Cleveland Green City Growers Hydroponic Greenhouse about to harvest its first crop of lettuce

CLEVELAND - Lettuce is about to be harvested at a Cleveland greenhouse. It is a project that is not only providing fresh food, it is also bettering an inner city neighborhood.

Green City Growers Hydroponic Greenhouse is at Kinsman Road and Grand Avenue. It sits on a 3-acre site.

On a continuing basis, lettuce and herbs will be grown here and the first harvest will take place next week. No soil is used to grow the lettuce. Instead, the lettuce is grown in floats on nutrient rich water. Once the plants start to grow, they are transplanted in smaller groups to give them room to mature.

Mary Donnell, the CEO of Green City Growers said, "It's from seed to harvest in about 35 days and we will pick it and it will be distributed the next day. So within 24 hours, it should be at its final destination which is fabulous when you think most of our lettuce comes from Arizona and California and spends days on a truck."

For now, the lettuce will go to area restaurants and Heinen's grocery stores.

Green City Growers is also hiring workers and because this is a co-op, workers share in the profits.

"I add at least 2 to 3 people every week so we'll be up to about 25 employees soon. We have 15 now and I have 3 more that will start in a day or two," said Donnell.

Green City Growers is also the largest food production greenhouse in an urban area in the entire United States.