Page 30 - ALG Issue 3 2020

members articles
Growing in
the land of
ice and fire
For a while I have been interested
in celestial events, particularly the once-in-a-lifetime ones, and it has long been my ambition to see the Northern Lights. In early March this year, my husband and I set off on a three-day trip to Reykjavik in Iceland in the hope of seeing them.
Whilst there, we arranged a coach excursion to see some of this amazing country. This excursion covered the ‘Golden Circle’, an area of geological and thermal activity. Few crops are able to be grown in Iceland due to
the short summer, when an average July temperature is 12 degrees. Root crops may be grown outdoors in this geo-thermal area and keen growers can grow more exotic plants, such as tomatoes, beans, and even bananas, in greenhouses. Heating is ground source and electricity is generated by geo- thermal power stations.
Our trip included a visit to a commercial grower of tomatoes, Friðheimar– translated as peace world.
This operation started in 1946 and the current owners, a family with children who help on site, have been running it since 1995. Tomatoes are grown all year round in the 5,000 square meters of glasshouse, producing around 300 tons annually, which is 18% of the Icelandic market. Three different types are
grown and harvested every day; cherry tomatoes and salad tomatoes for retail outlets, and the large beefsteak tomato which goes into various sauces, jams and chutneys sold in the farm shop. There is also a café in the glasshouse, where you can sample the homemade tomato and basil soup. The glasshouses are heated by borehole water that is 95 degrees on entry and regulated with cold water from the same source as drinking water. Power is hydroelectric and geothermal, and this powers the grow lights which are needed in the winter. Carbon dioxide from natural steam is pumped into tanks where it
is stored, then fed continuously to the plants to aid photosynthesis. Over 100 tons of CO2 is used annually.
All this, and the watering and fertiliser application according to need, is
controlled by computer. A weather station is also linked to the computer and the system is online so that the owners can see what is happening if they are away. Plants are grown in small bags of volcanic tuff, a light porous rock, and moss. Each bag can be used for several years. New plants are grown from seed and interplanted after six weeks with older ones so that there are always tomatoes ready for harvesting. Pest control is biological and about the only things that are not homegrown are the bumblebees, used for pollination, which are from Holland. What an example of self-sufficiency and the use of natural resources.
Plants are grown in small bags of volcanic tuff, a light porous rock, and moss. Each bag can be used for several years
We headed back to our hotel after a trip to see the geysers and the rift between the Continental and North American tectonic plates. Did we see the Aurora? Yes, we did.
Pam Rushbrook, Suffolk
30 Allotment and Leisure Gardener