How we grow food in an old stable, powered by the weather

Why Urban Farming In Kirkcaldy

Round the back of Kirk Wynd in Kirkcaldy there is a building that started life in the 1890s as a stable. Horses once lived here. Now it grows food.

That is the short version of the PeachyKeen Urban Farm. The longer version is more fun.

We wanted to prove something. That you could take a tired old building, the kind you see boarded up on high streets everywhere, and turn it into a working farm without plugging it into anything. No mains power. No fuss. Just the weather doing the work.

So the building runs off grid. Twenty three solar panels catch the Fife sunshine, such as it is. A small wind turbine takes the rest. There are human powered devices too, because old habits die hard and we are still a human energy company at heart. Even the rain earns its keep. We collect it, filter it, and use it to water the crops. Sometimes we run it through a turbine on the way and squeeze a bit more energy out of it before it reaches the plants.

Inside, the growing happens without soil. The plants sit on trays under bright LED light, fed by water and nutrients on a gentle recirculating loop. If you stand quietly you can hear it, a soft trickle running through the shelves. It is a controlled little world in there. The light, the water, the temperature, all kept just right, which means we can grow all year round no matter what the Scottish weather is doing outside.

Because the power comes from the sun, the wind and the rain, the cost of running it drops to almost nothing.

“That is the whole point,” says Andrew Bowie, founder of PeachyKeen. “Once the system is in place, your energy is basically free. That changes the maths completely. You can grow fresh food in the middle of town, at almost no running cost, in a building that was doing nothing before. If it works here, in a 130 year old stable in Kirkcaldy, there is no reason it cannot work on any high street in the country.”

That last part matters, because the farm was never just about the farm. It is a live demonstration of our 5P Project, our plan to bring empty town centre buildings back to life as places that grow food, make power and serve the community.

The microgreens you can now buy from us are grown in exactly this way. Fresh, local, and grown on sunshine and rain.

It is a proper little proof of concept. And it tastes good too.

"PeachyKeen have been fantastic partners to work with from design to build, and provided an interactive and engaging customer focused activity across the 4 days of the Royal Highland Show." Sara Smith, RHET Learning and Development Co-ordinator
“What a fantastic organisation and great STEM learning whilst having a fun experience for school pupils. Thanks PeachyKeen for your support at our STEM Olympics.” Colin Miller, Head of Service: External Engagement
“I can’t recommend PeachyKeen highly enough. They are a polished act who bring energy and oomph to any event and have the most amazing equipment . They look good, are well prepared, and everything about their service is top quality from the products and materials used and the way the work with people and the customers.” Laura Carswell - Neilston Development Trust
"We have had the privilege of working at education related events where we combine engaging activities, using a range of PeachyKeen resources."
"It’s always a pleasure to work with Andrew and the team from PeachyKeen. Interesting, engaging and fun activities delivered with enthusiasm and professionalism." Amy Russell, Events Officer
"We look forward to welcoming the PeachyKeen team to our events. People of all ages and abilities love the hand-on activities." Scottish Borders Council
"We were delighted to have PeachyKeen on board at the first ASGF Festival of Ideas Adam’s Family Fun Day in March. They were very professional and kept our visitors engaged with their amazing eco-friendly equipment. It was great to see the young ones enjoying themselves. We would definitely recommend them for your event." Karen Taylor, Partnerships & Creative Development Manager
“For our Earth Hour event, PeachyKeen were very well equipped to run a fantastic bicycle-powered light display, capturing the attention of just over one hundred participants. It was a fun and interactive exhibition, and we look forward to welcoming them back in future!” Lara Fahey, Transition University of St Andrews
“We would like to say a big thank you to the PeachyKeen team who visited us twice in a week. As part of our Wellbeing agenda, we had the Scalextrix Bikes to both of our sites in Bellshill and have to say a great time was had by all. It didn’t matter about fitness level or skills – this was an activity everyone could get involved in and the competition was fierce ! The team were really organised, friendly and encouraged our employees to give it a go and we will certainly be calling on them again for fun, different activities we can offer in the workplace. Thank you again from the Muller Dairy and Blowmoulding sites. “
"My company booked the PeachyKeen smoothie bikes for a Wellbeing event we were hosting in May. From start to finish, Joa was extremely friendly and helpful, responding quickly to any queries I had as well as providing helpful information about the bikes which we used to promote on our internal channels. The event itself was a great success – my colleagues absolutely loved the bikes, and the smoothies were delicious (we had lots of people going back for seconds, and thirds!). We also had some special requests on the day, and PeachyKeen were extremely accommodating and nothing was a hassle for them. Overall, a really great experience and would 100% recommend if you are looking for a fun (and healthy!) activity for any event you’re hosting." Eve Robertson, Modulr Finance
Just wanted to thank you and your Team for your efforts on behalf of CIRCLE for the Scottish Recovery Consortium Recovery Walk Scotland - Paisley 2022. The smoothie bike activity was so welcomed by those on attendance and there were so many smiles on people's faces it brought further joy and happiness to such a fantastic event. I will strongly be recommending PeachyKeen to our Service Partners. Not only the activity, but your staff team were so welcoming and really got involved in supporting the day and engaging with everyone who took part in the activity: amazing!!! Thank you so much from CIRCLE. Iain Risk, Circle
We booked Joa for our Bike Fun Day event and loved how colourful the Peachykeen stand was which helped attract people to have a go at the smoothie bike. The smoothies are actually delicious, and Joa provided all of the ingredients so that we did not have to source those. It's a great fun activity for all ages, and the team were so busy all day we completely used up all of the smoothie supplies! We will definitely book you again. Gemma Simpson, Auchterarder Community Sports & Recreation Bike Fun Day