I was recently able to take a trip to Bushel Boy Farms in Owatonna, MN to tour the hydroponic tomato facility. As a person that is always asking “why” and “how”, farm tours just make my day!
I have loved tomatoes since childhood and have been known to eat a plate full of garden-fresh tomatoes (with lots of salt and pepper) as a meal during the summer months. Living in the midwest (Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin) all my life has seriously limited my tomato consumption from September – June (every month except those joyous months of tomato-rich July and August). That is until I discovered Bushel Boy tomatoes. These babies are harvested on the vine when they are ripe (not green), so they actually taste and SMELL like tomatoes (even in January).
As a retail dietitian, I knew that Bushel Boy tomatoes were grown hydroponically (in water), but how I pictured them being grown and the reality were so very different. I pictured rows and rows of plants floating on a river of water. -How they were able to stay upright, I wasn’t sure. (I guess my vision of hydroponics was sort of like some dreams. – It felt real, but some things just didn’t make sense).
When I walked into the greenhouse the first thing I noticed was the amazing aroma of tomatoes and the sheer size of the tomatoe vines. Those babies were HUGE (up to 35 feet in length)!
And they weren’t grown in a river of water, rather in a bed of shredded rock (that had a constant supply of nutrient-rich water).
Like on any farm tour that I have taken, I am always amazed at the amount of pride that the growers/staff/farmers have for their products. -Just like I have pride in my garden-fresh veggies.
We were able to meet Alfredo, the head grower for Bushel Boy, and hear about some of the tactics he uses to improve the crop.
Did You Know?
- They warm the tomatoes up in the morning -even on hot summer days- to help them adjust to the hot temperatures.
- Bees are used as natural polinators?
- And 100% of the water used to grow the tomatoes is used (none is wasted). They filter back any overages and recycle it.
- They have sticky bug traps throughout the facility to keep tabs on the varieties present. This helps them decide how to treat the plants (usually by releasing a different type of bug to eliminate the harmful pest).
So I challenge you, the next time you are in the grocery store to find Bushel Boy tomatoes. Pick up a bunch and just smell it. It smells like tomatoes, so you know it will taste like tomatoes. Grab a bunch, along with some fresh basil and mozzarella cheese. You won’t be sorry!
Reblogged this on Show Me More Farms Samoa and commented:
What a wonderful blog about growing some of the hardiest tomatoes! I have large scale plans for the people of American Samoa who really need this sort of technology. Thank you
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