Did you know that tomatoes and strawberries grow year-round in Minnesota? Chuck Tryon, President of Bushel Boy Farm in Owatonna, MN, takes us on a tour of the greenhouses that make this possible!
About Bushel Boy Farm
Bushel Boy Farm started 32 years ago and has now become a large producer of both strawberries and tomatoes in Minnesota. Bushel Boy Farm now uses nine large greenhouses to grow produce year-round. The large greenhouses are constructed of glass to let light in to help the plants grow. Rails on the ground have hot water running through them to help the greenhouse regulate a warm temperature, and irrigation tubes run through the rows to water the plants with a water and dissolved nutrient mixture. Instead of using soil in the greenhouses, plant roots anchor in ground up coconut shells.
Production Process
The strawberry plants inside the greenhouse typically take around eight weeks to produce fruit. The strawberries from Bushel Boy Farm are very sweet because they pick them when ripe and can ship them to a store within a day for sale. In a regular growing season, Bushel Boy produces up to six million strawberries in half of one of their greenhouses! Tryon emphasized the importance of continuing to provide Bushel Boy products to stores in the Midwest to ensure the availability of high quality produce. Bushel Boy also produces a variety of tomatoes, including beefsteak, vine-on, grape tomatoes, and cherry tomatoes.
Greenhouse Technology
Along with the plant growth technology inside the greenhouse, Bushel Boy Farm also has hydraulic lift carts that raise and move up and down the rows of plants. This allows workers to access all parts of the plants, as they maintain the tomato plants at a height of 12 feet.
To learn more about Bushel Boy Farm and greenhouse production, check out the virtual field trip video.