Greenhouses once ruled the Pajaro Valley on the Central California coast, where the local cut-flower business found success worldwide.
Empty nurseries now dot the area, a sign of the industry's decline. But with the help of plenty of water, Chris Newman, 58, hopes to restore the glory of greenhouses.
His tactic is called aquaponics, a combination of aquaculture — fish farming — and hydroponics — growing plants in water. With the help of neighbors and his brother Tom, Newman has converted 14,000 square feet in a former rose-growing facility into a system of stream channels, gravel beds and water pipes where he hopes to soon raise fish and grow vegetables commercially.
"I'm pushing the envelope here, but I think this is something that's bound to take off," said Newman, who grew up in the Pajaro Valley, leaving only to launch a brief but successful career writing mystery novels in New York.
Read the complete story from The Los Angeles Times.