In the face of U.S. tariffs, many Canadians are getting very well-acquainted with the challenges of buying exclusively local — particularly with produce.
But some inventive green thumbs are sharing the spoils of their own success.
For Calgarian Lindsay Struthers, it all started with an experiment rooted in a south-facing window, where she planted the green top of a pineapple she bought at a local grocery store about two years ago.
It seems the tropical plant quickly got a taste for Alberta sun and ‘Spiky Beast’ offered its first harvest in February, prompting many local gardeners to reach out for tips on growing their own pineapples.
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“You’re probably not going to want to hedge your bets with self-producing your own tropical fruits,” said Struthers. “But when it comes to gardening, that’s really, really easy. You don’t need very much even just to grow your own lettuce.”
Elsewhere, a locally-grown concept by NuLeaf Farms is also seeing sudden demand.
“We can grow large vegetables, large fruits and produce,” said Kiley Mckenna, vice-president of NuLeaf Farms. Their local nursery supplies a carefully incubated selection of vertically-grown food for turnkey, vertical farms.
Inside each indoor unit, everything the plants need is automated with AI, including the recycled vapour used to water the plants.
“It’s kind of like the lungs of a plant,” said Mckenna.
While Alberta’s dry winter climate is notoriously less hospitable than an indoor greenhouse, Struthers says in the summers she has no need to buy vegetables with a bountiful outdoor garden.
For now, she’s expecting equally fruitful results from Spiky Beast’s next-door neighbour — a giant avocado she calls Cuban Pete.
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