A backyard Sea-Can outfitted as a vertical, hydroponic farm in West Park could have the freshest lettuce Red Deerians can buy.
Red Deer residents Lisa Nakamura-Slimmon and her husband Mike Slimmon, who operate the urban farm Green Euphoria, bought their hydroponic sea can a few years ago and have been growing lettuce since the fall of 2021.
“We’re right here, so if you want local, we’re very, very local,” said Lisa whose customers say they love the freshness and taste of Green Euphoria’s lettuce that is picked the day it’s delivered, or picked up, with the roots intact.
“I have some lettuce sitting on the table for three days now. They still look like the day my husband harvested them,” she said about lettuce sitting in a bowl of water that her family is eating.
Mike said the computer-controlled environment in the sea can ensures growing conditions are perfect for the lettuce.
“It’s a closed unit so it rains every day and the sun shines every day. There’s no stress on the plant at all so they grow faster and grow tastier,” Mike said.
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Their 12-metre Sea-Can contains 256 plant towers that can each grow eight to 10 heads of lettuce.
Lisa said despite claims that the sea can farm is capable of functioning at -40 C, they found that the coldest the farm can operate at is -20 C so crops are grown about 10 months out of the year.
“This year we started up early. We started in January so we have lettuce ready to go now.”
They purchased their second-hand hydroponic sea can from the Pincher Creek area. It was hoisted into place and the exterior was made to match their house.
“You wouldn’t know it’s a sea can,” said Lisa who doubts many people in her neighbourhood even know they have a lettuce farm.
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Green Euphoria supplied lettuce to Westlake Grill at Heritage Ranch for the past two years, and has been reaching out to other restaurants. The farm intends to return to Red Deer Public Market this season during the spring and fall.
Lisa said customers also find out about Green Euphoria through word of mouth and appreciate the quality of their lettuce compared to lettuce that is transported from another region, or country, and stored and packaged in a warehouse before making it to grocery stores.
“More people are starting to become interested because they’re not willing to pay the high cost of what lettuce is in some of the stores now. They quite like the freshness.”
For more information visit www.facebook.com/greeneuphorialettuce or Green Euphoria on Instagram.
szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com
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