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Brad Brousson gives us a peak inside his greenhouse, revealing why he loves growing his own food for his family

Brad Brousson loves his greenhouse. His modest operation is about 20 by 30 feet, employing a thermostat that automatically powers up fans to circulate the air inside when it gets too hot. Currently he’s growing spinach, beets, kale, and some herbs.

“It was probably one of the best investments I ever made, although financially it was probably one of the worst,” he says. “But there are greater returns than money. I know every day when my family go inside, they’re able to pick food that’s full of nutrition and rich in goodness.

The soil I first bought was very poor. It had piles of woodchips in it and they just sucked all the nitrogen out of the soil. So I added naturally organic rabbit and alfalfa pellets to correct the nutrient balance. I also worked in my own compost and I could just see the soil get darker and richer and the food tasted better. Thanks to the composting I do, I can honestly say I see the flavour of the food getting better as the soil gets stronger.

My wife, my daughter or I come out here and pick some vegetables just minutes before we stick them in the blender and buzz them up. We put fresh spinach in all of our smoothies and our green drinks, along with the kale and other greens, celery and even parsley.

It’s powerful – all those antioxidants vitalize the body. You just feel so good, so much better when you eat or drink it. There’s no loss in nutrients because it goes right from the greenhouse to your drink. It’s fabulous.

I value my greenhouse as a real place to relax and I feel good knowing my wife, my children and my grandchildren are getting nutrient-dense goodness. You can’t put a dollar value on that.”