Castine nonprofit grows three acres of food in shipping container

January 02, 2025

BY JENNA LOOKNER

CASTINE—At the Good Table F oundation’s property in Castine, a nondescript tan shipping container sits alongside the driveway. But inside the container is one of the area’s most dynamic, high-tech hydroponic farms.

An all-volunteer organization, Good Table Foundation grows fresh greens for distribution through food pantries.

Founder Greg Nitzkowski had seen similar hydroponic container models in California. He and his wife Barbara were inspired to bring the concept to Castine, where they retired after being long-time summer residents in the area. They incorporated the organization as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2023 and began operations in 2024.

The operation supplies fresh greens to Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry in Ellsworth and Caring Community Cupboard in Old Town. They operate the farm 365 days a year, and all of the produce they grow is donated. Volunteers from GTF harvest, process, and deliver the produce in a single day, delivering more than 200 4.5- ounce bags of greens each week. The mix can include kale, lettuces, arugula, and more, all packaged in compostable, labeled bags just as they might be in a traditional retail setting.

A quarter of the farm is harvested each week. Seedlings, which are planted in plugs made of ground-up coconut shells, are grown in the front portion of the container. The seedlings are then transplanted to replace the mature crops, which are grown in specially designed 6.5x3 inch panels.The lightweight panels are removed for harvesting, cleaning and transplanting—all of which are done on a schedule, said GTF Marketing Director Scott Rowley.

The hydroponic setup is sophisticated. Tubes run along the top of each row and release controlled amounts of nutrient-rich water that is delivered via a wick that runs the length of each growing panel. The entire container can be run remotely, including lights, temperature and climate.

Rowley said that some crops can be planted more densely, gesturing to a panel with 200 arugula plants.

“Our total container production is equal to three and a half acres outside,” he said.

Nitzkowski said that the initial funding for GTF came from the Nitzkowski Family Trust and other generous donors.

“Several family friends have been very generous,” Nitzkowski said. “We are in decent operational shape.” In addition, Nitzkowski said he is working with Loaves and Fishes on collaborative grants.

Rowley said that the small but dedicated group of volunteers have been “learning as [they] go,” but that “production has gone really well.”

While GTF is still relatively new to the area’s agricultural scene, the organization is making other deliberate moves forward. In 2024, a warehouse was completed by the Nitzkowskis in Bucksport, where GTF will have space for processing, packaging, ice making and refrigeration. Currently, it is all done in a single day, with Nitzkowski, Rowley and a handful of additional volunteers executing every step from harvest to delivery.

“It’s a complicated dance,” Nitzkowski said about the current setup, which requires everyone to work inside the shipping container on harvest days. “There are five of us in there harvesting and packaging.”

Nitzkowski said the educational mission of GTF will begin to take shape in the coming months, with offerings on nutrition education. Part of that vision is to expand their model to assist others in replicating it, including container farms on-site at food pantries.

“Ultimately there will be a physical limitation,” Nitzkowski said. “We want to make something that outlasts us. Our future could be about helping others do this.”