Growing Greens In-House

Greens don’t get any fresher than when they’re grown in-house. Thanks to a new hydroponic grow wall, St. Luke’s patients and employees can attest to this firsthand. Lettuces and herbs are being produced right on St. Luke’s campus and used in Blue Waves Café.

Lettuces and herbs are being produced
right on St. Luke’s campus.

“We love trying new things,” said LeeAnn Tomczyk, St. Luke’s Manager of Hospitality Services. “A few years ago we actually had a rooftop garden. But, maintaining that was tricky. It became pretty time consuming. This grow wall is a lot more sustainable.”

The wall is hydroponic. This means all the plants are grown in water, without any soil. LeeAnn’s team maintains the wall by regularly checking the water levels and adding nutrients to help everything grow.

"My favorite thing to grow has been basil.
It does amazing!"

“I’m an avid gardener, so this has been a really fun project for me,” said LeeAnn. “My favorite thing to grow has been basil. It does amazing! We made a caprese salad with it last week that was really popular with our employees and visitors.”

The wall is 6 feet tall, 4 feet wide and around a foot wide. In addition to basil and lettuce, the team is also growing parsley and thyme.

Learn more about St. Luke's culture of sustainability at slhduluth.com/sustainability.