Page 32 - Flathead Beacon // 11.5.14

32 | NOVEMBER 5, 2014
BUSINESS
FLATHEADBEACON.COM
Fresh Vegetables,
LEFT: Mark Winchel describes his aquaponics operation at his greenhouse near Whitefish. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
BELOW: Greens grow vertically
in Mark Winchel’s aquaponics operation at his greenhouse near Whitefish. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
Columbia Falls couple hopes to start commercial aquaponics business in the Flathead
By MOLLY PRIDDY of the Beacon
It’s been a nice fall in the Flathead,
with plenty of warm days to view
the changing leaves and a solid har- vest of autumn vegetables to put on the tables. But as winter approaches, finding fresh vegetables grown in the valley be- comes a nearly impossible task.
Year-Round
Mark Winchel and Lee Anne Chris- tensen noticed that when the weather changed, they had to give up on their outdoor garden at their home on High- way 40, between Whitefish and Colum- bia Falls, and buy veggies that had been trucked into the valley from elsewhere in the country or even other countries.
“A head of cabbage is shipped 1,200 to 1,500 miles to get here,” Winchel said while standing in his greenhouse last week.
Northwest Montana’s climate doesn’t jive with year-round outdoor vegetable production, but Winchel and Christensen hope to create an indoor alternative that would provide fresh, organic vegetables
for shoppers, restaurants, and homes. Aquaponics is a system that com- bines the traditional aquaculture of raising fish and the hydroponic practice of growing plants. In their greenhouse, Winchel and Christensen have devel- oped in the past few years a closed-loop system wherein the water fertilized by a tank of fish – usually perch or blue gills – is sent through vertical towers holding
leafy greens and herbs.
Worms in the towers cleanse the post-
fish water of its large impurities, provid- ing extra goodies for the plants, and the plants in turn cleanse the water for the fish. This cycle provides healthy fish and rapidly growing plants.
“The water usage is minimal,” Winchel said. “We probably use about 90 percent less water than on our dirt garden.”
The whole system is heated through a wood-burning stove, and to keep ev- erything warm enough through the win- ter, they’ll probably burn through a few cords of wood, he said.
Last week, the vertical towers, which sit in rows five towers deep, were sprout- ing beautiful lettuce, basil, chard, oreg- ano and more. The Thai basil was big enough to harvest, and had only spent nine days on the tower after being placed there as a sprouted seedling.
A plant can go from seed to harvest- ready in about two weeks, Winchel said,
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