Hydro-Earth opens on Mineral Spring Avenue

NORTH PROVIDENCE - Hydro-Earth has opened at 1243 Mineral Spring Ave., diagonally across from the well-known Oki Japanese Steak House. It's the first business venture for friends Brad Harnois, who serves as general manager, and Tyson Thivierge, the start-up company's senior sales consultant.

Harnois' stepfather, Mark Hemphill, is owner and president. All three business partners reside in Cumberland. Hydro-Earth offers hydroponic and soil systems, artificial lighting systems, indoor gardening supplies, plant nutrients, consulting services and grow room design and construction.

For those not familiar with the term, hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil. Instead of nutrients in the soil, plants thrive on a nutrient solution which contains the minerals that the plants need. Rather than searching throughout the soil for minerals, plants are able to get nutrients easily, directly from a nutrient solution.

Hydro-Earth's 1,400-square-foot store front features a retail sales area that offers a vast array of related products, and two functioning grow rooms that display plants growing indoors, including corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, and jalapeño peppers.

Also on display are several Jamaican red banana plants that are thriving from hydroponic growth.

Harnois, 26, and Thivierge, 30, are longtime indoor organic gardeners who chose to leave the private employment sector to become full-time business partners. Harnois previously worked as a union construction worker out of Boston and Thivierge worked as a union iron worker out of Providence.

Hydro-Earth is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For detailed information on the benefits of hydroponic gardening visit the store or call 305-5520. Hydro-Earth's Web site at www.hydro-earth.com is under construction.