The demand for our individual bags is overwhelming during the summer as well. The 8 oz bags contain lettuce, greens, herbs, and edible flowers. The high amount of labor to make these bags has limited our expansion into this market at present. We have experimented with all types of strategies to grow the salad mix in the field and in the greenhouse in order to reduce production costs. The Ag-Tech funded polyculture system has now provided us the means to investigate further improvements in growing the crops hydroponically.
Crops grown hydroponically use water and nutrients more efficiently.
They can be planted at higher densities and grow faster than in soil culture. The more controlled environment reduces the need for pesticides compared to field conditions.