Growing tomatoes in Iceland? Sure! At Fridheimar, Knútur and Helena do just that. They produce one tonne of organic tomatoes every day. Close to their farm is a hot water spring they use. When the water comes in, it is still about 95 degrees Celsius. The water heats the greenhouse, so it is always about 23 to 25 degrees Celsius.
Because Iceland is quite isolated, cold and dark, there aren't many problems with diseases or pests. The ones that are a problem are fought with natural enemies. The bees they use for pollination are imported from the Netherlands.
In winter, there's about 4 hours of natural daylight. In summer, it's 24 hours per day. In winter, the lights in the greenhouse are on for about 17 hours. All the energy used in Iceland comes from renewable sources, either hot water (geothermia), or cold water, via hydropower plants.
Friðheimar
Iceland
