Know Your Farmer: Merchant’s Garden
Located in Tucson, Arizona, Merchant’s Garden, founded by father-son duo Chaz Shelton and Bill Shriver, is a vertically-integrated farm operation utilizing aquaponics and hydroponics. Housed in a formerly empty lot next to a Tucson School District building, they grow, sell, and distribute leafy greens to restaurants, schools, and grocery stores, as well as develop tools and share their aquaponics expertise to support other aspiring producers. They are an inspiring tale in being resilient in fighting to feed their community, and keeping the benefits local.
Utilizing Aquaponics and Hydroponics
Nestled amidst the streets of Tucson, Merchant’s Garden stands as a testament to innovation in urban agriculture, seamlessly blending technology with climate-smart practices. By harnessing the power of aquaponics, where fish waste nourishes plant life, and hydroponics, which nurtures plants in nutrient-rich water, Merchant’s Garden creates a harmonious ecosystem that maximizes resource efficiency and minimizes waste.
The Farm Experience
Upon arrival at Merchant’s Garden, visitors are greeted by a quaint red barn farmstand, offering fresh produce for purchase. Adjacent to the farm stand lies a sprawling greenhouse, where lush greens thrive with the assistance of fish and water.
As you step into the seed room, the faint aroma of plants that are just beginning their life cycle fills the air. Bill, farmer and co-founder, explains the process:
This is our seed room. It all starts here with the baby seeds. First, we have a planting feeder, and then the seeds go into the proper seeding sphere a little bit later.
For example, butterhead lettuce spends a week here, then a week out on the rack, for a total of two weeks inside and a week outside. So from seed to harvest, it takes about 59 days. Our average time from seed to transplant is 12 days, and from transplant to harvest is 47 days.
The seeds contain enough nutrients for a while, but eventually, they need sunlight and water. With the nutrients from the fish, they seem to do really well. For all the starts, we use fish water, but we divide it, so it's hydroponic on one side and true aquaponic on the other.
A New Years Resolution That Stuck
The journey of Merchant's Garden is one of resilience, innovation, and unwavering determination, and it all began on a New Year's Eve night. Amidst the laughter and revelry of the celebration, Bill Shriver caught wind of aquaponics and hydroponics. Inspired by the prospect of being a part of the urban agriculture movement, Bill embarked on a quest to turn his mere idea into a thriving reality.
"In 2015, I was at a New Year's Eve party... I heard about this type of growing, Aquaponics and Hydroponics. I was intrigued because I come from a family with a background in gardening and fishing. I talked to my nieces and nephews, and after a few drinks, I started assigning roles: "Fred, you're in charge of fish! Valerie, you're growing strawberries. Tom, you're in charge of worms!"
The next morning, forgetting all of the big plans made the evening prior, his wife reminded him of his urban agriculture vision and kept him to his word.
Despite the excitement of what could be, the path to prosperity was far from easy. For over a year, Bill and Chaz faced rejections as they sought funding to kickstart their venture, but they persisted, pitching their idea to anyone who would listen.
Their perseverance finally paid off when they secured a scholarship to participate in the Tucson Startup Social Impact Incubator Program, and they managed to land a few other investors to be a part of their business. Armed with newfound knowledge and a renewed sense of purpose, Bill and Chaz set their sights on the next challenge: building their dream from the ground up.
Although they now had monetary support, there were still hoops to jump through. They needed to find a place to run their operation, and after laying out their options, it came down between two school locations. Ultimately, they decided to lease land from the Tucson Unified School District.
When Bill went to the city office to get his farming plans approved, he was met with a shocking, nearly business-breaking discovery.
“We discovered that there are all sorts of impact fees, around $27,000. After learning this, I went outside to call Chaz and tell him. We both felt like this could all be over. So I went back inside the city office and told them just that. The Urban Ag Amendment had passed about a week before we submitted our proposal, so they thought there may be something they could do for us. They asked what we could afford, and I believe I said $2,700. They approved that and we continued on our way.’”
From Resolution to Reality
Now that they had investors and the go-ahead from the city, Chaz and Bill were ready to go.
“One day, my son Chaz tells me he bought us a greenhouse, and that it should come built. Then, after I asked him to make sure of that, he came back to me and said, “Oh, Dad, it's coming. We gotta build it. Oh, my gosh.” When the greenhouse did arrive, it came in two semis, and Chaz and I looked at each other like “We are going to build that?”
“I asked some local farmers that had greenhouses what to do. One farmer gave us a very good tip:
“Hire someone to dig the posts and make sure those are perfect, and the rest will go up easy.” And that it did it.”
Once it was up, they started seeing community support. Dr. James Ebeling, PhD, and author of “Recirculating Aquaculture” came by and showed deep interest in their work.
“Although he wasn't in the business, he made a huge impact. He would come in here and help build the inside system. He didn't want any money from us or anything. Without Dr. Ebeling helping, we wouldn't be where we are today. Even the people who have worked here and moved on, all contributed to our success. It always felt like we were working towards something bigger than ourselves.”
Building Resilient Community Connections
As the farm began to grow, Merchant’s Gardens made it their mission to not only supply fresh produce but also to support local initiatives and uplift those in need. Through initiatives like Friends of the Farm, Merchant's Garden became a catalyst for change, helping distribute excess produce and ensure that fresh food reached those who needed it most.
“Fresh food should be free to everyone. Not only accessible to everyone, but free. I want you to eat right. If it grows, it's free. If it has flour in it, if it has sugar in it, I'm taxing you, you have to pay for it. You have to pay outright. But local, fresh food should be free and everybody should eat it.”
Local food communities are resilient, and Merchant’s Garden’s is a testament to that. There are so many reasons to eat local, like the health benefits, the accessibility, the environmental benefits, but one of the most important is the positive benefit to the local economy. Did you know that for every $10 spent on local food, $8-9 is retained by the producer or business? This means more of your food dollars are staying in the local economy and benefitting local farmers and food entrepreneurs.
"During the pandemic, when there were shortages on store shelves, we found that our setup was quite resilient... Maintaining a local economic impact is essential; when money stays within the community instead of going to corporate entities, it strengthens the local economy."
Struggles Breed Success: Lessons From The Greenhouse
“The journey of establishing this operation has been filled with challenges, but it has also been incredibly rewarding. We've learned valuable lessons about perseverance, adaptability, and the importance of community support. Transitioning from a father-son relationship to a business partnership has had its ups and downs, but ultimately, it has strengthened our bond and our business.”
“The unpredictability of weather, the demands of the land, and the ever-present challenges of running a business can take a toll on even the most resilient spirit, though. Someone should really sit you down and say, “Are you prepared to be a farmer? Are you prepared to go into business?” It's so stressful sometimes. You have to learn how to deal with stress.”
“What if I can eliminate complaining, what will I look like in 30 days? What will I look like in 60 days if I can eliminate complaining about people or anything? You gotta work on gratitude.
“Those are things that I think that we all struggle with. It's bringing awareness to your thoughts because they materialize into action. It's really important to guard those thoughts, and that's hard sometimes. Controlling that inner voice can be tricky.
“I feel like a lot of people have the idea of farming as some romantic thing and it's going to be so great, but part of it is dealing with stress. Farming does make you a stronger person, because you have to deal with the stress, and the challenges of what it brings. In this work, you grow as a person, but you're also impacting your community, and to me, that's really important.”