Vander Meulen brothers stay true to their Abbotsford roots

Brothers Armand and Peter Vander Meulen know what it’s like to live in glass houses. The two run a 9.8-acre red pepper greenhouse in Abbotsford. They follow the footsteps of their parents, Jake and Ann Vander Meulen, who have farmed in the Fraser Valley for more than 25 years.

The senior Vander Meulens have farmed berries, greenhouse tomatoes, poultry and flowers.

Years ago, Armand and Peter took over farming greenhouse vegetables from their father, who continues to grow flowers on a small farm in Abbotsford.

Inside the Vander Meulens’ pepper greenhouse, Armand and Peter rely on good bugs fighting bad bugs to keep their crop healthy, rather than spraying lots of chemical pesticides. Because they’re able to precisely control light, heat and water given to plants, they can grow more than 25 kilograms of bell peppers annually in about the size of a bathtub.

The brothers also recycle what they use, mixing composted plant matter with sawdust, which is used as growing medium. They give that mixture to a neighbouring blueberry farmer for use in his fields. They also use wood scraps from a local mill to heat their greenhouse in cold months.

“That is what greenhouse growing is about: Being the most efficient with what you have. Land, fuel, water, you name it,” says Armand Vander Meulen, who sits on agricultural advisory committees for both the Fraser Valley Regional District and the City of Abbotsford.

“Not only are we aiming to be good stewards, we also love what we do: Putting food on people’s tables.”

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