Growing vegetables inside a shipping container is called container farming. Here controlled environment is provided to optimize the plant growth. so external environment does not affect the production.. So production of vegetables is possible throughout year.

We can set up different kind of hydroponics models in containers. we normally prefer vertical systems , so that we can utilize maximum volume space for production. most common type is NFT. We can also do ebb and flow, RAFT system and ZIP system etc. for fruit cultivation we can do substrate based drip system and Dutch bucket. but space utilization will be very less. it is recommended for home purpose to grow general vegies of daily use. not commercial production. 

Based upon Lettuce cultivation in NFT system set up in a container farm its break even period is estimated to be 1.6 years based on per head lettuce selling price 7 dirhams. a single container can supply 2 tons of vegies per year. a series of containers in an urban area like Dubai, if properly planned can supply vegetable requirements of a apartment, may be a city full of hotels.