A new Ohio State University farm-to-fork project offers students fresh produce

Ohio State University corporate executive chef Lesa Holford has started growing edibles in a campus greenhouse for use in food prepared for the school’s dining facilities.

By David Kuack


Since August, kale, basil and romaine lettuce have been growing in an Ohio State University College of Agriculture greenhouse. These crops aren’t part of a research project. They are being grown for use in the preparation of food served at several campus dining facilities.

“We are growing about 1,200 plants,” said university corporate executive chef Lesa Holford. “About 70 percent of the plants are kale, 15 percent are basil and 15 percent are romaine. The plants were started in August. We are still harvesting from the original kale and basil plants. In late October we put in a second planting of 240 romaine plants.”

A learning experience

Holford, who has no formal training in plant production other than her own backyard garden, said the project has been a learning experience.



Research associate Elaine Grassbaugh (left) of Ohio State’s
Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, student
volunteer Courtney George, and corporate executive chef
Lesa Holford harvest basil in a campus greenhouse.
Photo by K.D. Chamberlain, CFAES Communications

“I randomly chose the crops that we are growing,” she said. “I’m now looking to ask people in the College of Agriculture their recommendations for additional crops. I’m interested in trying crops that might have greater yields. I’m learning as I go.”

Holford has received assistance in producing and harvesting the plants from the faculty and staff in the College of Agriculture.

“Greenhouse coordinators Jim Vent and Elaine Grassbaugh are some of the people who are working with me,” Holford said. “They have shown me how to harvest the crops. This includes where to cut the basil, how to harvest the kale so that it continues to grow and how to cut the romaine so that its leaves don’t start to turn yellow.

“They showed me how to germinate the seeds in a misting room. They explained to me when to take the seedlings out of the misting room and move them into the greenhouse to acclimate them before planting. I initially grew the basil with the romaine. I now understand why you don’t put warm temperature crops with cold temperature crops. It’s been an atmosphere of learning and that’s what has been great.”

Utilizing university ag products, facilities

Holford said the idea for growing in the greenhouse evolved from using other ag products produced at another campus facility.

“We were using a lot of beef and pork products from the university meat lab,” she said. “We actually reached the point where the lab couldn’t produce enough of what we needed. So then we started tapping into the student-run Waterman farm complex.

“I told the farm staff if they could grow it, we could use it. We were buying produce from the farm, primarily lettuce. The quantities were a little unpredictable. That is another reason why we decided to start this project with the College of Agriculture. It gave us the opportunity of learning while growing the food. It also gave us the opportunity to grow something we had more control of. Being able to have more control over the food that we offer our students is important.”

Holford said she hasn’t had any major challenges producing the plants.

“We had some aphids that infested the terminals of a few kale plants,” she said. “It wasn’t a major outbreak. We used an organic horticultural oil to control the aphids.”

Fresh food preparation

Holford said she decides what recipes the produce that is harvested goes into.

“The produce is sent to the university’s central production kitchen where it is used to make different foods served at various locations around campus,” she said. “I usually deliver the produce when we have enough to harvest.

“About 15-20 pounds of kale goes into the kale and bacon tarts that are sold in six Grab ‘n Go cafes. The basil goes into the pesto that is used to make Grab ‘n Go caprese sandwiches that are sold all over campus. The romaine goes into Grab ‘n Go Caesar salads that are sold in about 20 different dining locations.”

Kale grown in an Ohio State University College of
Agriculture greenhouse will be used in food served
at various campus dining facilities.
Photo by Neil Hoyng, Ohio State University

Holford said more than 260 pounds of produce has been harvested from the greenhouse.

“When we started to harvest the crops it was once a week, but that has slowed down because of the weather,” she said. “The basil, in particular, has really slowed down.”

Student involvement

Prior to starting the project, volunteer help was solicited from the student body to assist in the watering of the plants. Sustainable Plant Systems Horticulture student Kathryn Losnes was hired to assist in the growing and to coordinate the schedule of volunteers to water the plants.

“We had over 20 students who volunteered to water the plants,” Holford said. “They are from various majors. We have a couple of students who signed up from a vegetarian focus group. Some are from the school of horticulture. Some of them just wanted to volunteer to work in the greenhouse and grow the plants. We conducted an orientation so that the volunteers could learn how to water the plants.”

Expansion plans

Based on the success Dining Services has had growing in the greenhouse, Holford said she would like to expand the program to grow more produce.

“I’m hoping that we will be able to expand production by next summer,” she said. “We are looking at several options. We may be able to get more bench space in the greenhouse we’re currently growing in. There may also be an opportunity to put up a high tunnel next to the greenhouse or to put up a high tunnel at Waterman farm or perhaps both. There are also some high tunnels at the university’s Wooster campus that could be brought to the Waterman facility, which is only 2 miles away from the greenhouse we’re using now.”

Holford said another future opportunity would be to involve students in the university’s Culinary Science program in the project.

For more: Lesa Holford, Ohio State University, University Dining Services; (614) 477-0240; holford.8@osu.edu; http://cfaes.osu.edu/news/articles/kale-kale-the-gang%E2%80%99s-all-here-ohio-state-greenhouse-grows-produce-for-students.

David Kuack is a freelance technical writer in Fort Worth, Texas; dkuack@gnail.com.

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