Manitoba man turns sunroom into a strawberry producing paradise

John McFadzean stands among the many strawberry plants he has growing in his sunroom (John McFadzean)

A Manitoba family with a taste for berries has gone to great lengths to make sure their supply of strawberries is at no risk of running out, even in the dead of winter.

Hydroponic hobbyist John McFadzean has transformed his sunroom into a strawberry producing paradise.

“I enjoy making plants grow and especially fruit-bearing plants as they taste fantastic,” said McFadzean. “There’s nothing better than a fresh strawberry in December or January.”

About 250 plants have taken up residence in the McFadzean home, producing an estimated 125-250 kilograms of strawberries in the plants’ nine-month growth cycle.

This is double the amount he attempted to produce last year. This round of plants was started in early October and will grow until June.

While the harvest may seem daunting for some, the McFadzeans are avid berry eaters. And with four children and two adults chowing down, there are not many left over.

“They disappear very quickly,” said McFadzean.

With a background in science and a history with gardening, McFadzean said he wanted to expand up his hobby.

He took a methodical approach in learning how to set up the hydroponic operation in his home and said his research indicated strawberries are one of the easier plants to work with.

“After testing it now, for I guess 15 months, there’s still some things I’m learning and there will be for a very long time but it worked pretty great,” McFadzean said.

The process is done organically with the exception of the fertilizer used to nourish the plants.

Issues have arisen with typical garden pests like spider mites and aphids, but they were dealt with using natural predatory insects ordered from out-of-province businesses.

“I have well working established relationships with them and they’ve been very helpful,” McFadzean said.

Luckily for the McFadzean household, those bugs were either family-friendly, like ladybugs, or only a millimetre or two in size and don’t have a taste for humans.

For now, McFadzean is happy with his strawberries but is experimenting with other fruiting crops that you don't usually see in colder climates.

“This is a hobby and it’s definitely to get my kids interested in plant life and growing,” said McFadzean.