Mountain View Growers -- Strawberries

Mountain View Growers' strawberries.

Located in the Hawaiian Acres area of Puna mauka, Mountain View Growers is a 2-year-old enterprise that has already developed a large following. They have a regular clientele at natural food stores in Hilo and Pahoa, and at three different area farmers markets where they sell out early.

Jim Riley was living in Alaska and working in construction when he decided he wanted to live and farm in Hawai'i. To this end he started researching ways to grow strawberries that would be economically feasible and decided that growing them hydroponically in a "Verti-gro Pole System" (see http://vertigro.com) would be the best. The vertical towers yield a higher amount of berries in a smaller amount of space with the least amount of wasted effort and no 'intrusive visits' from slugs and snails.

Cherie Moffat and Jim Riley in their strawberry "patch."He came to Hawai'i, bought the land, was given wrong information that resulted in a bit of red tape, got that cleared away, built his open sided greenhouses, set up catchment tanks, started setting up his growing towers, built the irrigation system, and somewhere along the way met Cherie Moffat, who is now an integral part of the operation and who, besides helping with the greenhouses, does most of the marketing.

The farm is located in the cooler and fertile areas of Mountain View at a 1,500 foot elevation with ideal rainfall conditions where they are growing two different types of strawberries: the larger, luscious ones most people use for eating out of hand and as garnishes, and the smaller, sweeter ones ideal for cooking and preserving.

The growing towers are set on pillars in long rows from front to back of the greenhouses. Each pillar has 5 growing pots which resemble square Styrofoam coolers and each pot holds 4 strawberry plants planted in a combination of shredded coconut fiber and vermiculite. The irrigation system is set to water from the top and runs through the center tube. The bottom of the pillar is set through a larger planter at floor level where they are growing other crops such as carrots, herbs, onions, beets, spinach, salad or cooking greens and whatever else the planters can hold.

New plantings in vertical towers.At the time of our visit, the farm counted about twenty thousand strawberry plants. Harvesting the berries is easier with this tower system since it can be done without kneeling or bending. A couple of helpers come twice a week to help with the harvesting.

Although the hydroponic "verti-gro" system for strawberries is not organic, no chemical weed killers are used in growing any of the crops at Mountain View Growers.

Outside the greenhouses Jim and Cherie have planted rhubarb, blueberries, poha berries, corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, heirloom tomatoes, green beans and peas, mostly for their own use but they also sell excess at their farmers' market booths.

The front greenhouse has the older established plants and the back greenhouse holds the newer plantings. Two more greenhouses are planned for the near future as well as other growing systems which Jim has been investigating for other crops. About 20 bee hives are now settled on one edge of the property and Cherie is hoping to add more soon.

You can find Mountain View strawberries at the Wednesday Hilo Farmers Market, the Sunday Pahoa Farmers Market and the Sunday Volcano Market where they sell out fast.