Don and Heather Willman, co-owners of Advanced Garden Supply in Jefferson City, have opened their second shop Sept. 2 at 2126 Woodson Road in Overland. They’re aiming to provide customers with the essentials to grow their own healthy garden with a hydroponic twist.
Hydro-what? The difference is in the soil – or lack thereof. Hydroponic, literally “working water” gardening, utilizes nutrient-packed water to raise crops. These plants grow suspended above nutrient-enhanced water, as their roots grow freely in the liquid underneath. “You get all kinds of weather (in Missouri), from hot and dry, to wet and soggy,” Don Willman said. “When you grow a garden inside on a water-based system, your possibilities are unlimited … Instead of working with soil, water is the main delivery system for getting all the nutrients needed.”
The Willmans, both longtime hydroponic farmers, have grown a variety of vegetation from shiitake mushrooms to banana plants. Advanced Garden Supply sells plant nutrients, LED lighting and other tools necessary to successfully grow hydroponic gardens at home.
Willman chose the St. Louis area after witnessing a growth of hydroponic gardening in the city. “There are all kinds of people getting into it right here in the St. Louis community,” he said, including rooftop gardeners, professional farmers and novice gardeners.
Advanced Gardening Supply is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
This article appears in September 2014.