Hydroponics is a farming system that uses nutrient-rich water to grow vegetables instead of soil. This system produces top-quality nutritious vegetables, and at the same time, conserves water and land, and eliminates soil-born illness and disease! WHAT WE DO:
We own and operate a sustainable hydroponic solar greenhouse near downtown Blacksburg, where we grow living lettuce (a buttercrunch bibb) a
nd Genovese basil. Our produce is grown with organic nutrients, and is pesticide and fungicide-free! We also use special recycled PETE containers to package and sell our lettuce, keeping our greens fresh for up to 3 weeks! This year we also opened the Market Grill at the Farmers Market. We prepare or grill breakfast sandwiches, burgers, fresh vegetables, and fresh pesto (made from our hydroponic basil). We have a farm-to-table approach, using locally-grown, vendor supplied produce and products. Come see us at the Farmers Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and while you're at it, try a burger and some fresh lettuce! Or try our local delivery service! OUR NEW PROJECTS:
This summer we built an outside hydroponic garden and raised, soil garden beds. Our goals were to grow more of our own food for the Market Grill, and to grow food around our place in under-utilized or eroding areas. This summer we are working to turn our hydroponic greenhouse into an aquaponics center--a sustainable farming system that combines hydroponics with aquaculture. With this closed-loop system we can raise freshwater fish and grow vegetables at the same time! The fish by-products provide nutrients to the plants and the plants filter the water for the fish. We also hope to grow Black Solider Fly Larvae for our fish, using compost to fed the larvae. This approach gives us the opportunity to use compost the feed the larvae, and eliminate the need to provide feed to the fish or add organic nutrients to the water for the plants. ABOUT US:
Each day we strive to learn about and create a more self-sufficient and sustainable farming system! We have a strong passion for sustainable and advanced agriculture and locally-grown food. Founder and owner Nick Higgins just graduated from Virginia Tech with a civil engineering degree. He has future plans to design and build agriculture systems for peri-urban and urban areas.
