Chances are, that if you are buying several popular varieties of tomatoes from any major outlet, they came from a massive indoor facility nearby.
Intergrow Greenhouses took a different approach to how they grow cherry tomatoes, tomatoes-on-the vine and beefsteak tomatoes.
Back in 1998, the company, with one operating location in Albion, used authentic growing methods and combined them with exacting, state-of-the-art technologies to grow premium quality tomatoes. “Our perfectly controlled, closed environment allows us to pick at the peak of ripeness and deliver to our customers within 24 hours”, said Company co-owner Dirk Biemans.
Now, Intergrow Greenhouses wants to add a second facility on 100+ acres off Route 104 and Dean Parkway in the Town of Ontario. The indoor greenhouse structure will start out with a modest 25 acre structure and grow to a 55 acre building that will eventually employ between 100 to 150 people.
Intergrow Greenhouses supplies customers with both their own fleet of trucks and outside carriers. The object of the company is to ship tomatoes with a 12 hour window of the Northeast radius.
“Our tomato plants are not grown in soil, rather they root into a growing medium made of Rockwool, a stone-wool substrate. We use drippers to irrigate the plants with a water and nutrient mix. As the plants grow, we hang the vines from the ceiling and they grow up to a range of 25 to 30 feet in length within the 11 month growing season. We use bumble bees for natural pollination. We bring in bee hives every two weeks to pollinate the greenhouse.” added Biemans.
Intergrow Greenhouses uses artificial lighting during the winter months, and, instead of municipal water, catches rain and melted snow off the facility roof. This provides locally grown tomatoes, harvested daily year round in the Northeast even during the cold winter months.
Biemans explained that the tomatoes you buy on the vine have longer shelf life than field tomatoes picked off of the vine. Just leave them on your countertop (NEVER refrigerate) and they should last you a good week or two! Also, tomatoes sold on the vine have been grown in a greenhouse, ensuring a much safer product – that is free of disease and contamination. Because their plants are grown in a controlled environment, they can effectively use natural predators to control pests, so pesticide use is reduced to a minimum. Bierman added that hydroponically grown tomatoes have every bit as much flavor as field grown varieties. Hydroponics has been a proven method of growing delicious tomatoes for decades.
According to Ontario Town Supervisor, John Smith, town and company engineers and lawyers met last week to iron out any impediments to the project and iron out deadlines. Smith also added that no tax breaks – other than existing agriculture incentives – are being added to the project. He noted that truck traffic on Route 104 will include only 10-12 tractor trailers at its peak. Rochester Gas & Electric (RG&E) is currently working with the company and a natural gas line will be added from Salt Road in Webster to the new facility.
Smith said that unlike the site once proposed on open land in the Town of Webster last year, there are no logistic, or public impediments, at the Industrial Park off of Dean Parkway on Timothy Lane. If all goes well, building on the site will begin this Summer with initial plantings to begin by September of 2018.
The post Tomato growing facility to locate off Route 104 in the Town of Ontario appeared first on Times of Wayne County.