grows Asian vegetables such as bok choy and napa cabbage—a nod to his heritage of growing up inTaiwan. “I love farming because of the plants that you grow,” he said. “It’s amazing. From that little seed, in two months’ time, it’s harvested and good for people.” Full circle Shen often ref lects on his youth and the hardships he faced. He now has a son, Zechariah, who is 12, the same age he was when he lived alone. Shen and his wife, Deborah, have two other children: Josephine, 9, and 1-year-old Kolton. Before the pandemic, Shen would of ten have schoolchildren visit to learn about his business. He said his dream is to someday run an orphanage. “I want to raise up, help people that are alone, especially kids,” he said. “I’ve been there and I want to do something for them. I have all this experience that I would love to share with them. I think that would be a really good full circle for everybody.”
Growing orchids and leafy greens Shen specia l izes in growing orchid variet ies imported fromTaiwan that produce more flowers than typical orchids, bloom longer and can have double stems. Before the pandemic, he had as many as 50,000 plants in his greenhouses at one time. The orchids, which are grown in plastic containers on tables and watered by hand, usually take five months to spike and bloom into cascading waterfalls of color. Shen shared a secret for his orchids’ success: He sings to them. With South Coast Orchids going wel l, Shen purchased the adjacent land and started Sundial Farm, where he grows lea f y greens hydroponic a l ly. Hydroponics is a process by which plants are grown in nutrient-rich water rather than soil. His plants are suspended in growing trays using PVC pipes. Water is filtered five times, then runs through the plants on a tilted table and is recycled. The technique allows more produce to be grown in a smaller space with less water. Shen’s crops at Sundial Farm include kale, arugula, red leaf lettuce and mustard greens. His specialty is butter lettuce, brimming with big, green leaves. He also
Judy Farah jfarah@californiabountiful.com
Shen grows orchids and vegetables in adjacent greenhouses. His South Coast Orchids is a wholesale business specializing in colorful Phalaenopsis orchids.
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January/February 2021
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