Peach Hill Orchard Invests in New Hydroponic Farming Greenhouse for Lettuce, Tomato Growing

Hydroponic farming is not new to Peach Hill. They have been growing tomatoes this way for 30 years.

But over time updates are needed and in the winter of 2022, a new controlled environment greenhouse was built.

Peach Hill owners looked to a company called Cropking of Ohio. Cropking has many customers in the United States and in more than 20 countries.

After determining how big they wanted the greenhouse to be and working with the designing crew, this new adventure began. This system is far beyond what you would think of as a regular greenhouse.

Inside the greenhouse, the fertilization system is the first thing you see. The water is tested, and it is determined what is needed to grow lettuce and tomatoes. This is very important as the water is always flowing through the roots, 24 hours a day. The heat is determined by time of year and amount of sunlight.

One side of this unique growing system is set up to grow various types of lettuce and the other side is set up to grow tomatoes.

Each seed is started in a pad of rockwool in small cubes. Just one seed of lettuce is needed for each cube. The seed will start germination in just one day by splitting. The cubes are placed onto larger trays with lids to keep any algae from growing. Water is continuously running under the trays.

The lettuce is perfectly formed and looks delicious as it is very green and appealing. Lettuce is pulled with roots attached and placed into a plastic container to keep it fresh. It is picked every couple of weeks.

Tomatoes grown hydroponically are unique. The tomatoes also have water flowing through the roots and the plants are tied and clamped. As suckers form, they are carefully looked at and a few flowers are pulled off to allow the tomatoes to grow bigger.

Twine is stretched very high, over 10 feet, and the vines are permitted to grow up the twine. The roots system with water continuously running through the roots is not directly on the floor. It is raised off the concrete floor and insulated.

This time of farming requires a lot of maintenance even though the farmers are not working outside in the elements. Those farming must be very knowledgeable about the process and what they are trying to achieve. The outside temperature and sunlight will affect the outcome if not monitored this properly.

This story would not complete without disclosing a secret part of this process: the bumblebees. About 30 bumblebees are brought in the greenhouse in a small box, which acts as their hive. They will pollinate the tomato plants. Bumblebees are becoming endangered and we should do all we can to help them.

Peach Hill owners attended a two-day training system to become more knowledgeable about what they wanted to achieve.