TLC Farms—so much more than a tomato shop
By Rebecca Gearing Carlson
Sun contributor
Part of our series on farm stands in Leelanau County.
Driving south from St. Wenceslaus Church on Setterbo Road is a hidden gem: TLC Farms. Looking from the road, there is a farm house, barns and outbuildings, and a couple of greenhouses. My advice, pull into their small parking lot and walk back towards the greenhouses. The visitor will be rewarded by the Tomato Shop, which is so much more than a tomato shop. It is a free-standing, permanent structure farm stand for TLC Farms. Clearly, current owners and caretakers Joe Vanderbosch and his wife Anne Cunningham tend their greenhouses, produce “from seed to end product,” and customers with lots of tender loving care.
Walking into the shop, the visitor is greeted by a colorful array of daily picked tomatoes (over 42 varieties), lush basil, glass refrigerators stocked with freshly picked greens such as Bibb, Arugula, Swiss Chard, Bok Choy, Kale, a salad mix, and other treats such as local cheeses and much more. My head was on a constant swivel inside the shop. According to Anne, she “carefully chooses all the products in the shop through customer feedback.” Seeing all the gorgeous produce, recipes and meal ideas floated in my head. Anne pointed to a stack of cookbooks dedicated to all the fresh products they carry in the store and encourage customers to page through these books for recipe ideas. The Tomato Shop is the one-stop, delicious destination for the home chef who desires to create and serve a nutritious kaleidoscope of fresh vegetables and greens.
The TLC farm and greenhouse were the passion project of original farm owner Art Egeler. He began hydroponic farming around 1987. Chicago natives who moved to Traverse City in 2012, Joe and Anne purchased the eleven-acre tomato farm in 2017 from fourth-owner operators, the Beatons, who had expanded Egeler’s hydroponic farming capabilities adding three greenhouses (as the original one had been destroyed in a winter storm) and updating equipment.
What is hydroponic farming? Hydroponics is the practice of growing plants in water as opposed to soil. It comes from the Greek words “hydro” (water) and “ponos” (labor), implying “water working” (Earth.org). The first confirmed references to hydroponic farming and growing plants without soil dates to the 17th Century and Sir Francis Bacon’s work, Sylva Sylvarum, which roughly translates to “A Forest of Forests.” However, in the 1930s at The University of California, Berkeley, “The Father of Hydroponics,” William Gericke, grew “tomato vines twenty-five feet high in his backyard using only water and nutrients” (gardenculturemagazine.com).
The general benefits of hydroponic farming are: no soil required, water efficiency, endless variety of possible plants, cost effectiveness, faster growth, and a longer growing season. Joe and Anne explained they “begin seeding 4,000 plants each Jan. 15 and four months later have their first harvest.” Those plants continue to produce through the beginning of November. This point segued into Joe’s additional benefit to hydroponic farming, “bringing produce into market much earlier than traditional farmers.”
As far as the misconceptions of hydroponic farming, Anne countered the most obvious ones. #1: Hydroponically grown produce has zero flavor. She explained that “flavor is from the nutrients in the soil [or water in this case] not the soil itself.” Furthermore, Anne added, “that they control the nutrient dense products through hydro methods.” #2: Hydroponically grown produce is not organic. Anne disputed this misconception. “We use zero chemicals” on the produce. #3: Hydroponically grown produce is picked green and shipped immediately. Again, Anne explained they do not pick green. Their tomatoes and greens are picked when ripe. As TLC Farms only ships locally within Traverse City and the Leelanau Peninsula, they can offer a fresher more flavorful product that didn’t have to travel hundreds of miles to the end user. TLC sells about 50% of its produce to direct consumers through five farmer’s markets each week and the Tomato Shop; the other 50% is sold wholesale strictly to local grocery stores and restaurants. Joe added, “local means local.” They grow and produce locally only selling their products locally. Leaving the Tomato Shop, we entered the warm and sunny world of the first greenhouse.
While the greenhouse is warm and inviting, the scents from the tomato plants and basil are wonderful. The rows of colorful tomato plants, both heirloom and newer varietals, are flourishing in the ideal environment of the greenhouse. Greenhouses, or Closed Environment Agriculture (C.E.A.), provide a hygienic atmosphere, efficiency, a longer growing season, as well as offer protection from the elements and pest control.
While walking through the rows of tomato vines, there were bees landing on some of the plants. How did the bees enter the greenhouse? Naturally, the greenhouse offers a safe, controlled environment for the bees. Joe pointed out the bumble bee house in the back of the greenhouse where they were working diligently to pollinate the plants. According to Michigan State Extension, “commercial bumble bees have a life style and foraging behavior that is fitting for greenhouse operations.” Also, bumble bees are “highly effective pollinators” with almost “100% accuracy” in a greenhouse. Lastly, bumble bees are both “eco-friendly” and a “sustainable option for pollination as they do not harm the environment or deplete natural bee populations.”
Customer service and creating lasting relationships are a priority at TLC Farms. Joe explained, “We want this to be a personal business” with strong connections to the community. Furthermore, “we are a local family business that [is dedicated] to our community.” Both Anne and Joe stressed that TLC Farms reaps the benefits of creating personal connections with their customers at the various farm markets throughout summer, where many loyal customers return week after week to buy their produce or just to say “hello.” As Joe and Anne foster the relationships with their customers, the “community responds in kind with loyalty,” added Anne.
What are the future plans for TLC Farms? Joe responded with, “Perfect the processes that are in place now” for their hydroponics business. Neither Anne nor Joe expressed a wish for growing their business any larger, for now. Preferably, this couple wants to focus their efforts on “balance of life.” They have built a strong, local business while growing their community ties that allows them to farm and enjoy the area in which they live. Joe expressed “pride in growing a tomato.” But they are not just growing tomatoes; Joe and Anne are developing a culture dedicated to locally grown, nutritious, healthy food sources with an “our door is always open policy” to the community at large. This wonderful couple offered a thorough tour of all their operations including all three greenhouses, which are simply impressive.
If someone is looking for fresh and flavorful ingredients to create that special summer salad, appetizer, or family meal, TLC Farms Tomato Shop should be the destination. The TLC Farms farm stand is located at 4030 North Setterbo Road, Suttons Bay, and will exceed expectations. The general hours of the self-serve Tomato Shop are 8-8 and they accept cash, credit cards when the owners are on property, as well as Venmo. Customers can also check out their website at Tlcfarmtotable.com for more information. Finally, the TLC Farms Mission Statement is a great place to close: “Our simple mission is to bring locally-grown, hydroponic-quality produce from our farm to your table.” Enjoy.
