Good things are growing on in Old Massett.
Across the road from the bustling greenhouse and garden at the Adult Day Program building, the Old Massett Village Council will soon run an indoor hydroponic farm that can grow hundreds of fresh leafy greens and herbs each week, all year round.
Built by Growcer, a Canadian company with roots in Nunavut and a factory in Winkler, Manitoba, the indoor farm is made up of two 40-foot buildings, one for growing plants and seedlings and the other for storage, packaging, and selling fresh produce out of a walk-up window.
Kevin Brown, energy coordinator for OMVC, says the village will hire two part-time workers to run the indoor farm. It takes about 30 hours a week to maintain, plus extra time for harvesting, deep cleaning, and preparing produce for sale.
“I want a green economy, everywhere, full-time,” said Brown, noting that the indoor farm is a good start since it will run year-round and so much work on Haida Gwaii is seasonal.
Including site prep, the installation cost about $500,000, Brown said, and the indoor farm could be expanded in future.
The modular buildings were delivered in February, and work is underway to get the LED grow lights and other equipment up and running.
The grow building has three and four tiered shelves of growing trays on either side of a middle aisle, plus a seedling station.
The system is hydroponic, meaning the plants are grown without soil — they are rooted in rockwool and fertilized, pH-controlled water is pumped through the trays.
The Growcer farm building can have between 1,800 and 2,688 planting spots, depending on the chosen crops, plus 1,200 to 3,200 slots for seedlings.
Lettuce and other leafy greens such as spinach and kale are among the most popular and efficient crops to grow, according to Growcer, and only take 5 to 7 weeks to mature. Herbs such as basil, mint, and cilantro take between 8 and 12 weeks.
Brown said he was amazed when he got a list of recommended crops and saw 79 varieties of lettuce.
The list includes everything from Buttercrunch Butterhead to Flashy Trout Back Bibb and Vulcan Leaf.
Once running, the indoor farm will use about 2,000 litres of water a month. The water recirculates, but needs a top up about every three weeks. It will use power equivalent to about seven homes per year.
Inside, the light, fertilizer, temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, and water levels can all be adjusted in real-time by internet-connected computers that can be remotely controlled.
Brown said OMVC has spoken with Haida Gwaii Co-op about possibily selling surplus greens or herbs at the local supermarket, but for now the plan is to sell produce on site.
Given the lack of transport costs and quick growing time — the farm can produce between 600 and 800 heads of leafy greens each week — Brown said the prices should be well below what’s typical on Haida Gwaii.
Brown said the indoor farm is just one more step in a fresh food-culture change he’s seen develop on Haida Gwaii over the last decade. He recalled stopping by the cafeteria at Gudangaay Tlaats’gaa Naay Secondary School to speak with science teacher Dan Schulbeck, who runs a greenhouse program at the school, and being surprised to see so many students eating salad.
“Greens! It blew me away,” Brown said. “When I was going to school, we would have doughnuts at recess and pizza at lunch.”