A former geologist imports a popular Chinese model to grow veggies year-round in Alberta's harsh climate
CBC
Dong Jianyi has taken an almost scientific approach to growing tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, cabbages and other fresh vegetables at his unconventional farm operation near Olds, Alta.
The former geologist who worked in the oil and gas sector now runs a passive solar greenhouse operation that allows him to grow veggies year-round — and without using any conventional fossil fuel sources to keep his veggies nice and toasty during Alberta's harsh winter climate.
Dong's Fresh Pal Farms is believed to be one of the largest commercial passive solar greenhouses in Alberta.
He closely monitors and graphs the temperatures inside and outside the greenhouse, moisture and humidity levels and soil conditions. He also keeps an eye out for diseases and pests. Tracking all of the conditions comes with challenges, but he says it's going well.
Last year, he produced more than 13,000 kilograms of tomatoes alone.
"I really like agriculture and I think it's good opportunity," Dong said in early December from California, where he was working as an agriculture consultant.
A recent visit to the greenhouse confirmed that tomatoes and cabbages were still growing in early December — one of the final crops before Dong and his small team transition to planting seedlings for next year.
Before that, they might sneak in a crop of hardy leafy vegetables such as kale or spinach, which he says can tolerate the shorter days with fewer hours of sunshine.
Dong, 40, came to Canada in 2014 shortly after quitting his job with an oil service company in China. At the time, oil prices were crashing and he was looking for a more stable future for himself and his young family, so he decided to transition to agriculture.
He says passive solar greenhouses are common in his native China, but he wanted to know if that same model could be duplicated here.
"In north China, it also gets really cold and pretty dark in winter, but people can grow year-round."
He spent six months working and learning about the model in Manitoba. He also travelled back to his native China to talk to farmers, builders and manufacturers as part of his research before launching his operation.
The $250,000 greenhouse kit was shipped from China in two containers.
Dong and his wife put it together almost entirely on their own. He even welded all of the steel pieces together after taking a four-day welding course.
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