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Lettuce People look at alternative growing option
By Kalea Hall
YOUNGSTOWN
Not many people ponder lettuce as an option to pay the bills, like Katie Phibbs did.
Her goal was to develop a hydroponic system to grow several varieties of lettuce to support her family.
That idea started with the basics of a system in the basement of Katie and her husband, Tom. It’s now grown into The Lettuce People — a company created by the Phibbses to grow lettuce and teach how to grow hydroponically — or in water instead of soil.
Not only are they close to living off of lettuce, but the pair has created a system that businesses and organizations can incorporate, and classroom material.
“I still cannot grow enough lettuce,” Katie said. “We are looking for step two.”
The Phibbses are actually looking for more than that. They have step three, four and five in the mix with Katie perfecting the science behind the growing while educating the public and Tom working on the business and marketing the lettuce.
Before growing hydroponically, the pair had an organic farm in Kinsman Township.
“We lost a lot of crops due to the rain,” Tom said. “We started to experiment with hydroponics in our attic.”
The Internet became the key to teaching them hydroponics. In 2011, they moved to Howland and Katie became somewhat of a hydroponic YouTube sensation.
“People from all over started writing in,” Katie said.
The writers would make suggestions, ask how certain aspects of hydroponic growing worked and other questions. Today, Katie has more than 1,000 subscribers to her YouTube channel.
“I learned very quickly that I would need more space,” Katie said.
She also learned the high cost of using florescent lights instead of LED for the plants. She decided to go with a method of stacking 4-foot-by-foot tables to hold the lettuce and water.
In the basement of the Kitchen Incubator, 907 Elm St., Youngstown, there are 32 tables used for growing the lettuce. They can grow more than 100 varieties.
For the past two months at the Incubator, Katie’s system has been pumping out lettuce with a head taking about six weeks to complete its grow cycle.
“It uses 90 percent less water,” Katie said of the hydroponic system. “I can grow 10 times more lettuce in the same amount of space.”
The lettuce can also grow in the basement when the temperature is in the negatives outside. She also doesn’t have to weed, so she doesn’t get dirty.
Once the seed sprouts a root at the end of the seed holder, the plant is placed in oxygenated water with nutrients under a blue light for growing leaves and a red light for flowering and then the pH is balanced. Each head of lettuce takes about a gallon of water. Styrofoam holds the lettuce in place for four weeks until it can be harvested. When the lettuce is sold the root is still attached, so it is still living. In the basement, romaine, basil and arugula are just some of the items grown.
“We really wanted this to be a prototype,” Katie said.
The excitement for the lettuce is obvious with the amount of businesses wanting it and people wanting to know about it. The Phibbses also want to construct hydroponic systems for businesses. The Youngstown Business Incubator named The Lettuce People a portfolio company.
Tom said there will be a nonprofit arm of The Lettuce People for the education side of the operations. The Phibbses created curriculum for classrooms to teach students how to grow food, and have worked with Mill Creek MetroParks on the veggie garden for kids. They are working on getting the licensing on the curriculum.
“We would really like for this to be a national example that can lead to a better future for inner-city youth,” Tom said.
To find the Lettuce People’s lettuce, go to Catullo Prime Meats and look for the bagged lettuce there, or try a salad at Magic Tree Pub and Eatery in Boardman or Suzie’s Dogs and Drafts in downtown Youngstown. It can also be ordered at www.laketoriver.org.