Green County Farmers Use New System To Grow Plants All Year

The harvest is starting at a new farm in Tulsa - a hydroponic vegetable farm that can grow plants all year long, no matter the weather.

The vegetables are grown indoors and upright to save space and eliminate most problems with insects and plant diseases.

It's bringing fresher vegetables to market.

The greenhouse at Scissortail Farms is packed with produce, and there's not even a shovel full of dirt.

Towers hold one plant in each slot, but there are so many towers it multiplies to 62,000 plants at a time.

They're grown in fertilized water that drips over the roots. It provides just what the plants need and nothing more.

Farm co-owner John Sulton said creating the best plants possible starts with seeds in their propagation room, which allows them to control the timing of the harvest for the people buying the product.

"If this kale is usually this big, do they need it this big or this big, we can adjust our growing cycles to give them exactly what they're looking for and the flavor profile, rather than just having another product off the shelf from California," Sulton said.

The farm was started last summer, on top of a hill in southwest Tulsa, with 28,000 square feet of room in a greenhouse and more space for packaging the vegetables.

Co-owner Rob Walenta said by controlling the weather they can grow California-style vegetables during Oklahoma's heat or cold.

"If we can keep it 75 degrees and kind of mid-level humidity, it's a good day," Walenta said.

Right now the focus is on leafy greens - lettuces, kale, chards and some herbs - sold mainly to local restaurants and through a regional distributor, but Scissortail aims to sell their produce in local grocery stores, and directly at the farm.

They're confident they're filling a demand for farm fresh vegetables that can't be matched.

"What we're able to do is bring live fresh produce to people to whom it just isn't usually available," Sulton said.

You can learn more about the farm and the 40 varieties of veggies by visiting their website.