2009 / 2008 / 2007 / 2006

753289 Ontario Ltd. O/A Burt's Greenhouses - Lennox and Addington County

(Left to right: Brian Burt; Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Leona Dombrowsky)

What's old is new again with this greenhouse grower's innovation. Brian Burt has come up with a modern equivalent of the old-fashioned hot bed for growing plants in a greenhouse. The innovation makes use of lightweight steel support pieces and a nylon line which supports a common plastic cover. The heat source comes from regular polyethylene pipes which have been buried in gravel to circulate hot water underneath the plants as the heat source. This innovation evolved from the recognition that growing plants outdoors results in more robust plants, compared to the greenhouse environment. The hot bed protects tender seedlings from frost and, at the same time, offers the benefits of sun and wind for plants growing in an outdoor area. This innovation allows plants to be transplanted outside, and opens up greenhouse space for additional plantings.