den Haan Greenhouses
Advocates for the environment

When den Haan's decided to expand, we not only invested in the future of the company, they also invested in the future of their community.

Closed System Operation:
We use a self-contained system that prevents leachate from entering the ground, reduces the cost of fertilizer, and conserves water.

One of the biggest issues in the Valley for any grower is water, and the den Haan family wanted to ensure that their operation was water efficient.

To that end, a Vialux system is used to recycle water. In growing hydroponically, the plants have to be over-irrigated to ensure that salt doesn't build up in the slabs. Allowing the water that drains off the slabs to leach into the groundwater was not an option, so the Vialux system captures that water and pumps it into a series of silos located in the greenhouse.

The water in the first silo is treated with ultra-violet light to kill any viruses or bacteria. The water is then put into another silo where it is gradually drawn back into circulation, being mixed at a ratio of about 30/70 with clean water.

Not only does this prevent dirty water from getting into the ground, but it saves the company a lot of money on fertilizer, as the re-used water is rich in fertilizer that would be lost if it drained into the ground.

Coco Fiber vs Rock Wool Growing Bags:
Traditionally rock wool growing bags were used to grow plants in hydroponically. Rock Wool is a product made from spun lava rock and cannot be recycled. After it loses its usefullness as a growing medium it has to be disposed of in the landfill.

Coco fibre is an organic growing medium made from ground up coconut shells that are sterilized. The coco fiber is shipped dry and when water is added to the bags in the greenhouse they expand to double their size. After each growing season the coco fiber is either re-used for the fall crop of cucumbers or broken up and composed to be re-used as potting medium for trees and plants at den Haan's Garden World. By choosing this type of grow bag for the tomatoes and cucumbers, we can save money and help reduce the waste going to the landfill.

Biological Pest Control:
den Haan's is using Mother Nature to do some of the work in our greenhouses. We use an integrated Pest Management Program (IPM). This system used predatory insects to battle pests. It allows us to manage the pest population through extensive monitoriing and the regular release of predatory insects instead of spraying with chemicals. The predatory bugs also work all day, 7 days a week.

Natural Pollination: Insects are also used to pollinate tomato flowers. Boxes of bees are placed throughout the building and the bees are allowed to do the work naturally.