00:19:54,036 (MUSIC PLAYING) 423 00:19:54,303 --> 00:19:56,171 CHARLIE: Carly, this doesn't actually seem that hard. 424 00:19:56,371 --> 00:20:00,776 No, I think we could absolutely recreate some of what we're seeing here in HQ, 425 00:20:00,909 --> 00:20:05,547 and quadruple what we're able to produce if we are stacking vertically like this. 426 00:20:05,681 --> 00:20:07,516 Yeah, hook up some water irrigation systems... 427 00:20:07,649 --> 00:20:09,585 -CARLY: Yep. -...you have lights to mimic the sunlight. 428 00:20:09,651 --> 00:20:10,586 -CARLY: Yeah. -CHARLIE: Yeah. 429 00:20:11,019 --> 00:20:14,189 We're gonna be selling strawberries year-round, Charlie. 430 00:20:14,323 --> 00:20:16,058 -Who else is selling strawberries... -Nobody. 431 00:20:16,258 --> 00:20:19,695 ...rhubarb, tomatoes, and cucumbers fresh, local, in the winter? 432 00:20:19,828 --> 00:20:21,864 -CARLY: This is gonna change everything. -CHARLIE: I like this. 433 00:20:21,964 --> 00:20:23,599 We're gonna head back to HQ, but we'll see you there? 434 00:20:23,665 --> 00:20:25,100 Perfect. We'll see you soon. 435 00:20:27,503 --> 00:20:33,308 CARLY: Weird but true, a typical ear of corn contains 800 kernels and 16 rows. 436 00:20:35,944 --> 00:20:38,914 So, I'm working on converting our entire backyard space 437 00:20:38,981 --> 00:20:40,282 just to rhubarb production. 438 00:20:40,482 --> 00:20:44,319 We chose a special type of rhubarb that was selectively bred to grow 439 00:20:44,453 --> 00:20:45,654 in cooler environments. 440 00:20:45,954 --> 00:20:48,824 That, along with my brand-new seeder, cultivator 441 00:20:48,957 --> 00:20:51,493 and my nifty little hand-held harvesting tool. 442 00:20:51,627 --> 00:20:55,430 Keep in mind that you need your parents' permission before using sharp tools. 443 00:20:55,631 --> 00:20:57,599 We're gonna be farming faster than ever. 444 00:20:57,733 --> 00:21:01,270 I am in charge of the indoor crops, that's cucumbers, tomatoes, 445 00:21:01,403 --> 00:21:02,437 and strawberries. 446 00:21:02,571 --> 00:21:05,741 I'm rigging these awesome hydroponic shelves all over the house 447 00:21:05,874 --> 00:21:09,511 and I've automated everything, from light to nutrients. 448 00:21:09,711 --> 00:21:13,048 I can control it all using software I've got on my phone. 449 00:21:13,182 --> 00:21:15,651 The garden to farm conversion is complete. 450 00:21:15,717 --> 00:21:17,186 (BARNYARD ANIMAL NOISES) 451 00:21:17,753 --> 00:21:20,656 We've almost quadrupled in size since we started. 452 00:21:20,722 --> 00:21:22,858 -How awesome is that? -Super awesome. 453 00:21:23,025 --> 00:21:25,027 And according to my calculations, 454 00:21:25,127 --> 00:21:26,762 we're gonna have enough to fulfill all those orders. 455 00:21:27,062 --> 00:21:28,897 It'll just take a little longer than we thought. 456 00:21:29,164 --> 00:21:32,134 Turns out you can improve a lot of aspects of farming, 457 00:21:32,267 --> 00:21:35,237 but you can't the fact that plants need time to grow. 458 00:21:35,504 --> 00:21:36,505 That's true. 459 00:21:37,039 --> 00:21:39,074 -CASEY: Hello, hello! -Casey. 