Growing fruit, vegetables aloft takes hold

For some folks, half the joy of gardening is crawling around on hands and knees, getting dirty, and doing battle with bugs and weeds.

But for others, the physical demands of growing vegetables and fruit make it an impossible or distasteful endeavor.

Enter the age of hydroponics, which offers an alternative way to grow.

Walter and Terri Mosier have turned the method into a thriving local business.

Located on Standland Road near Cottondale, Mosier’s Family Farm offers organic fruit, vegetables as well as all-natural dairy and eggs.

Customers can select something from the cooler, or step out in the fields and pick their own produce. The beauty of U-pick on this farm is that you don’t have to bend, stoop or kneel to get to the harvest.

Their produce is grown in containers attached to poles or “vertical towers” far off the ground, easy to pick from a full standing position.

Their plants are not grown in soil, but in a more reliable substitute material with a balance of nutrients the owners can better control.

They don’t use herbicides, for there are no weeds. According to a flier about the farm, the method uses much less water that traditional gardens – 85-90 percent less, they say. Few pesticides are needed, and all of those are organic. Instead of harsh pesticides, the Mosiers use things like dish-soap, vegetable oil, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and other non-traditional methods to discourage bugs.

Their bounty includes tomatoes, strawberries, lemons, sweet potatoes, apples, shallots, carrots, blueberries, potatoes, red and green bell peppers, a variety of herbs, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, lettuce, collards, mustard greens and much more. Much of the produce is grown on the farm, which uses organic practices but which is not officially organically certified. But a good bit also comes from the same vendor who supplies New Leaf Market in Tallahassee and others who sell certified organic produce.

Walter Mosier said his family is trying to create a “community supported agriculture operation.”

“A group will hire a farmer to grow their stuff for them, knowing they’ll get a box full of assorted vegetables they’ve ordered in a certain period of time, and knowing where it was grown and who grew it.,” Mosier explained. “People already come from Panama City, Destin, Dothan, once a week. My wife sends out email with availability and prices, and she boxes it up for them to pick up. One person may pick up for five families, sometimes. It’s working out well for us. It’s amazing how many people are looking for this. She’s got over 150 people on her mailing list.”

The Mosier family takes pride in the farm, saying in the flier that “this method increases field crop production by up to six times.” They make it clear that they believe they’re surfing and creating their own peaks in the wave of the future. The operation began as a way to fulfill a personal need, after a homeopathic physician told Mosier’s ailing wife and daughters that they should start being more careful of what they ate in terms of the food’s exposure to chemicals, pesticides and preservatives. They started small after a few months research and the operation has grown – but up, not out – by way of maximizing the benefit of vertical space.

“It’s a simple matter of economics and the desire to eat clean, fresh, tasty food grown locally in a way that is good for the environment,” the flier explains. “Preserving the land and supporting sustainable agriculture is essential for the future.” Based on the farm’s numbers, Mosier is doing that; he has 20,000 plants growing on one-third of an acre.

There are 20 plants of strawberries growing vertically in one square foot of area, and that scenario is typical on the farm.

“Without small farms, the future is bleak for many families in rural areas,” the flier continues. Without small farms, prices of produce will rise and quality will decrease. Without small farms, imports will increase. Growing it fast and shipping it farther has become a standard. Quality of nutrition has suffered and will continue to suffer unless we change our practices.”

Mosier said he’s got more organic produce available to buyers than three of the major area supermarkets combined, and is convinced that local people want locally-produced food that will help them avoid lapses in quality and the high prices that come with over-the-road shipping costs.

The farm has been in operation about two years and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. The Mosiers can be reached at 850-326-6168 and at 850-415-0812.