Guerrilla NFT--California Style
Our last trip to Australia and the many nutrient-film technique (NFT) gourmet lettuce farms that my wife and I visited (see The Growing Edge, Vol. 8, No. 1) fired us up to start our own operation at home. Growing NFT lettuce as a cash crop is an endeavor that combines low environmental impact, quick turn around (6-8 weeks during spring and summer, 8-14 weeks in fall and winter), and the ease of open-air growing. I was convinced that we could have our own NFT lettuce production up-and-running in one month. Mmmm, I easily imagined endless supplies of Romaine lettuce for our Caesar salads, and tender butterheads to go with our sweet hydroponic tomatoes. If we could grow gourmet lettuce outdoors all year long here in northern California, where torrential rain, cold fog, and earthquakes are prevalent, we could do it anywhere.
