Geri Graves is thinking of phasing in a new product on her menu at the Rose of Broadway in Cape Girardeau. But, if all goes to plan, few customers will notice.

An amateur organic gardener, Graves was trying to find the best way to get fresh, chemical-free tomatoes.

"I want my vegetables absolutely healthy," Graves said. "I don't want them grown in poisoned dirt." That is, soil treated with pesticides, herbicides and fungicides.

She decided to take the seeds to her new neighbor, Brian Phillips, who owns the newly opened Let It Grow indoor garden center just up Broadway. There he started growing them indoors hydroponically, which basically means in water.

In a little over three weeks, the plants had grown twice as much as the plants she had grown outside in the same time. If the plants are kept in the hydroponic unit, Phillips said, she can expect edible fruit to top her sandwiches in two to three weeks as opposed to the five to six weeks "dirt farmers" will wait, and hers will be chemical-free.

Phillips said that speed and chemical-free fruit are just a couple of reasons why hydroponic farming is catching on with local merchants.

Hydroponic agriculture goes back thousands of years, but the commercial application of hydroponics is something new. According to local enthusiasts, it has the potential to grow.

'Can dictate the seasons'

In particular, Phillips said, merchants like the economics of a year-round growing season.

"Restaurants have limited access to certain foods because of climate and geography," Phillips said. "But with hydroponics you can simulate any condition and essentially stretch your growing season to 365 days."

Inside his shop at 725 Broadway, Phillips can dictate the seasons.

Graves' seeds started in the back of the shop in what are called germination stations. The seeds are put in a spongy substance called rock wool, which holds moisture and added nutrients. That rock wool is then placed in a container that resembles a miniature greenhouse, which sits on a heat pad under fluorescent lighting. This simulates early spring.

After sprouting, the seedlings are moved to open air and a more intense light to simulate summer. Once ready, the plants are moved to bigger beds and a different sodium lighting that resembles that of fall. It is here that the plants yield fruit under controlled conditions.

"They grow faster and bigger because the roots don't have to work as much to battle through the soil, pesticides and elements," Phillips said. "All the productive energies go to the development of the stems, stalks and fruit."

Octavia Scharenborg owns and operates ShowMe Fresh Farm just outside of Cape Girardeau. For the past four years, she's hydroponically grown fruits and vegetables, which she sells at area farmer's markets. But two years ago, she began to get interest from area restaurants looking to buy her vegetables for use in their kitchens.

"They're the best products," Scharenborg said of her crops. "Their flavor is better and their texture is better."

Efficient use of space

Scharenborg said another advantage for the hydroponic growers is space. Since each plant is grown in controlled conditions, they don't have to battle for nutrients. They can, therefore, be laid out at a higher density than at a dirt farm. Scharenborg estimates that she has packed the equivalent of a four-acre farm into 3,400 square feet.

From that farm, she supplies fruit and vegetables for her farmers market customers as well as Grace Cafe, Celebrations and Saffron restaurants in Cape Girardeau.

Saffron owner Su Hill agrees that the hydroponic lettuce and Swiss chard she uses in her Asian cuisine are of a higher quality. She also likes that they're locally grown and fresh.

Scharenborg said she's definitely noticed a growing response to hydroponic farming in the past two years. But she warns that a person cannot just buy the equipment, plant the seeds and watch the profits roll in.

"You can't just learn this overnight," Scharenborg said. "It takes intensive training and constant management. It's not an easy way to make a buck."

Meanwhile Graves said the success of her hydroponic tomato plants has piqued her curiosity. Now that she knows she has the option, she's considering going hydroponic for other foods on her menu, especially in the off-seasons.

"Imagine getting fresh parsley and mint in the winter," Graves said.

trehagen@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137