‘We can farm in the snow’: Utah farmer grows citrus in winter

OGDEN, Utah (ABC4) — When you think of winter, fresh fruit might not be the first thing that comes to mind. However, one Utah farmer wants to change that.

Using compost to naturally heat greenhouses, Chad Midgley grows citrus in the winter. He hopes that doing so will improve food security.    

Surrounded by homes in the middle of Ogden is an orchard about one acre in size. From 13^th Street, passersby can see dozens of peach trees. While they are currently sitting dormant, the orchard holds a lively surprise.  

“This is just an experiment,” Midgley said. “I’m a mad scientist.”  

Midgley, owner of Chad’s Produce, has been farming for decades. About 10 years ago, he started experimenting with his farming.

“I thought, how about trying to grow fruit along the Wasatch Front in the middle of winter,” Midgley told ABC4.

Fast forward 10 years and his hypothesis is now looking more like fact.   

“We have fruit here,” Midgley said, while standing outside the hand-built greenhouse in his Ogden orchard. “In Syracuse we do the same thing. We have bushels, bushels of fruit.”

Even in the dead of winter, Midgley has about 10 varieties of citrus, including grapefruit, that can be picked. He also uses methods that let him harvest ground vegetables, like carrots and beets, throughout the season.  

The Ogden greenhouse is the first he built. On the property there is no running water or electricity. However, compost, strategically placed water barrels and plastic siding all provide the protection citrus trees need to grow, even in the snow.

Inside the greenhouse, even on a cloudy day, the air is much more humid and warmer than the air outside.  

“It’s unbelievable we can farm in the snow,” Midley said. “It’s just a big thing. It means I can teach people how to grow food without heating expensive greenhouses and help with food security in the world.”  

Feeding America says in Utah, almost 317,000 people face hunger. This is roughly one in every 11 people. For children, one in 10 face hunger. According to the organization, those facing hunger in the Beehive State need $190 million more a year to meet their food needs.   

“I want to teach people how to do this,” Midgley told ABC4.

He said the method he uses to grow food year-round is cost-effective. He emphasized that families don’t need a lot of land. In fact, one of his greenhouses is just a few square feet in size and the citrus tree inside the small greenhouse is currently loaded with fruit.

“I feel it’s really important to teach people how to get food from their yards during all four seasons,” Midgley said.

He sells his produce at the winter farmer’s market on 25th Street in Ogden and at Wheeler’s Farm in Murray. He uses social media to help teach people about urban farming and encourage those who are thinking about starting.