After Allyson Blackard graduated from the Hawaiʻi Community College agricultural program in May of 2023, she was ready to use her new skills to make a difference in the community. Along with her husband Allen Blackard, she began the Hydroponic Hut next to their house in ʻĀinaloa. The business, inspired by her professor, Lew Nakamura, is located at 16-2154 Rainbow Drive, where produce is grown under a tent with open air on the sides and three long tables.
"While I was in the agriculture program, we just saw prices going up and up, and now lettuce at the grocery store is double what it was three years ago," Allyson Blackard said. "After I graduated, Lew asked me, 'What are you going to do now? How are you going to tackle food insecurity?' He's been an early supporter of our mission with hydroponics and taught me everything I know."
At the Hydroponic Hut, people can learn about, grow and access fresh produce affordably. And every Thursday, residents are invited to pick their own produce, roots and all, for low prices.
The Blackards grow leafy greens such as lettuce, bok choy, kale, mustard greens and watercress, however, they will experiment with other produce and sell vegetable starts when they can. The Blackards decided to pursue hydroponics — a soil-free method of growing plants using a water-based nutrient solution — as a way to safely and economically grow leafy greens.
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