460 00:21:39,208 --> 00:21:42,477 Uh-oh. Hey, Case! Yeah, come on down. 461 00:21:43,679 --> 00:21:44,947 Hey. 462 00:21:45,047 --> 00:21:46,448 Hey, guys, just thought I'd come, 463 00:21:46,582 --> 00:21:48,350 check and see how the strawberries are going. 464 00:21:48,483 --> 00:21:49,785 You know, pick up my... Wait. 465 00:21:50,385 --> 00:21:53,222 Did you guys build a hydroponic farming system? 466 00:21:53,355 --> 00:21:54,356 Yeah, you bet. 467 00:21:54,523 --> 00:21:56,625 Awesome. This means that I can get my crops year-round, 468 00:21:56,758 --> 00:21:57,759 and speaking of, 469 00:21:57,893 --> 00:22:01,096 where are my strawberries? I'm so ready to make a ton of pies. 470 00:22:01,597 --> 00:22:04,967 CARLY: Casey, the harvest isn't gonna be ready for a few more months. 471 00:22:05,100 --> 00:22:08,570 -I'm so sorry. -But my pies... 472 00:22:09,638 --> 00:22:12,507 However, as a sign of good faith to our best customer, 473 00:22:12,641 --> 00:22:14,376 we got you these instead. 474 00:22:14,810 --> 00:22:16,545 It's Purple Oxalis 475 00:22:16,678 --> 00:22:19,514 from a vertical hydroponic farm in New York City. 476 00:22:19,848 --> 00:22:23,085 You'll get twice the strawberries next time at no additional cost. 477 00:22:23,185 --> 00:22:24,186 I promise. 478 00:22:24,519 --> 00:22:28,657 Purple Oxalis. You know, I don't think this will be half bad. 479 00:22:28,891 --> 00:22:31,760 I can make a Crème Anglaise with this that my customers really like. 480 00:22:32,194 --> 00:22:34,730 It's the least we could do while you wait for those strawberries. 481 00:22:34,863 --> 00:22:37,966 Thanks. You guys are the best. You wanna help me crack a bunch of eggs? 482 00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:39,368 -Yes. -Sure. 483 00:22:39,635 --> 00:22:42,204 All right, guys, looks like we got a new project on our hands. 484 00:22:42,337 --> 00:22:46,241 But thanks so much for stopping by. Come by again when we discover more things 485 00:22:46,375 --> 00:22:47,743 -that are weird... -...But true. 486 00:22:47,876 --> 00:22:48,877 We'll see you guys later. 487 00:22:49,077 --> 00:22:50,078 Let's get cracking. 488 00:22:50,212 --> 00:22:51,313 -Crème Anglaise. -Yes! 489 00:22:51,446 --> 00:22:53,015 -I am ready. -That sounds fancy. 490 00:22:53,148 --> 00:22:54,182 -It's delish. -Let's do it. 491 00:22:54,316 --> 00:22:56,285 -Okay. -How many eggs do we need to crack? 492 00:22:56,418 --> 00:22:58,320 -CASEY: About 400. -CHARLIE: Ooh, I like that. 493 00:22:58,553 --> 00:23:00,489 (THEME MUSIC PLAYING) 494 00:23:01,657 --> 00:23:05,460 Here on Weird But True Farms, we have the finest everything. 495 00:23:05,594 --> 00:23:09,464 We harvest the finest leeches and make coffee out of the finest... 496 00:23:09,598 --> 00:23:12,367 Charlie, come on, wake up. We're open. 497 00:23:12,501 --> 00:23:14,102 All right, guys, come on in! 498 00:23:14,236 --> 00:23:15,671 -One tomato please. -Oh, perfect. 499 00:23:15,804 --> 00:23:17,005 How about that one right there? 500 00:23:17,139 --> 00:23:18,740 -Thank you so much for coming by. -Thanks. 501 00:23:18,874 --> 00:23:22,044 Who's next? Come on, we got the finest rhubarb you've ever seen. 502 00:23:22,177 --> 00:23:25,013 -Strawberries for days. -Charlie and Carly's farm. 503 00:23:25,147 --> 00:23:27,215 It's the finest produce you ever put in your mouth.