Enjoy fresh, pesticide-free locally grown produce & herbs.
Your taste buds will notice the difference
We have been growing fresh local produce without use of pesticides since 1991, and are proud to offer you our primary quality produce that tastes the way nature intended.
Our vegetables and herbs are grown using hydroponics, where the plants are grown in nutrient-enriched water without soil.
We use innovative hydroponics systems that allow us to conserve water while monitoring nutrient levels and ensuring optimal growing conditions to provide you with tasty produce at its very best.
What We Grow
Tomatoes
One bite of a juicy, meaty DeBruin’s tomato will make you a believer: our huge Beefsteaks, tiny, perfect Cherry and salad-sweetening Cocktail tomatoes are sweeter than the varieties you’ll find in grocery stores.
Living Lettuce
Our lettuces are large and full, flavourful and nutritious. We grow several varieties, including Boston Bibb or “Buttercrunch,” Red Leaf and Green Leaf. Grown hydroponically, this means your lettuce is free of grit and dirt and comes with a thick root system that allows you to keep it alive and fresh for much longer than you’d expect of traditional lettuces.
Fresh Herbs
Fragrant, living basil with the root still attached, keeping the plant fresh for much longer.
Also available are hydroponically grown Oregano, Thyme, Flat Leaf Parsley, Curled Parsley, Mint, Chives, and Rosemary. Cut fresh for your culinary needs.
Cucumbers
On a quiet day you can almost hear our cucumber vines groan under the weight of their fruit. English Cucumbers, our most popular variety, are crunchy and sweet and can be eaten with the tender, nutritious skin left on. We also offer a miniature variety just right for snacking.
Benefits of Living Plants
The reason we call the lettuce and basil living is because they are sold with the root attached, which keeps the plant living longer.
Caring For a Living Plant
To care for your living lettuce or living basil, we recommend using a 500mL wide-mouth mason jar filled with water. Keep the jar clean and rinse the roots when you change the water. The more sun you can give your plant the better.
Eco-Friendly Hydroponic Growing For Healthier Plants
Our plants are all grown with eco-friendly methods, which means they are stronger, healthier, and better for the environment. All our plants are grown without the use of pesticides. Instead, we use biological bugs (good bugs) to control pests (bad bugs) in our greenhouses.
All our produce is harvested and packaged at the peak of freshness and delivered to stores and restaurants the next day, ensuring you get the best produce!
Closed Loop Hydroponic System
Our lettuce and basil are grown in shallow pools with floating rafts, using a ‘closed loop’ system. The water is circulated through the tables before being returned to the tanks. Nutrients are added, as needed, to the system and the water is run through UV Lights for sterilization before returning to the tables.
The water is collected in a used bulk tank (formerly a milk tank on a dairy farm). Within the bulk tank, we’re able to control oxygenation and nutrients, as well as the water temperature. In the Summer we cool the water and in the Spring & Fall we warm the water, giving plants the perfect growing condition.
Growing with Coconut Fibre Bags
We grow our tomatoes, cucumbers, and hot peppers on coconut fibre bags, which are biodegradable. Each bag contains 3 plants and they’re grafted to ensure a strong root system to create healthy plants. Under the coconut fibre bags are dripper lines used for nutrient and water management.
Vine crops are supported with string and grow upward until they reach the ceiling before we train the vines to grow down and to the side. By the end of the growing season some plants, such as the Yellow Cherry Tomatoes, can have vines over 25 feet long!
Where To Find Us
In Person
We’re at the Thunder Bay Country Market every Saturday morning and Wednesday afternoon from May to October.
We also periodically attend other farmer’s markets. Follow us on Facebook for more details.
Shop Locally
Stop by these local stores to purchase our fresh in-sesaon produce.
Dine Locally
Enjoy our products at these fine restaurants
