Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
If people want to have a garden in the winter in the Kosciusko County area, they may contact Steve Koontz.
He owns Keep It Watered, which the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce had a ribbon-cutting for on Wednesday.
Keep It Watered, which Koontz started in 2015, offers plants for lease to schools, businesses and more, with him then servicing the plants for the entities. It also offers tower garden systems whereby plants can grow inside or out on a device.
That device has a pump which sends water and a nutrient to the growing plants.
"There's a timer that runs about four to five minutes every 45 minutes to feed the plants," explained Koontz.
He said plants like lettuce and herbs grow well indoors on the systems, while tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelon and squash do well outdoors.
"You've got no weeds, very few insects and a lot less maintenance than a typical garden, and you can bring it indoors in the winter to extend the growing season," said Koontz of the benefits.
He said he's "had a lot of success with schools with tower gardens because they can put them in the corner of a classroom and just (have) the kids learning not only science, but ... life skills as well."
Koontz said he had a kindergarten teacher sell the lettuce grown in the classroom "to buy a gas card for a needy family."
His aim is to provide people "good quality veggies that they know where they're grown."
To learn more, call 574-306-0939 or visit www.keepitwatered.com.
