Wiebe's tomatoes are dirt free
Inside the smaller of two greenhouses northwest of Durham, Troy Wiebe is growing tomatoes without soil.
They're called hydroponic, and according to Wiebe, they produce tomatoes earlier than the plants grown in the ground. In fact, he should have fresh tomatoes any day.
Wiebe started growing hydroponic tomatoes three years ago.
"It's harder to control nutrients in the soil," he said.
The 200 tomatoes plants are grown in bags of pearlite and get all their nutrients through the water. Wiebe has an automatic watering system that feeds and waters them several times a day, and a stringer system keeps the plants upright.
Wiebe is growing carrots mixed in with the tomatoes. This is his first year to try the idea he says, and things are going well. "Carrots love tomatoes."
In his large greenhouse, Wiebe is also growing cucumbers hydroponically. This is the third year he's grown them this way and has already produced cucumbers for five weeks this summer.
When it gets too hot outdoors, Wiebe may start lettuce hydroponically.
"A lot of care goes into them and time, patience, and energy," said Wiebe "but I like to come out here in the evenings and work in the greenhouses."
His biggest problem in the greenhouses is bugs.
"It's environmentally controlled, so it's a good place for things to grow," he said.
In addition to his hydroponic plants, Wiebe also has six or seven acres with more tomato plants, new potatoes, onions, sweet corn, green beans, watermelon, cantaloupe, summer delight squash, and four kinds of peppers. He has a few mums and has tried flowers in the past, "but people are hungrier for produce."
Wiebe takes his produce to the farmer's market in Salina every Saturday and also sells from his farm. The farm is located at the corner of 300th and Falcon northwest of Durham, and store hours are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. until 6:30 p.m., and Saturday from 1:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m.
