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About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (April 21, 2022)
26 | Growing vegetables indoors — without soil Hydroponics and aeroponics can provide fresh produce even during winter By DICK MASON EO Media Group L A GRANDE — No soil, no problem. An increasing num- ber of students in the La Grande School District and at Eastern Oregon University are discovering what it is like to grow vegetables without soil. The students are doing this via hydroponics and aeroponics, both of which involve the process of growing plants by supplying all necessary nutrients in the plants’ water supply rather than through soil. Hydroponic systems have plant roots suspended in nutrient filled water. Aeroponic systems, by contrast, have plant roots sus- pended in air which are soaked fre- quently with nutrient-filled water. An aeroponics program began operating in La Grande School District in 2020-2021 with funds from the Oregon Department of Education Farm to Child Nutrition Program. The grant has allowed for the purchase of tower gardens structures, which are vertical aero- ponics growing devices. Plants are grown within the six-foot tall structures in which they receive nutrient rich water. The La Grande School Dis- trict’s aeroponic program is based at Central Elementary School where it is run by Finley Tevlin, a FoodCorps Service member. FoodCorps is funded partially by the federal government’ Ameri- Corps system and operates under the AmeriCorps system. Tevlin is helping students in the school district grow a wide variety Dick Mason/EO Media Group Growing plants without soil is suitable for small-scale operations. of vegetation aeroponics including peas, beans, basil, tomatoes, bibb lettuce and kale. Some of the kale grown by students is now being stations where students grow plants under the guidance of teachers Tevlin has trained. He said students take great interest in the plants something that students grasp yet continue to find amazing. “That the plants are getting all they need from air and water is “I LOVE GARDENING AND THIS GIVES ME A CHANCE TO DO IT IN THE WINTER.” — Finley Tevin, La Grande School District, talking about the district’s hydroponics and aeroponics program served to La Grande School Dis- trict students at lunch. “This is helping us to have fresh vegetables in the winter,’’ Tevlin said. All of the La Grande School District’s schools have aeroponic grown at the tower gardens and fol- low their progress closely. He noted that over the holiday break many of the plants doubled in size. “That blew their minds,’’ Tevlin said. The concept of aeroponics is very cool for the children,’’ Tevlin said. He said that although the tower gardens are productive and great for growing gardens indoors, they will never replace traditional agriculture. “They are not a solution for the world,’’ Finely said. He said hydroponic and aero- ponic systems have inefficiencies which prevent them from being able to operate on a large scale. “They are resource and energy insensitive,’’ Tevlin said. One reason is that tower gar- den structures are made of plas- tic, and another is that water with added nutrients is needed. Tevlin said it is much simpler and better to grow plants in the natural soil available. “Plants do need soil and soil needs plants to support each other within the ecosystem. This rela- tionship keeps the planet healthy,’’ Tevlin said. Still, Tevlin said aeroponics systems have a valuable place in the classroom. “They teach students to learn about the structure of plants and how they function,’’ Tevlin said. At Eastern Oregon University its food service program, which is contracted to Sodexo, USA, a food and facilities management company, operates a hydroponic tower station at the dining hall in the Hoke Union Building. It was set up there by Ron Wells, the general manager of Sodexo’s food service operations at Eastern. The station, located in Hoke’s meal serving area, provided East- ern with a variety of fresh vegeta- bles this past winter. “It is a great thing for the stu- dents to experience in the middle of winter,’’ Wells said. He also said the tower garden is a good educational tool for stu- dents for it may spark an interest in hydroponics. “Students check on it every day,’’ Wells said. The food service general man- ager is also delighted to have the hydroponic station on a personal level. “I love gardening and this gives me a chance to do it in the winter,’’ he said.
