I was 11 years old when my family immigrated to Carpinteria from Holland in 1967. Our farming roots date back to the 1700s, ranging from open field to orchards and eventually to greenhouse production. I currently own an 11-acre greenhouse and farm 50 acres of certified organic avocados, with 15 more soon to be certified organic as well. In other words, I am intimately familiar with both types of farming and recognize the advantages that each comprise.
There is no doubt that my avocado orchards are more pleasing to look at than my greenhouses, but let’s not judge a book by its cover. Before I built my greenhouses in the 1980s, I grew gypsophila, also known as Baby’s Breath, in outdoor fields. This turned out to be both challenging to my bottom line and to the environment. I planted in July, fertilized it to make it grow, and sprayed it with pesticides to protect it from harmful insects. Often by the time my plants were ready to be harvested, inclement weather would destroy the plants that I had been tending for months. If the rains were severe, there was soil erosion that washed into the nearby creeks along with any residue of fertilizers and pesticides.
Then I switched to growing flowers in greenhouses. I found my crops were protected from adverse climate conditions. I had much higher yields, better quality flowers, a more efficient use of natural resources, and far lighter impacts on the environment. We grow our crops hydroponically. When done correctly, this can be arguably the most environmentally responsible method to grow delicate crops, whether they be flowers, lettuce, or cannabis. Hydroponic greenhouses don’t turn their soil into a sterile wasteland but preserve it beneath ground cloth to prevent weeds from growing. The rain that falls on my greenhouses is captured in a detention/recharge bio-basin where any potential pollutants are filtered out by plants before the water is recharged to the groundwater basin.
Our closed-loop hydroponic fertilizer injection system ensures that every drop of water and fertilizer is recycled and that there is zero irrigation runoff. This ensures that nitrates and other fertilizers are kept out of our creeks, streams, and groundwater. Sure, greenhouse production can use more energy than open field farming, but it uses far less energy and water per plant than irrigating fields with inevitable runoff. In my experience, it is the most efficient and cleanest way to grow certain specialty crops at scale.
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