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US (VA): Retired gardener (69) starts hydroponic lettuce business

Wilmer Zook was looking for something to do this past autumn. He had turned his small barn/shed building business over to his grandchildren after the death of his oldest son and business partner in 2015, but he wanted to remain active.

“I’m not a person to sit around,” he said. “I had always had a garden, and I often wanted a greenhouse. We decided to do it so I’d have something to do.”

Zook purchased a hydroponic greenhouse system from CropKing and got to work growing lettuce.

Currently, he tends to more than 800 plants and can harvest about 200 a week. That’s using less than half of his greenhouse; he plans to expand his operation to include more lettuce, along with other plants like spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs.

“You can grow anything. I’m even going to try some bok choy,” he said. “I don’t know if anyone will want it or not.”

Read more at SWVa Today
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