By Sondra Hernandez, Staff writer

 September. 28, 2020

With lettuce regularly being in the news related to an outbreak of disease, father and daughter Rod Kelly and Alex Armstrong concluded that there has to be a better way to purchase fresh produce.

“It’s really hard to get fresh produce,” Armstrong said. “About 80 percent of lettuce comes from California. It’s hard to find locally grown produce.”

It was also concerning to her that consumers don’t quite know what they are getting with lettuce brought in from another area. Is it pesticide-free? Was there any contamination from livestock waste runoff?

“People are more aware of what’s in their food and they are more concerned about it,” she said.

To offer a fresh, locally grown option, the two have turned to a climate-controlled, vertical, hydroponic farming operation set up in a shipping container on property in South Montgomery County.“It’s an amazing technology,” Kelly said. “It’s a perfect climate-controlled environment for growing leafy greens.”

Kelly is a petroleum engineer and Armstrong has a marketing background. Kelly also owns several businesses and was looking for a project that he and his daughter could work on together.

They found the technology behind hydroponic farming fascinating.

The farm is contained in a custom-built, insulated shipping container. Kelly and Armstrong worked with Freight Farms in Boston for their operation.

The shipping container came from Boston by 18-wheeler and was delivered in late June. They planted their first crop in late July.

The message of Freight Farms is that fresh produce can be grown anywhere regardless of the climate.

Seedlings begin growth in trays under red and blue LED lights. Once the seedling grows larger, it’s transferred to a vertical tower for growing until its ready to harvest.

Water flows from the top of the container down through the roots and is collected at the bottom of the tower before being recycled to use again. These methods use about 90 percent less water than conventional farming. A panel of red and blue LED lights help the plants to grow into nutrient-rich food.“It’s cool technology and as an engineer, I appreciate that” Kelly said.

Fare House Farms grows a variety of lettuce and herbs.

They offer a wide array of lettuce like butterhead, bibb, romaine, Summer Crisp, and Oakleaf just to name a few. They offer leafy vegetables like arugula, cabbage, collards, kale, mustard greens, spinach, and chard. They also offer a variety of herbs like basil, cilantro, chives, dill, and more.

See their website at farehousefarms.com for a full menu.

Before this experience, Armstrong said she never knew what truly fresh lettuce and herbs tasted like.

She said the hydroponically grown lettuce was sweeter and crunchier. Kelly added the lettuce was prettier too.

The lettuce is sold with the peat moss plug still on so it will stay fresh for longer.

Kelly said they will spend the rest of 2020 experimenting with what grows best and studying the produce preferences of local buyers.

They plan to participate in local farmer’s markets to get their start.

They harvest on Fridays before the Saturday farmer’s markets.“You’re getting the freshest crop that you can get,” Kelly said.

Visit the Fare House Farms page on Facebook for more information and to see the farmer’s markets that they’ll be at.shernandez@hcnonline.com

Photos:

Alex Armstrong left, shares a laugh with Jane Pope after handing her a bag of freshly harvested lettuce at Fare House Farms, a hydroponic farming operation, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, in Oak Ridge. Hydroponic farming is a type of horticulture where indoor crops are grown without soil by using a nutrient-rich and climate-controlled 

Photo: Jason Fochtman, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Rod Kelly and Alex Armstrong run Fare House Farms, a hydroponic farming operation in Oak Ridge. Hydroponic farming is a type of horticulture where indoor crops are grown without soil by using a nutrient-rich and climate-controlled environment.

Photo: Jason Fochtman, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer9of10Alex Armstrong, and Rod Kelly are lit with panels of red and blue lights Alex Armstrong and Rod Kelly at Fare House Farms, a hydroponic farming operation, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, in Oak Ridge. Hydroponic farming is a type of horticulture where indoor crops are grown without soil by using a nutrient-rich and climate-controlled environment. 

Alex Armstrong and Rod Kelly make their way past pannels of red and blue lights, which encourage strong plant health and production, at Fare House Farms, a hydroponic farming operation, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, in Oak Ridge. Hydroponic farming is a type of horticulture where indoor crops are grown without soil by using a nutrient-rich and Photo: Jason Fochtman, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer