Backyard Farms is a Madison, Maine-based agricultural company specializing in massive greenhouses to produce vine-ripened tomatoes. It is owned by Devonshire Investors, a Boston-based branch of Fidelity Investments.
History
The company was started in 2004. In 2007, the company’s first 25-acre (100,000 m2) greenhouse was built in Madison, Maine, making it the largest building by volume in the state. It covers the area of 20 football fields. The 240,000 plants grow up to 10 feet tall and are projected to yield 1 million tomatoes each week. Their second greenhouse, connected to the first, was built in 2009. The combined area was then 42 acres (170,000 m2). Plants are grown in rock wool and pollinated by bumblebees that are kept inside the greenhouses. Rainwater that sheds off the greenhouse roofs is recycled to supplement the water used to irrigate the plants.
Although the tomatoes were originally a specialty variety called "Backyard Beauty", they have been replaced with other, undisclosed varieties. There are plans for the operation to expand to include peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, herbs and strawberries.