The "Latest Craze In Farming" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Carol was telling me about her breakfast meeting with her former boss at the Parish Resource Center in Lancaster, PA.  Scott is an ordained minister who was hired to be the executive director of the center about 3 years ago.  At the time he was hired he didn't realize how close the center was to closing because of financial difficulties.  He tried his best to raise needed funds, but the economy was such that it wasn't going to happen on his watch.  During his tenure the physical building where the center is located was sold and part of it leased back to the center.  This move, made under Scott, managed to keep the center solvent for a few more years, but the board of directors asked Scott to resign.  Carol has kept in touch with him and today got to hear about Scott and his wife's plans for the future.  

Entrance to the Cuisinart Hydroponic Farm.

While talking he mentioned to her about his daughter and her boyfriend who share an apartment where they have begun hydroponic farming on a small scale. Seems hydroponic farming is starting to become a hobby for many people even though they know very little about agricultural farming.  Here in Lancaster a local garden center gives introductory talks to interested people about how to get started in hydroponic farming.  You can grow tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, Swiss chard and kale in hydroponic beds.  In hydroponic farming the plant's roots are drenched with nutrient-rich water for perhaps three to four minutes every 30 minutes.  

Vegetable beds at the hydroponic farm.

No earth is needed to complete this type of farming of fruits and vegetables.  Hydroponic farming offers high yields per square foot, fast growth and generally fewer diseases than soil crops.  No animal byproducts, such as manure, are needed in the plant growth.  

Dr. Resh showing Carol and me the root system.

The downside to hydroponic farming is the water must be enriched to provide the trace elements that plants need, such as zinc and copper, which occur naturally in soil.  You can buy kits to get started which include water pumps, tables to hold the water and growing lights.  Carol and I were introduced to hydroponic farming in 2009 while on a trip to the Caribbean.  

Another view of the root system under
a smaller tray of vegetables.

During a stay on St. Martin we took a day trip to nearby Anguilla where we visited the Cuisinart Resort.  The resort had their own hydroponic farm that was run by world renown hydroponic farmer Dr. Harold Resh.  He ran Cuisinart's Hydroponic Farm which produced fresh tomatoes, European cucumbers, sweet bell peppers of all colors, lettuce, bok choy and herbs for their guests so they could have "backyard garden" flavors with their meals.  The farm was located in a very large greenhouse on the resort's property.  Dr. Resh gave us a tour of the farm and explained the entire procedure to us.  At the time hydroponic farming was a novelty, but has been growing ever since as shown by the our local garden centers offering classes in getting started.  We did get to try a few of the vegetables right off the vine tat Dr. Resh had grown and they were delicious.  Can't get any more fresh that that.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - a few more photos and a video showing hydroponic farming with Dr. Resh.

Lettuce growing in the farm.

You can see the size of the tomatoes that are growing in the hydroponic farm in Anguilla.