Making it easier to bring "farm-to-table" fresh food into your own kitchen
A growing movement of farm-to-table dining has been making its way across Chattanooga recently with many restaurants making it a point to go so far as to grow their own fruits and vegetables so as to provide the freshest product for their customers. But what about those of us who’d like to experience farm-to-our own kitchen table dining?
Urban Horticulture Supply has opened on Latta Street just ‑off Amnicola to provide you with all of your gardening needs, and then some. Having been open for just a few short weeks, UHS is brimming with seeds, 100% organic soils, hydroponic systems, tiered pots, aquaponic systems, aeroponics systems, and a wealth of informational packets and magazines to help you get started, or to continue on your journey of creating new life at home.
“I’ve had people ask if we teach classes here,” says owner Rob Mock. “I tell them if you come in, I can give you a quick one-on-one ‘class’ and get you headed in the right direction.”
There’s no better person to have educate you on the various benefits and paths you may choose for your little green lovelies than Rob as he has quite the resume in the field. From being the advisor of the rooftop garden that currently sits atop downtown Knoxville’s YMCA and being on the board of advisory of Lenoir City High School’s state of the art greenhouse to speaking at UT’s “Blooms Days” with a Hydroponics 101 class, he knows his stuff and will find the perfect match for you and your desired plants.
A Knoxville native, and now Chattanooga commuter, Rob decided to open his shop in Chattanooga to fill a niche that Chattanooga had left open recently, and there’s no better place to get educated on growing your own herbs, plants, fruits, or flowers, and so many different ways to take on that challenge. Come in, talk to Rob, and let him assess your current gardening education to get you on the right track.
“I don’t want to sell people the most expensive system,” says Rob. “I want to find what will be successful for them, to make it easier for them. I don’t want them to be overwhelmed and kill their plants. I want my customers to be successful in their endeavors, otherwise, what’s the point?”
Your options on how to grow your plants are near limitless at Urban Horticulture Supply with aquaponic systems, hydroponic, aeroponic, and traditional soil-- 100% organic-- available. Each system varies on how your plants are managed and how they receive their nutrients, with aquaponic systems relying on fish to fertilize the plants, hydroponics feeding plants nutrient rich water, or aeroponics in which oxygen is infused into the nutrient solution, allowing the roots to absorb nutrients faster and more easily.
A major aspect of Rob’s love of all things green is that he wants to, in time, do more community outreach in Chattanooga like he did in Knoxville with their Y’s rooftop garden. He’s currently in talks with revamping the aquaponics system Howard School has and he also put together an irrigation system for a local tavern. They were having trouble keeping their flower-filled hanging baskets properly watered, so Rob visited their place and put together an irrigation system to keep those baskets looking fresh and lively.
It’s a place to go for all of your gardening needs. When you enter a chain home and garden store, you’re likely to be wandering alone in your search for your proper technique or be sold the top dollar item you may not need. Know that Urban Horticulture Supply has you and your plants in mind and will do everything they can to get you on the road to eating your own garden veggies for dinner in the near future.
Urban Horticulture Supply
Open T-F, 11a-6p, Sat. 11a-4p
1140 Latta Street
(423) 708-5543
facebook.com/UHSchattanooga