Farm uses unique way of growing crops

By THOMAS MICHALSKI
Article published on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009
Read original article here.

LEALMAN – Jeff and Shelly Kellogg will soon open the doors to Kellogg First Fruits Hydroponics at 3215 46th Ave. N. as a public u-pick operation.

The Kelloggs ... he’s a St. Petersburg native and she’s from West Virginia ... met at a pet store where he was buying salt water fish. Their common love for animals helped create a strong marriage that produced three children.

Shelly Kellogg worked for local veterinarian Dr. Don Burroughs, now their next door neighbor, and then for Roy and Jean Gossett who owned a kennel that was first opened in the 1960s. The Kelloggs eventually bought the business and today board about 1,500 animals annually.

“We get them all, from cats to birds to an occasional pet skunk,” Shelly Kellogg said.

But the bad economic climate caused more people to stay home instead of going on vacations. The boarding business declined and the Kelloggs looked for ways to earn money. They cut back expenses, canceled cable television and even had to furlough some of their employees.

Then the idea of farming came.

“Our first thought was to grow food for the family, but we had enough land to create a real hydroponics farm,” Jeff Kellogg said.

Hydroponics is a way of growing plants via mineral nutrient and without dirt. Although plants grow in soil, it is not essential for them to thrive. The first published accounts about hydroponics dates back to 1627. By 1699 the process was popular in many parts of the world.

Hydroponics plants are grown in diahydro, a natural sedimentary rock, in clay, rock wool, coir, perlite, sand, gravel, wood materials, and even in polystyrene packing peanuts. The farming method eliminates the need for tractors, cultivating and other equipment.

With approximately a quarter-acre of unused land behind the kennel, Kellogg installed 882 Styrofoam “stacks” for growing lettuce, squash, tomatoes, blueberries, strawberries and other popular items.

The stacks consist of six individual four-plant units, piggybacked. Different planters are used for tomatoes and blueberries. The advantages of stack farming includes more crops per acre, faster growth, freedom from various plant diseases, and a higher quality of crops.

Launching the unique farm wasn’t easy. The land had to be cleared of trees and other vegetation, underground plumbing was installed, heavy plastic ground cover was positioned, and an intricate nutrient system had to be built.

More than 5,000 stack compartments were seeded or plugged with young plants. Some seeds, such as those for lettuce, are so tiny that a special seeder is used to plant them.

“We had 26 friends and family members helping us put it all together,” Jeff Kellogg said. “The whole science of hydroponics farming is being learned as we go along.”

The continuous flow solution that feeds the plants comes from pre-mixed barrels that are connected to the elaborate system.