14 | LEHIGH ALUMNI BULLETIN wouldn’t be cost-effective. Instead, he uses the heated tunnel to extend his growing season for tomatoes. “People generally are going to bring cherry tomatoes [to markets] in July,” Salvaterra says. “You’re going to get a lot of months where there’s not a lot of them, so you’re not competing with anyone, but you’re not going to pay to do that in the winter.” In the winter, he limits what he grows to produce that doesn’t need as much light and can freeze and thaw, such as kale, spinach and Swiss chard. ‘I WOULDN'T CALL IT FARMING’ Salvaterra got the idea for his process from a book he read when he first started gardening about farms on the outskirts of Paris in the early 1900s. Those farmers used methods to grow crops effectively on small plots of land, much like what Salvaterra is doing, to provide those in the city with vegetables year-round. They used cloches— Salvaterra describes them as glass carboys with the bottoms cut off—to protect the plants and extend the growing season. At night, the plants would be completely covered, and during the day, the cloches would get tipped up to let air underneath. They also timed everything out so that while one type of produce was being harvested, others were already growing. Salvaterra noted how labor-intensive it was, which is why he made modifications for his own use. “Everything out here is more gardening, but it’s like a standardized form of gardening,” Salvaterra says. “I wouldn’t call it farming. It’s farming, but it’s not like a farm when you’re driving by cornfields. If you see romaine growing in California, it’s not like that. It’s more like a standardized form. And the beds are constantly rotating. They always have something growing in them. To make enough money, you have to have a plan that you’ve worked on for years where the timing’s all right.” His plan for what to plant when, and how much of it, to make the most of his limited space took years of trial and error. With each part of the country different due to light and temperature, he couldn’t talk to anyone outside the area for tips on timing. He set out a schedule, wrote down all the dates, saw what worked and what didn’t, and tried again the following year. “If you plant spinach, you have to know exactly when you’re going to plant it because it can’t be too big going into the winter, but it can’t be too small,” “ I wouldn’t call it farming. It’s farming, but it’s not like a farm when you’re driving by cornfields.” Salvaterra’s Gardens features a farmer’s stand (top) on the property. Matt Salvaterra’s wife, Jessica (middle), assists with the CSA, their farmer’s market stand and their website. – Matt Salvaterra ’03
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