Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Hay River (May 30/05) - A Hay River sawmilling family has branched out into the greenhouse business.

The two businesses are closely linked. Waste wood from the sawmill is used to heat the greenhouses of Patterson's Green Valley Gardens.

"This is a byproduct of the sawmill," says Sandra Lester, a member of the Patterson family.

"Without the sawmill, you couldn't do this."

Lester notes it would be too expensive to use conventional fuels.

"I've thought for a long time a greenhouse is a natural use for co-generation," says Eugene Patterson, the patriarch of the family.

However, he says the family's turn to greenhouses doesn't mean it intends to stop sawmilling, especially since the sawmill generates the fuel.

The new business officially opened May 7.

There are two operating greenhouses, one 3,000 sq. ft. and the other 1,500 sq. ft. They are heated by a 450,000 BTU wood-fired boiler.

The greenhouses can hold 75,000 bedding plants, 300 hanging baskets, and tomatoes and cucumbers.

Once the bedding plants are sold, they will be replaced with strawberries.