Grow It and
By Steve Fiske
If you remember the “Field of Dreams” movie, you
will no doubt recall its most famous line,”if you build
it they will come”. Marvin Wilhite Jr. was thinking of
another kind of field when he launched his state of the
art hydroponics
growing operation
in Odessa,
perhaps he was
following an
inner voice that
said, to paraphrase
Ray Kinsella,
from the
FOD movie, ‘if
you grow it they
will come”.
Wilhite
launched the
Cahaba Club
Herbal Outpost in
2000 and uses the
science of hydroponics
entirely to
grow his plants.
His operation
has grown in to
one of Florida’s
most diversified
farming operations and a leader in its field. The plants
are grown with care and close attention to detail using
three methods of hydroponics which are ebb-in-flow,
nutrient film technique (NFT), and container grown
without soil.
“We have the ability to
grow our products in full
sun-light, partial shade,
and complete darkness”,
says Wilhite with great
pride. Indeed,he has built it
and customers are coming
to Cahaba Clubs Herbal
Outpost from all over the
world. Daily fresh herbs are
cut and shipped every day
to Chefs and customers in
every major region of the U.S.. The Cahaba products
arrive, everyday at some of the world’s finest resorts,
kitchens and dining
tables. Most of these
venues demand the
highest quality growing
and food safety
standards. They read
like a Who’s Who in
the resort and lodging
industry. They trust
and verify that Cahaba
Clubs consistently meets such rigorous standards.
Some clients subject
Cahaba’s products
to random testing,
which they pass
with the highest
ratings in the industry.
One can smell
the distinct diverse
aroma of the
varied micro-crops
by simply stepping
over the
threshold in to
one of several
greenhouses that
grow Wilhites’
micro-greens.
His greenhouses
are nestled
in a tree line of
large cypress
and oak trees
filled with the
sound of singing
birds. The
micro-greens are
grown in volcanic
rock called
“perlite”. The micro
greens are temperature and environmentally controlled
as are the ph levels. Everything is controlled to
insure maximum quality, flavor, yield and the highest
aste of
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