A green fingered grower with tunnel vision

Adrian Merhten's hydroponic journey began 20 years ago when he was inspired by a local vegetable grower. 

At the time Adrian was a baker in Hokitika.
  
"He was selling lettuce and produce to the bakery and got me interested in the hydroponics," he says.

Adrian bought his big tunnel house when the grower had an accident a couple of years later. But it remained dismantled until he was laid off by the bakery.

This was when he decided to turn over a new leaf. 

The tunnel house was resurrected on his property at Three Mile, just north of town.

Since then he hasn't looked back. 

Now he has several hydroponic tunnel houses and is known in the district as "The Lettuce Man".

"So that's my logo now, it's on all my products and my truck, there's a lovely sexy photo of me on the side."

The produce he grows is sold year-round to local supermarkets, restaurants and fish and chip shops.

"I pick fresh every day so the customers get it within two hours of coming out of the tunnel houses," he says.

"I can't see why every small town can't have a small grower or a group of growers to supply their own town, rather than getting in bulk from the North Island, a week old." 

The largest tunnel house is a sea of greens.

"We've got 2000 lettuces in here, mint, Italian parsley, thyme, chillies, watercress, then you've got coriander, spinach, chives, so that's what's just in this tunnel house," he says.

The Lettuce Man says he is open to growing new plants if the demand is there.

"You've got to diversify in what you grow. If there's a new chef in town with new ideas, you've got to be open to growing a new product."

Using chemical sprays has never been an option and this is becoming a selling point at the busy market garden.

"I don't mind if there's a little bit of a nibble on a leaf, my customers understand that and they buy it because it's spray free."  

Future plans at the "The Lettuce Man" HQ include a cafe, a mini golf course and a "locally produced" vegetable shop.