Phillip Bogle, a Solexx dealer from Nehalem, OR has been getting phenomenal results harvesting vegetables year-round in his 16’ Solexx™ Garden Master greenhouse.
PHIL: “I get more amazed each day at how much of a difference my greenhouse and the lights have made on my gardening experience. I won’t sell a greenhouse for food production without lights. I feel that light does more to ensure a healthy vegetable crop than heat. I love the quality of light provided by Solexx™.
I’ve had my greatest success using just two 400 HPS grow lights with ballasts on one 20 amp circuit. My electric use is minimal as evidenced by a barely increased power bill. Plant growth and fruiting are triggered by the proper amount of light and heat. In the Solexx™ greenhouse, there is plenty of light even on cloudy days, so I use less artificial light than the books recommend. The 400 watt lights are enough for the 16’ greenhouse since they are only assisting.”
How much has Solexx helped? One of Phil’s king tomatoes was 1lb 12 oz. Most of the tomatoes were in the 1lb range. “I had to stop the tomato plant when I ran out of room. Four plants yielded at least 50 lbs of tomatoes.”
What about flavor? “My family, even the kid that liked Spaghetti O’s, won’t go back to eating store bought. My wife is extremely sensitive to store-purchased vegetables. She has had allergic reactions from eating tomatoes, melon, peppers and cucumbers purchased from their local grocery store. At times, the reactions were so severe she was taken to the ER with anaphylactic shock. Yet, she is able to enjoy all of their home-grown vegetables without incident.”
Phil attributes the difference in home grown vs. store bought to the harvest and transportation process of commercially grown food. According to Phil, many of the purchased fruits and veggies are picked green, and then sealed in containers that are filled with ethylene gas to induce ripening. Phil believes the ethylene gas is what causes his wife’s reaction. “Now my wife can eat and enjoy foods that were off limits,” he happily exclaims.
