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Welcome to the BC Hot House growing facility, a 20-acre state-of-the-art growing facility in Camarillo. Although Canadian-based BC Hot House grows a variety of produce, they only grow tomatoes here. But they're doing it with an innovative technique called hydroponics. Basically, it means growing plants without soil.
That's right, no soil! Plants here are grown in a natural, biodegradable substance called rock wool. Sounds strange, but it is actually rock that's heated up to about 7,000 degrees Fahrenheit and then spun like wool. The rock wool holds moisture while at the same time allowing the roots to breathe. And because there's no dirt, they never get weeds. And because they don't have weeds, they never use herbicides.
That's a big selling point, since many consumers are worried about pesticides and chemical use.
Everything in their greenhouse is computer-controlled, from water to nutrients and more. BC Hot House tries to make sure all the plant's needs are met. That way the roots don't have to search for nutrition, so the plant can focus its energy on producing healthy tomatoes.
Hydroponics may produce a premium tomato, but it comes at a cost - more than 3 times the price of a field grown tomato.
Right now in the United States, hot house grown tomatoes account for less than 4% of the tomato market. But BC Hot House hopes to change that - in fact, they say sales are booming!
For more information, you can check out the BC Hot House website at http://www.bchothouse.com.
If you have questions or comments about this story, please E-mail our Producer Christine Tanaka at ctanaka@kvie.org.
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