It’s getting hot in here

Carly and Benjamin Tucker grow tropical citrus and more in this chilly, grey temperate rainforest – without depending on environmentallydamaging energy sources to recreate a hot n’ steamy climate.

Since 2012, Carly and Benjamin Tucker have grown the seemingly-ungrowable at Ohm Kitchen & Garden in Cranberry.

Benjamin has had a long career in Industrial Scaffolding (Temporary Elevated Safe Work Platforms and Environmental Containment). He takes this trade design from heavy industry and transforms it into Ohm’s open floor greenhousing. The greenhouses are temporary structures, incredibly strong, quickly assembled and require minimal energy input.

“He has been modifying and improving this concept for years,” says Carly, who manages the Seasider Bistro, “and has rebuilt our greenhouses more times than I can count.”

What are you growing?

We focus on making soil and growing tropical and subtropical trees, plants, and seeds (some rare and endangered). Our family’s trees range from mature Citrus, Avocado, Olive, Lemongrass, Oleifera Moringa, Chilean Guava and Passion Fruit to rare Madagascar Palms, Boswellia Neglecta, Argania Spinosa, Dragons Blood and many other beneficial tree species.

We collect compostable waste from a few local businesses to create our custom potting soils and fertilizers. This completes an essential feedback loop. One where local compostable waste stays in town to create healthy living soil which grows nutrient dense food that stays in town and it doesn’t rely on costly industrial operations.

We are looking to collect larger volumes next year. It is necessary for the continuous growth of our community that we contribute to a food system that protects us and our isolated paradise.

How did you get started?

Ohm Kitchen & Garden has grown naturally over the last eight years. It started as hobby turning our 9x13 greenhouse into a mini tropical oasis. Now our family has three greenhouses and growing.

We process everything we harvest and share the surplus with our friends and family. Every year we are yielding more and more. Juicing fresh Meyer Lemons in January is pure sunshine. We share/sell trees and plants as we go and are continuously bringing in and propagating more varieties so we can offer more.

The goal is to build an indoor botanical garden, herbarium and nursery to share with the community 12 months a year.

Any challenges?

Like anyone with a greenhouse has experienced... It gets too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter, you have to control the pests and it’s expensive to artificially heat/cool.

Our hydro bill was astronomical our first winter. Once we stopped looking at our greenhouse as an isolated growing space but as its own balanced ecosystem everything got better. We use little energy in the greenhouses now because we are constantly adding new natural and low-energy heat sources.

For summer we remove the walls of the greenhouses and leave the roof on. This gives great air flow; no overheating and we still control the irrigation from the rain. The pollinating insects and hummingbirds especially love the citrus blossoms.

Benjamin and Carly Tucker with the two children they are growing.

The greenhouse in winter

Immature valencia oranges.

A Passion flower.

Calamondin oranges

Avocado grown in Cranberry.

Chilean guava grown in Cranberry.

Lemongrass and meyer lemons, also grown in Cranberry.