One Steveston restaurant's future of growing some of its own fruit and veg is on the rise, quite literally.
Kevin Kroestch, who runs Living Cafe with his daughter Amanda, is getting ready for another growing season using a device called the Garden Tower - a soil-free planter that rises on a five-foot-tall column.
Kroetsch said the rapid results - plants grow at about twice the normal rate - and ability to keep the crops pesticide-free is a perfect match for the restaurant's theme which includes organically grown and gluten-free ingredients.
"It produces some of the best-tasting stuff I've had since growing up on the family dairy farm in Ontario," said Kroetsch, who spied the Tower Garden at a trade show about three years back and became interested in how it might benefit his business.
Last year, Kroetsch had a few of the Tower Garden planters on the deck in front of his restaurant.
"It was great for the customers to see, right in front of them, the produce we were growing," Kroestsch said.
This year, the towers will make way for additional, outdoor seating, and the crops will be grown in Kroetsch's back yard where up to five Tower Gardens will be in use growing tomatoes, peppers, kale and an assortment of herbs.
Even at a cost of $600 each - Tower Gardens are sold through a multi-level marketing program - Kroetsch said it's an economical investment.
While Kroetsch is using organic seedlings, what the Tower Garden produces through it's aeroponics system - a term which describes the flow of nutrient-laced water over the plants - is not officially certified as organically grown, according to the Certified Organic Associations of BC.
Plus, those using it will still have to deal with the same pests plaguing home gardeners.
"With any of these gardening kits, it will still require some due diligence by the home gardener to ensure pests such as aphids, cabbage moths, white flies and disease such as powdery mildew and blight do not get a foothold in the garden," said Gary Lake, past president of the Richmond Gardening Club.
Raymond Vandermeys, who is distributing the Tower Garden locally added the product is a good option for keen gardeners who don't have a yard or access to a plot of soil in a community garden.
"And because of its vertical nature, it's perfect for those people using a wheelchair," he said.
