JULY 2017 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC BC greenhouses are family-friendly operations


Hightech operators are efficient local food producers by PETER MITHAM


DELTA – The level of technology employed at local greenhouses for everything from labour management to pest control was perhaps the most surprising discovery for the more than 700 visitors who toured four greenhouses that welcomed the public for this year’s BC Greenhouse Veggie Days. But for the growers themselves, the family-run nature of their farming operations is the single most distinctive aspect of the businesses. Both the Moerman family


of Sunnyside Produce Ltd. in Surrey and the Van Marrewyks of Westcoast Vegetables Ltd. in Ladner have been active in greenhouse production for four generations, first in the Netherlands and now in Canada.


While those who haven’t been inside a greenhouse may think of them as one more industrial facility – a concern of municipal politicians in the late 1990s who wanted to preserve farmland for soil-based agriculture – the two families have elaborate trellising systems that make efficient use of light, water and nutrients in what may well be considered one of the region’s first true urban farming operations. While microgreen


producers operate out of converted shipping containers and marijuana grow ops set up in industrial areas, greenhouse growers have set the pace with more than 800 acres of hightech horticulture operations that harvest 100,000 tonnes of produce annually worth more than $265 million.


Westcoast alone represents 2.4 million kilograms, which is marketed locally and across North America under the Windset banner. Westcoast has 54 acres of greenhouses in Delta split into three divisions of approximately 18 acres each: one producing red bell peppers, another producing yellow bell peppers and a third producing cucumbers. The red pepper operation was the one opened to the public this year. Visitors had a chance to see the farm’s boiler, hear about its rainwater collection system and view the packing line grading peppers according to colour and sending them off in several packaging formats to local restaurants and major retailers such as Loblaw Companies Ltd. Yet the most fascinating


aspect of the production system for many people – more than 600 were expected – were the insects which help control pests such as aphids and thrips. A favourite example held up on the edge of a thumbnail was Orius insidiosus, a variety of pirate bug that controls thrips. “I think a lot of people are


blown away,” said Eric Schlacht, president of neighbouring Delta View Farms Ltd. (the former Gipaanda Greenhouses operated by the Ryall family), who staffed an information booth at Westcoast. Most people had no idea


how technologically advanced greenhouses are, and asked questions that demonstrated a clear awe of how production methods work with nature rather than against it. But if greenhouses are the


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Workers from Westcoast's cucumber division learn about its peppers. PETER MITHAM PHOTO Why greenhouses aren’t organic Despite the emphasis on natural


production methods, few members of the BC Greenhouse Growers Association hold organic certification. The simple reason isn’t because of the


time, paperwork or expense required: it’s simply because they aren’t eligible. According to organic certification rules,


horticultural operations must be soil-based. Permaculture operations and those using a growing medium other than soil don’t


qualify for organic. Ron Van Marrewyk explains that “spray free” is one option for highlighting greenhouse production’s chemical-free nature. However, opening the doors to let the public see for themselves is another important way greenhouses can spread the word and build awareness of how local vegetables get from trellis to table with few inputs along the way besides sun, water and fertilizer.


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