Sprouts Grow Year-Round At Chicago Indoor Garden
CHICAGO (CBS) -- While the rest of Chicago is sure to be piled in snow this winter, a garden on the West Side will still be green -- and producing sprouts and wheat grass.
Granted, as WBBM Newsradio's Steve Miller reports, the garden in question is indoors.
"We maintain 70 degrees all year-round here," said Brian Gorman, owner of Chicago's Indoor Garden at Division Street and Kilbourn Avenue.
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Sprouts are grown hydroponically at the garden, and wheat grass in flats.
"The planter will put in X amount, like a scoop and a half, of organic soil," Gorman said, "and then he compresses it."
Far from high-tech modern agriculture, the tool used to compress the soil is just a flat board with a handle on it.
Then the seeds go in, and they grow. Later, the sprouts are harvested, and find their way to coolers.
"We're getting orders ready for tomorrow. You can see some of our wheat grass in our carts," Gorman said.
Then the product gets shipped out. Gorman's biggest customer is Whole Foods in the Chicago area, and he also has some retail customers.
