Gardener News 16 Mount Bethel Road #123 Warren, NJ 07059
TAKE ONE May, 2015
FIRST-CLASS MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID HILLSBOROUGH, NJ PERMIT NO. 4444
Gardener News Serving the Agricultural, Gardening and Landscaping Communities
TAKE ONE
GARDENERNEWS.COM
No. 145
Growing Year-Round Produce By Tom Castronovo Executive Editor
Tom Castronovo/Photo
Tom Deckenbach, co-owner of Hamilton Farms in Boonton Township, Morris County, N.J., looks over his hydroponic lettuce crop.
High demand for sustainably produced, local fresh food is slowly convincing greenhouse growers to convert some of their floriculture square footage to growing yearround produce. Tom Deckenbach, co-owner of Hamilton Farms in Boonton Township, Morris County, N.J., is one such grower, who made it official in 2015. “I’m going to start slow and watch it grow,” said Deckenbach. “As demand increases, the amount of dedicated space in my operation will increase.” Some of the floriculture crops that Deckenbach currently grows are bedding plants, potted flowering plants, better known as annuals and perennials and foliage plants. As we all know, this is a very seasonable business. Last year, Deckenbach saw a demand for fresh local year-round produce and to increase his business to a year-round one when several local chefs approached him on the idea of growing vegetables and herbs full time. One local tomato sauce company also approached him and he is now growing fresh basil for (Continued on Page 20)