Connecticut hospital plants rooftop garden

When the dining services director lost his garden space at New Milford Hospital, he discovered a new location right on the roof.

Chef Kerry Gold, director of the hospital’s dining service and Plow to Plate program, installed six aeroponic tower gardens in May on the rooftop deck along the walkway to the new emergency department.

“When the emergency department went in, naturally, the space where we’d been growing produce to supplement what we get from local farms was lost,” Gold said. “Then I heard about the aeroponic towers, and I knew we had the solution.”

Aeroponic tower gardening is a vertical growing system. Soil-free, it has a water-holding tank in the base with a tower structure and separate cups along the structure holding each individual plant. A nutrient tonic is mixed with water, which is pumped every 15 minutes to the top of the tower and then trickles down to feed the plant’s roots.

Recent studies by the University of Mississippi have found plants grow 30 percent faster in aeroponic towers than with traditional gardening. Gold was harvesting on Tuesday the third crop of 20 lettuce plants. As a plant is harvested, a new start for the same vegetable or herb is placed in the tower cup, bare roots down.

Celery, peppers, jalapenos, eggplant, Brussels sprouts, kale, chives, sage, dill and thyme are among the vegetables and herbs being cultivated.

Kara Sylvia introduced Gold to the aeroponic tower system. Sylvia, a distributor with Juice Plus , sells the towers and nutrient tonic.

“The first day I met Kerry, he said ‘food is medicine’ and it’s so true,” Silvia said. “When people’s health is compromised, they need nutrient-rich foods.”

“I do believe food is medicine,” Gold said. “Unidine Corp., the company I work through, believes in growing our own food, creating dishes from fresh produce and herbs. I never buy canned beans or soup stock, nothing canned. Everything has to be fresh.”