Vinny and Karen Harris recently took up tomato farming to make some extra money. But this isn”t a story about the economy forcing a young couple to make lifestyle changes.
The Harrises are in their early 30s, and both have good jobs at Columbus Air Force Base. Vinny is out of the service now, but while he was in the Air Force the couple were stationed in Alaska and Arkansas.
Karen found work in greenhouses in both states. So when the couple bought a house west of Columbus on Old West Point Road, they decided to put their big yard to use by constructing a hot house.
It took several years to get the house constructed and the plants started, but now, row upon row of hydroponically fed tomato plants line the house”s first bay.
“It took quite a few man hours and people volu nteering their time,” explained Vinny. “It was a little more involved than I thought initially.”
Karen had hoped to use the hot house to grow flowers and garden plants. This is where the economy comes in.
The house wasn”t cheap. The 6,000 square-foot facility has a heating and ventilation system, in addition to thousands of feet of hose under the floor feeding water and fertilizer to the plants on a timed basis.
The Harrises chose to start growing tomatoes to make back some of the money they spent on the hot house. But it will be some time before the project pays for itself.
“Right now we”re probably (selling) just enough to cover fuel costs,” said Vinny. “It”s going to take time. We understand that.”
The Harrises planted the seeds of their current crop in July, and transferred the plants into the hot house in August. They were able to catch the tail end of the Columbus Farmers Market in October and made decent money.
The couple stands to have a decent winter and spring because their temperature-controlled plants will allow them to continue growing in all but the hottest months of the summer.
“When people”s tomatoes are ready in their gardens, we”re done,” said Vinny.
But money is secondary. Garden is Karen”s passion. And even if she doesn”t enjoy each of the 2-4 hours the couple spend in the hot house every day, she relishes the experience and the education.
“I love gardening and growing and greenhouses. It”s kind of my thing,” she said. “I know a pretty good bit about it, but there”s still a huge amount I”m learning. Especially with the tomatoes. I”m learning a lot.”
And the countless hours spent clipping and pruning and pollinating plants also doubles as quality time for the couple.
The Harrises hope to sell a portion of their crop to restaurants which buy local produce. Bags are for sale at their home, where drivers can pull up, drop some money in a box out front, and grab a $3 or $5 bag of red or green tomatoes.
For larger orders, Vinny can be reached at 549-9865. River Bend Farms is located on Old West Point Road just past the Plymouth Bluff nature center.
The couple will also continue to give away bags of tomatoes to their friends and, of course, eat all the tomatoes they can handle.
“I eat a couple of tomatoes every day now that we have them,” said Vinny. “Prior to that, just in a sandwich or something. I consume quite a few.”
Karen smiles as she says she eats tomatoes “all the time, every day.”
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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