northfulton.com; by William Houp: CUMMING, Ga. – Marijuana and tastelessness have long been associated with hydroponics, but a new movement shedding chemicals and pesticides has the soilless crops reclaiming credibility and flavor.
Jeff Adams, a former contractor, has wanted to farm for quite some time and thought hydroponics was a plausible option. Adams and his wife, Ana, run Circle A Farms and its hydroponic greenhouse on Dishroom Road in Cumming. Hydroponics is the process of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions in water without soil.
“This is a way I could possibly make a living without farming on 140 acres,” he said.
He was first introduced to this method about two years ago and that’s when his research began.
Soilless gardening techniques have been around since the 17th century, but it wasn’t until about 1930s that any extensive development for hydroponics occurred.
Circle A grows lettuce and basil year-round in their greenhouse.
“The temperature is completely controlled and the air is filtered,” said Cheryl Howlin, director of sales for Circle A. “It’s a very clean environment and there’s no burn from direct sunlight. It’s grown exactly the same all year long.”
The process begins with seeds planted in rockwool cubes, which act like a sponge. Two weeks later, the seeds are transplanted into the hydroponic greenhouse and its water tubes.
The lettuce is then grown with water containing the proper nutrients and pH level. The water is constantly analyzed by a computer and recycled.
Circle A claims to use about a quarter of the water a traditional farm uses on their lettuce.
“Even though soil is the traditional way of growing lettuce, it’s not an essential part,” Howlin said. “Soil basically holds in the nutrients and holds in the water. So the roots expand into the soil and absorb all the water the roots need.”
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