—by Karen Kloser
Hampden Park Co-op customers enjoy locally grown, freshly picked tomatoes and lettuce year-round, thanks to the hard work of two hydroponic growers: Michelle Keller of LaBore Farms in Faribault, and Tom Martin of Martin’s Greenhouses in Pine City (delivered by Bob Schuett).
Although these two growers couldn’t be further apart in terms of their size and production, they both are intimately hands-on with their operations. LaBore Farms devotes about one-eighth of an acre of greenhouse space to its hydroponic lettuces: romaines, green leaf, red bibb, mixed greens, double greens, and specialty mustard greens. Martin’s Greenhouses has an acre of greenhouse space dedicated to hydroponic tomatoes and cucumbers.
Similar to soil farming, hydroponics appears to be just as labor intensive and costly in terms of its unique equipment, supplies, and risk. Keller worked a part-time job during the first three years of building LaBore Farms. The Martin family hasn’t taken a vacation since they expanded into year-round growing. Both growers are involved in all phases of farming, from mixing and managing the nutrient solution to picking, packing, labeling, and delivering (in Keller’s case add transplanting hundreds of lettuces, too).
