Hydroponic garden opens in Kagman

Gov. Eloy S. Inos, third from right, and Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP), right, lead the cutting of the ceremonial ribbon to open a state-of-the-art hydroponic greenhouse in Kagman on Friday afternoon. Frank C. Castro, center, owns the hydroponic garden. From left, House Speaker Joseph Deleon Guerrero (Ind-Saipan), Lands and Natural Resources Secretary Arnold I. Palacios, Public Works Secretary Martin Sablan, Castro, Inos, Public Lands Secretary Pete A. Tenorio, and Sablan.

For 76-year-old Frank C. Castro, it’s never too late for any cherished dream to come true and he proved that with the official opening of his state-of-the-art hydroponic greenhouse in Kagman on Friday afternoon. Even before his first major harvest, a major hotel has already bought all the cucumbers that, along with tomatoes, are being grown without pesticide or any chemical and are thus healthier and safer for humans.
“I feel like 50 years old and yes, dreams can still come true even when you’re over 50,” Castro told Saipan Tribune, after giving dignitaries and community members a tour of his 30×128-ft. Quonset greenhouse.

Gov. Eloy S. Inos, Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP), House Speaker Joseph Deleon Guerrero (Ind-Saipan), Lands and Natural Resources Secretary Arnold I. Palacios, Public Lands Secretary Pete A. Tenorio, and Public Works Secretary Martin Sablan joined Castro in cutting the ceremonial ribbon for the hydroponic greenhouse that offers 3,840 plant spaces.

Hydroponics is basically gardening under carefully controlled conditions without using soil, fertilizer, pesticide, or other chemicals, making the harvest much healthier. The vegetables and fruits also grow much faster by 25 to 200 percent than normal gardening.

“We are very excited about this project and we look forward to sharing our produce with the community in the next few weeks. This is a modern way of farming that promotes healthy living,” Castro told the crowd. The hydroponic greenhouse uses an iGrow 1400 controller.

The hydroponic greenhouse ribbon cutting came some months after the Oct. 30 groundbreaking. At the tour of the facility, visitors also got to taste samples of the cucumbers straight from the garden. Commerce Secretary Sixto Igisomar, in sampling the cucumbers, said it tasted “sweet and crunchy.”

Castro, who still works at his 8-acre farm in Kagman, hopes to revolutionize the CNMI’s agriculture industry by planting crops in a safer and more responsible manner. He also hopes that his hydroponic gardens will become a source of education for farmers, students, and other community members.

He plans to build two more greenhouses for lettuces, bell peppers, and eggplants.

“PIC [Pacific Islands Club] hotel is already buying all the cucumbers. The tomatoes are not yet ready,” Castro said in an interview. Also at the ribbon cutting were representatives of Hyatt Regency Saipan.

The Castro family said they are trying to partner with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service “to make our hydroponic [garden] solar-powered.”

Castro owns Castro’s Fruit & Vegetable Farms. He has been farming since he was a little boy, when he would tag along with his father to the farm. Castro is married to Julie and they have four children: Jessica, Frances, Vicky, and Jovie.

DLNR Secretary Palacios said the department will continue to support the Castro family in its hydroponic farming endeavor.

“As you know, this is part of the Kagman commercial farm plots. Since last year, we’re hopeful that it’s going to be a successful project and it is,” Palacios said. “It shows that this project can be done in the CNMI.”