Marco de Bruin starts new hydroponic venture in Minnesota

Raised in a Dutch family of growers, moved to the USA, started to grow tomatoes over there and became a partner in Bushel Boys nursery to eventually sell the company and start to work as a consultant. In short this is the career of Marco de Bruin. Now he is going to grow again himself. This spring the construction of a high-tech greenhouse in Minnesota is planned to start, where he is going to grow lettuce on water on 1 hectare. Glass House LLP is a partnership between Marco, Jay Johnson (Founder of Bushel Boy Farms), Steve Amundson and Marc Vergeldt. "In recent years, the developments in the leafy crops move very quickly," he says. "But growing is in my blood. In recent years I've learned a lot about the whole range of possibilities and how the market is developing. Now, in our opinion, we can build the perfect greenhouse."

And how does that perfect greenhouse look? A Venlo-greenhouse, equipped with Philips LED light fixtures, supplied by Agrolux and installed by Hortipar. The spectrum is not standard red-purple, but red-white. That improves the workability in growing as well as the quality of leafy vegetables. The Venlo greenhouse will also be equipped with dual screens and the Dry Hydroponics cultivation system on water.

In the USA lettuce cultivation on water is developing very rapidly. Interest for the origin and sustainable cultivation of the product is growing, as is the demand for a year-round product. However, to a large extent the market is still made up of small farms of only a few m2, that focus on local restaurants and customers. Also multilayer cultivation is gaining popularity in this country.

Construction starts in April and the expectation is that sowing can begin in November. The facilities of the nursery are suitable for an eventual extension of the project for up to 4 hectares.