Greenhouse allows year- round veggie cultivation
By: Northern Ontario Business staff
A Northern Ontario-built greenhouse will allow the growth of fruits and vegetables year-round.
Using state-of-the art design and technology, an all-season greenhouse is now bearing fruit and vegetables, including cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, and peppers, in Espanola.
Cambrian College’s applied research division, Cambrian Innovates, along with its partners, Ontario Centres of Excellence(OCE) and Greenhouses Canada, a partner of Helios Whitefish River First Nation, have collaborated to design, build, and test this all-season greenhouse using energy-efficient techniques and materials.
Construction will begin on a commercial-scale model of this greenhouse in Whitefish River First Nation during the spring of 2016. This innovative greenhouse will enhance food security and empower the community to supply its own produce year-round.
“A major barrier for local food production in northern boreal climates is the short growing season and the heating cost associated with prolonging the growing season,” said Jeff Scharf, a founder of Greenhouses Canada and president of Helios Whitefish River First Nation, in a release.
“The objective of this project was to empower local communities so that they have an affordable means to grow fresh produce year-round, offering food independence and security, cost savings, local jobs, as well as environmental, social, and health benefits for residents.”
The main challenge for all-season greenhouse growers in Northern Ontario is heating costs over the winter months. Growing seasons, which are up to 12 months for operators in warmer regions, are restricted to five to six months in the North. The building techniques and materials used in this project reduce energy needs and create a year-round growing season, making regional food production in the North a viable industry.
The project was developed using an energy-efficient greenhouse system and sustainable energy technologies, such as solar thermal wall construction, in-ground heat batteries, and insulation to prevent heat loss in winter.
The greenhouse was designed and built by Cambrian College faculty and students from the Energy Systems Technology and Carpentry Renovation Techniques programs. Professors Dr. Kameal Mina and Jeff Lapierre led the students in their work.
“Ontario Centres of Excellence is pleased to have been able to support the development of this project in its early stages,” said OCE president and CEO Dr. Tom Corr. “It shows the ingenuity and innovative spirit that are alive and well in our colleges and universities being used to benefit the community in many ways.”
Six new jobs have been created since the greenhouse was completed in spring 2015. Helios Whitefish River First Nation hired one of the students who worked on the project and five other people for fabrication and sales.
The company started construction on an energy-efficient greenhouse and modular home fabrication facility in Espanola. It is expected that within a year, five to eight additional employees will be required at the fabrication facility and in sales positions.