Erin May’s love of vertical aeroponics began about 14 years ago, when she purchased her first Tower Garden.
“I never considered myself someone with much of a green thumb,” May says. “Looking back, maybe it wasn’t that I couldn’t grow things; I just didn’t have the patience for all the weeding and work that came with a traditional garden while working full time and raising a family.”
Over the next 11 years, she added two more towers.
“The seed for something bigger was planted when I attended a conference and saw Tower Gardens being used on a commercial scale,” May explains.
For the first time, she pictured taking something she already loved and turning it into a farm.
“About 5 years later, my husband finally agreed to let me take over part of the garage,” she says with a laugh.
In the fall of 2023, May officially launched Wholesome Living Acres, filling one stall in her three-stall garage with 28 towers. She created a subscription model to supply fresh greens through the fall and winter. The following spring, she expanded the farm to 37 vertical towers, with a longer-term goal of 50. Each tower holds about 36 plants, so even with the relatively small footprint, May has more than 1,000 plants growing vertically at once.
“I run the day-to-day farm with my husband’s and kids’ help. I knew I could continue producing food in a relatively small space, even when there was snow outside, because I’d been growing this way in our home for years. I didn’t need acres of farmland, a tractor or even perfect gardening soil,” May explains.
Her focus is on living lettuce and leafy greens, with several varieties and textures. She also grows kale, herbs and microgreens. Varieties include broccoli, radish, pea shoots, sunflower and various microgreen mixes.
The growing process begins with a seed planted in rockwool, which replaces soil. Seedlings spend roughly 3 weeks establishing before they’re transplanted into the towers. Each tower has a reservoir at its base that holds water and mineral nutrients. A small pump delivers the nutrient solution to the top of the tower, where it trickles down, providing water, oxygen and nutrients directly to the roots before returning to the reservoir and recirculating.
Water, nutrients, pH, temperature, humidity, airflow, pest pressure and lighting are monitored. Depending on the crop and conditions, it takes about 7 weeks from seed to harvest.
Tower pumps and lighting run on timers, and additional equipment has been added over the years to improve efficiency in growing and seedling processes.
“It’s definitely not a push-a-button-and-walk-away farm,” May stresses. “Every week, we’re seeding, transplanting, monitoring plants, cleaning, harvesting and packaging. Then there’s the business side, including orders, subscriptions, farmers markets, our farm stand, deliveries and marketing.”
Wholesome Living Acres advertises organically through social media, farmers markets and word of mouth. May strongly believes in being a local producer and sells her produce from a self-serve farm stand, at farmers markets, through local retail partners, and directly to her customers, usually within a 45-mile radius of the farm. Subscriptions have become an important part of the business, especially during the fall and winter months.
“Our farm isn’t certified organic, as vertical aeroponics is a soil-free growing method, and we use water and mineral nutrients to feed the plants,” she explains. “Rather than focusing on a label, I want our customers to understand exactly how their food is being grown and feel comfortable asking questions.”
The year-round Minnesota farm’s produce may sometimes cost more than mass-produced grocery store produce, but she believes it also offers something very different.
“What makes our small farm special is our customers aren’t buying from some faceless operation,” May says. “They know who grew their food, and I know many of the people I’m growing it for. We’ve been incredibly blessed with repeat customers who intentionally seek out our greens. Once people experience lettuce that is grown locally and harvested incredibly fresh, it’s hard to compare it to something that has spent days traveling across the country.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Wholesome Living Acres, Browerville, Minn. 56438 (Text Line 320-377-3938; wholesomelivingacresmn@gmail.com; www.wholesomelivingacres.com).